The Importance Of The Baptism Of A Child
Visualizing I have a baby on the way, some main concerns I would have would be to ensure that the child receives a baptism in a Catholic ceremony and has a faith based upbringing. In most cases, a parent asks to have their child baptized because they intend for their child to follow the same beliefs as them and Entrance into the Church is the first step in accomplishing that. In preparation for the sacrament, the priest will anoint the child on the breast, proceeding to trace the cross with Oil of Salvation. Then, he will pray and bless the child before the baptism. Parents normally contact the church for a baptism to take place, it is helpful if the parents are already involved in a Catholic church to eliminate having to shop around for a priest. The baptism usually happens on a Sunday mass and is accompanied by the parents, family and friends, godparents, any other person of significance in a child’s life, and other important members of the church. In celebration of the baptism, gifts are traditionally given to the child by relatives and friends, but a reception can also take place. The baptism of a child is of high importance because it is a holy tradition that frees a baby from Original Sin.
When people take on the responsibility of godparents, they are promising to closely help the parents in the faithful upbringing of their child. Godparents are carefully chosen based upon their relationship to the child and how fit they are believed to be by the parents. The responsibility of a godparent is a lifelong commitment to assisting the child in a spiritual upbringing. On the day of baptism, they are expected to stand by the side of the parents and answer to the priest when asked if there are prepared to assist the parents’ in their Christian duty to raise their child.
In the process of decorating a child’s room, parents should be sure to include crosses, bibles, praying hands, angels, and doves. These are all traditional faith symbols ideal for the baby’s living space and emotional development. During the ceremony, the role of the priest is to perform the baptism which means to lead the actual blessing of the child.
The ceremony begins with the Reception of the child into the church, a psalm or hymn may be sung to complete this. Then, the Celebration of God’s Word takes place, consisting of five parts it begins with Scriptural Readings and Homily, leads into Prayer of the Faithful, followed by Invocation of the Saints, then the Prayer of Exorcism, and finally the Anointing before the baptism. Directly before the baptism, the Celebration of the Sacrament happens as well as the Blessing and Invocation of God over the Baptismal water and Renunciation of Sin and Profession of Faith. Finally, the Baptism occurs where the priest welcomes the child to the church followed by blessing him/her, then clothes the child in white garment provided by the family. The priest will then light the Easter Candle stating “receive the light of Christ.” To conclude the baptismal rite, a blessing is given by the priest followed by the reply of “amen” by the guests. Baptismal ceremonies are commonly relied on massive community effort and takes a lot of planning. A reception can usually be expected to follow this highly sacred and holy event. At the reception, everyone who attended the baptism is invited to attend where they will celebrate the child’s baptism and welcoming into the church through gifts given by the guests to the family. The reception is usually held in a different location outside of the church.
To conclude, the baptism of a child is crucial to his or her faithful upbringing and for the parents and godparents, a lifelong responsibility to keep spiritual teachings rooted in the child’s life.
