Saints LightWhy Does Baptism Matter So Much?
Baptism washes away sin, makes us God's children and members of his Church, and marks us as his forever. In an emergency anyone can baptize with water and the words naming the Trinity.
What this lesson teaches
- Baptism forgives original sin and all personal sins and makes us children of God and members of the Church.
- It leaves a permanent seal, so it is never repeated, even for Christians joining the Catholic Church.
- Infants are baptized because grace is a free gift, not something a child must earn first.
- In an emergency anyone may baptize, using water and the words naming the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 1213
- CCC 1250-1252
- CCC 1256
- CCC 1257-1261
- CCC 1262-1274
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: John 3:5; Romans 6:3-4; Acts 16:33.
A sample question from this lesson
In a true emergency, who may baptize?
- Only a bishop, since he has the fullness of orders
- Only a priest or deacon, never a layperson
- Only a Catholic adult who has been confirmed
- Anyone who intends what the Church does and uses water and the Trinitarian words
Show the answer
Anyone who intends what the Church does and uses water and the Trinitarian words. The lesson notes that in necessity anyone, even an unbaptized person, can baptize with the right intention, water, and the words naming the Trinity (CCC 1256).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Original sin
- The wounded state of human nature we inherit from Adam, lacking the grace God first intended; Baptism takes it away.
- Chrism
- Olive oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by the bishop, used in Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"Why Does Baptism Matter So Much?" is lesson 2 of The Seven Sacraments. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- What Does Baptism Actually Do? (Baptism, free)
- Which Path Is Yours? (Becoming Catholic, free)
- Why Does the Church Baptize Babies, and What Do Parents Promise? (Baptism, free)
- Baptism for Adults: The Easter Vigil, Already Baptized Christians and Conditional Baptism (Baptism, free)