Baptism
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified
Baptism - Door to the Spirit (1213)
Baptism is the door to the Holy Spirit and to the other sacraments (Council of Florence). By Baptism, the believer is freed from sin, reborn as God's child, made a member of Christ and of the Church, and given a share in the Church's mission.
Various Names (1214-1216)
- Baptism means to plunge or immerse. This plunging into water symbolizes the believer's burial with Christ, followed by his rising up as a "new creature" (2 Cor 5:17).
- "The washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (another name for Baptism) refers to the birth by water and the Spirit which is needed to "enter the kingdom of God" (Jn 3:5).
- "This bath is called enlightenment because those instructed ‘are enlightened in their understanding'" (St. Justin).
St. Gregory of Nazeanzus wrote that "Baptism has many names: gift (because conferred freely), grace (because given to the guilty), enlightenment (because it radiates light), clothing (because it veils our shame), bath (because it washes), and seal (as a sign of God's Lordship)."
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