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Baptism Is a Celebration of Life What would happen to us if we had no water to drink? What if there was no water for grass, trees, and flowers? Without water, life would soon come to an end. Nothing would grow, and the earth would become a desert.
Water in the form of storms and floods can also bring death. This makes water an even more powerful sign for Baptism. In Baptism, we enter into the Death and Rising of Jesus. We promise to die to sin and rise to new life in Christ.
Water produces life and growth. This is one reason why water is a good sign for the Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism makes us adopted children of God and members of Jesus’ family, the Church. The Trinity dwells in us, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit help us to become like Jesus. The water of Baptism reminds us of this wonderful new life of grace God gives us.
Dying and rising is a pattern throughout life. We say goodbye to the old and meet the new. Over and over we turn from sin to new life. This change from the death of sin to life is called conversion.
Water does not just bring forth life. Water also cleanses. Baptism cleanses us from the Original Sin we were born with as members of the human race. It also cleanses us from any sins we have committed.
Baptism is the first sacrament we celebrate. Jesus said, “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” (John 3:5) Baptism marks us forever as Christians. It calls us to be Jesus’ disciples, committed to spreading God’s kingdom.
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