b-Abba - P 11 - Baptism
The sacraments are seven sacred signs which, at all the moments of the life, communicate the grace of God. They always make reference to the action of Jesus and find their origin in the Holy Bible.
Three sacraments of the Christian initiation are the baptism, the confirmation or Chrismation (Menu) and the Eucharist (Menu).
Baptism is the base of the communion between all the Christians.
Baptism was instituted by Jesus who said: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16, 16) and also: "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" (Matthew 28, 19).
Baptism implies the repentance and it produces the forgiveness of all the sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2, 38).
The water of the baptism means the death with the Christ to raise with him. The baptized becomes a new man, a Christian. He receives the grace which makes him able to believe, to hope and to love.
The essential rite of Baptism consists in immersing the candidate in water or pouring water on his head, while pronouncing the invocation of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Baptism can be received by a little child or an adult.
The adult is baptized after having received a teaching and to have prepared there as a catechumen, often during two or three years.
Once baptized, the catechumen receives the sacrament of the confirmation and the eucharist. He becomes a neophyte (that means young growth).
