We hope this will help you enter
into the meaning of this important sacrament.
WHY INFANT BAPTISM?
Baptizing infants before they know what is going on is an expression of God's great love for us. It shows that God loves us and accepts us before we can ever know Him or love Him. It shows that we are wanted and loved by God from the very moment of our birth.
To say that a person must reach the age of reason and believe in Christ before he may be baptized is to make God's grace in some way dependent on man's intelligence. But God's grace is not dependent on any act of ours, intellectual or otherwise; it is a pure gift of His love.
BAPTISM AS, A COVENANT
Every baptism is a covenant, that
is an agreement, between God and man. God promises to be our Father
and we promise to be His children. In the past God entered into agreement
with Noah, Abraham. Moses and others. Now through baptism He approaches
and wishes to make an agreement with every person who comes into the
world. It is an agreement of love which God initiates. He says in
effect. "I will be your Father, your Saviour, and you will be my son,
my daughter."
A PERSONAL RESPONSE
Baptism demands a personal response
on the part of the baptized child when it grows up. The child must
accept what God did for him or her in baptism. For baptism is not
divine pass that will get us into heaven automatically. Dr. Nikos
Nissiotis has said. "A baptized Christian-especially in the Churches
in which infant baptism is practiced -needs to make a personal decision
regarding the Christian faith which he has passively inherited from
his Christian environment.
WE ARE ATTACHED TO CHRIST
Through baptism Christ cleanses
us of sin He calls us His own sons and daughters. He makes us heirs
of all His riches. He makes us members of His family. As members of
God's family we are all related to each other and responsible for
each other. Yet baptism is more even than all this. Through baptism
we are attached to Christ. We become members of His body. Each baptized
Christian becomes an extension of Christ. We become other Christ's
in the world. We become His eyes, His hands. His tongue, His feet.
Christ has chosen to work in the world through us the members of His
body. It is our special responsibility as baptized Christians to let
Christ be present wherever we ourselves are stationed in the world
as baptized Christians.
St. Chrysostom writes, "For this reason we baptize children, although
they have no sins ... in order to confer upon them sanctification,
adoption, inheritance ... that they may be members of Christ and become
the abode of the Holy Spirit."
EXPLANATION OF THE CEREMONY
The many gestures involved in the
performance of the Sacrament of Baptism in the Eastern Orthodox Church
are not mere forms devoid of meaning. Christianity is life Each action
in the Sacrament of Baptism expresses what Christ is actually doing
for us through this sacrament.
EXORCISMS
The first act of the baptismal service begins in the narthex
(entrance) of the church. This is to show that the one being received
is not yet a member of the Church. The purpose of baptism is to bring
him into the Church. To enter into the temple of God is to be with
Christ, to become a member of His body.
The priest then calls upon the sponsor to renounce the devil and all
his works for the child: "Do you renounce Satan, and all his angels,
and all his works, and all his services, and all his pride?" Fr. Alexander
Schmemann explains the meaning of this renunciation when he says,
"The first act of the Christian life is a renunciation, a challenge.
No one can be Christ's until he has, first faced Evil, and then become
ready to fight it .... The exorcisms mean this: to face Evil, to acknowledge
its reality, to know its power, and to proclaim the power of God to
destroy it. The exorcisms announce the forthcoming baptism as an act
of victory."
The renouncing of Satan is done facing the west because the west is
where the sun disappears and was regarded by the ancient Greeks as
the place of the gates of Hades. Then the priest faces east whence
the light of the sun rises and asks the godparent to accept for the
child Him who is the Light of the World, "Do you unite yourself to
Christ?" The renunciation of Satan and the union with Christ express
our faith that the newly-baptized child has been transferred from
one master to another, from Satan to Christ.
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS
The priest then makes the sign of the cross on the child's
body. This is repeated often during the service. Essentially the cross
is the sign of victory which puts the devil to flight. In the old
days slaves were branded, as are animals today. to show to what master
they belong. Today the sign of the cross brands us as belonging to
Christ.
THE CREED
The godparent is then asked to confess faith in Christ in
behalf of the infant. At this point the godparent reads the confession
of faith contained in the Nicene Creed. The "symbolon tis pisteos
as it is called in Greek, was a true symbol or sign of recognition
among the early Christians; it was the password that distinguished
the true members of God's family. By reading the Creed the godparent
confesses the true faith.
THE NAMING
From the moment the child is received into the
Church, emphasis is placed on his individuality. He is given his own
particular name by which he shall be distinguished from every other
child of God. This expresses our belief that the child has the dignity
of his own selfhood in the eyes of God. It is the Church's acceptance
of him as an individual in his own right. The new name expresses also
the new life received through baptism.
THE BAPTISMAL FONT
The baptismal font in the language
of the Church Fathers is the Divine Womb whence we receive the second
birth as children of God. Baptism is truly a birth. "But to all who
received him. who believed in his name, he gave power to become children
of God; who were born. not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor
of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12. 13). The baptismal font
is not only a womb but also a tomb where we die to sin.
THE TRIPLE IMMERSION
We believe that Christ died for our sins. To show that we,
and not Christ, are worthy of death because of our sins, we are immersed
in the baptismal font. The immersion in water symbolizes death. since
a person cannot live long under water. Through baptism we share Mysteriously
in Christ's death. As St. Paul Says, "We were buried therefore with
him [Christ] by baptism into death so that as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness
of life." The baptized person rises out of the baptismal font a new
man, cleansed of every sin and promising, like St. Paul, to surrender
his life to Christ, his Saviour: "He died for all that they who live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died
for them." The triple immersion symbolizes the three days our Lord
spent in the tomb as well as the Holy Trinity since the baptismal
formula used in the Orthodox Church is: "The servant of God - is baptized
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
THE WATER
Water is used for cleansing. In
baptism it expresses the fact that through this sacrament Christ cleanses
us from original and personal sin.
Describing what occurs at baptism St. John Chrysostom writes, "When
you come to the sacred initiation, the eyes of the flesh see water,
the eyes of faith behold the Spirit. Those eyes see the body being
baptized; these see the old man being buried. The eyes of the flesh
see the flesh being washed; the eyes of the spirit see the soul being
cleansed. The eyes of the body see the body emerging from the water;
the eyes of faith see the new man come forth brightly shining from
that new purification. Our bodily eyes see the priest as, from above,
he lays his right hand on the head and touches (him who is being baptized);
our spiritual eyes see the great High Priest (Jesus) as He stretches
forth His invisible hand to touch his head. For, at that moment, the
one who baptizes is not a man but the only-begotten Son of God.
THE NAKED INFANT
The infant is baptized in its naked
state to denote that just as we came out of our mother's womb naked,
so we emerge naked out of the womb of God-the baptismal font.
The removal of all clothes also signifies the old slough of sin which
will be cast off entirely through baptism. Nakedness without shame
refers also to the original state of man in Paradise where he was
not ashamed of the body which God had created and had called good.
THE ANOINTING WITH OIL
Olive oil is blessed and then applied
by the priest to the various members of the child's body: hands, feet,
ears, mouth, in order to dedicate them to the service of Christ. The
sponsor then anoints the entire body of the infant with olive oil.
This custom had its beginning among the ancient Greek wrestlers who
anointed their bodies with olive oil to make it difficult for the
opponent to maintain a grip on them. In baptism the child is anointed
with olive oil to express our prayer that with Christ's help the infant
may be able to elude the grip of sin.
NEW CLOTHES
The new clothes signify the entirely
new life that we receive after we are "buried with Jesus in his death"
(Rom. 6:4). In the early church the newly baptized did not put on
the old clothing he had taken off. He put on a new white robe. which
was worn at all the services during Easter week. (Most baptisms were
performed on Holy Saturday.) The white robe expresses the purity of
the soul that has been washed from sin. It recalls also the shining
robe in which Christ appeared at the Transfiguration, There is now
a likeness between the one baptized and the transfigured Lord. Nay,
it is more than a likeness. St. Paul calls it a putting on of Christ:
"For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ"
(Gal. 3:26. 27). Baptism is more than an external cleansing. It is
a deeply rooted transformation. St. Gregory of Nyssa states that the
white robe worn after baptism symbolizes the garment of light which
was man's before the Fall: "Thou hast driven us out of paradise and
called us back; Thou hast taken away the fig leaves. that garment
of our misery, and clothed us once more with the robe of glory."
THE CANDLES
However dark may be the night that
surrounds us, baptism remains the sacrament of entrance into light.
It opens the eyes of the soul to see Christ, the light of the world
(John 1: 19). It makes us sons of light (I Thess. 5: 5).
In the early Church the baptismal candle was always kept by the one
baptized. It was given to the newly baptized with the scriptural admonition:
"Let your liqht so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5-.16). The
baptismal candle was brought to Church on feast days, on the anniversary
of one's baptism and for the midnight Easter liturgy. If the person
was married. the same candle was lighted at the wedding. If he was
ordained. he would light it at his ordination. When the final hour
of life, approached it was lighted again as the soul went forth to
meet its Judge. It was a constant reminder,for the Christian to live
and die by the light of Christ.
THE SACRAMENT OF CHRISMATION OR
CONFIRMATION
In the Orthodox Church the Sacrament
of Confirmation is administered immediately following baptism as in
the early Church. It is considered the fulfillment of baptism. Human
nature purified by baptism is made ready to receive the manifold gifts
of the Holy Spirit. As Fr. Schmemann says, "Confirmation is thus the
personal Pentecost of man, his entrance into the life of the Holy
Spirit ... his ordination as truly and fully man .... His whole body
is anointed, sealed, sanctified, dedicated to the new life: 'the seal
of the gift of the Holy Spirit.' says the priest as he anoints the
newly baptized 'on the brow. and on the eyes, and the nostrils, and
the lips, and on both ears, and the breast and on the hands, and the
feet'. . . - The whole man is now made the temple of God . - - - "
The Greek word for Confirmation is chrisma," which means anointing.
The one anointed with chrisma becomes "Christos," that is. the anointed
one, which is the meaning of the name Christ. Thus, by this sacrament
we are made Christians or other Christs. Chrismation is the ordination
of the laity. According to Orthodox belief every baptized lay person
is ordained a priest by this sacrament: he receives the gift of the
Holy Spirit to become a deputy or an ambassador for Christ in this
world.
THE EUCHARIST
Immediately following Baptism the
neophyte receives the precious Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament
of Holy Communion and, in the case of an infant, is brought to Church
regularly after baptism to receive the sacrament. The new life in
Christ, given in baptism, is renewed again and again in the Eucharist.
In the Orthodox Church every baptized and confirmed infant becomes
a full member of the Church and is entitled to receive Holy Communion.
As nature provides milk for the nourishment of the infant after birth
so God provides Holy Communion for the infant immediately following
baptism in order to provide nourishment for the spiritual life the
neophyte has received through baptism.
THE CUTTING OF HAIR
After confirming the child, the priest cuts
three locks of hair from the child's head. This is an expression of
gratitude from the child, who having received an abundance of blessings
through the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation and having nothing
to give to God in return, offers part of its hair, which is symbolic
of strength (see Samson in the Old Testament). The child, therefore.
promises to serve God with all its strength. In the words of Fr. Schmemann,
the cutting of the hair "is a sign that the life which now begins is
a life of offering and sacrifice." It is significant that boys in ancient
Greece dedicated their hair to the gods upon reaching manhood. Some
Christian monks today cut off most of their hair as a sign of their
dedication to God.
THE PROCESSION
In early times Baptism and Confirmation were
not administered in the church but in a separate edifice called the
baptisterion. Following anointment with holy chrism the newly baptized,
wearing their white robes and carrying candles, were led by the clergy
to the church for the celebration of the Eucharist. Here they would
receive their first Communion.
This is the origin of the present procession of the priest accompanied
by the sponsor holding the newly baptized infant, around the baptismal
font just before the neophyte is given the Sacrament of Communion. The
purpose of Baptism and Chrismation is expressed by this procession to
the Eucharist. The door is now open to full and complete communion with
God. During the procession the priest sings. ". . . as many as have
been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia" (Gal. 3:27).
YOUR PRESENCE AT THIS BAPTISMAL SERVICE should serve as an occasion
for you to re-affirm your baptismal vows. Carried before the baptismal
font, you, too, once vowed through your sponsor that you would renounce
the devil and become a child of God, believing, obeying, loving and
serving Him. God promised to be your Father, to forgive your sins. to
provide for your needs and to bring you to heaven. Baptism is a solemn
promise between God and His children. God never breaks His promise.
Have you remained loyal to yours? Baptism is thus a matter of daily
concern. It signifies that the "old Adam" in us, that is. our old evil
nature, is to be drowned and destroyed by daily sorrow and repentance,
and that the new life, planted in us by the Holy Spirit in baptism should
daily come forth and grow.
THE EPISTLE -LESSON (Romans 6:3-11)
Do you not know that all of us who
have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We
were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ
was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk
in newness of life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly
be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old
self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed,
and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed
from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall
also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead
will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death
he died he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives he lives
to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to
God in Christ Jesus.
THE GOSPEL LESSON (Matthew 28:16-20)
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain
to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped
him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."