As Lent begins, this article is the first in a series on the sacraments. Its author, Riley Damitz, is a senior at Christendom College in Virginia.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines baptism as the “basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.” Baptism, a one-time sacrament that leaves an indelible mark on the soul, brings the soul into the life of grace. 

In other words, baptism is a spiritual birthday. While many cradle Christians cannot remember their baptism as an infant, the promises made by one’s godparents at baptism ought to continue to shape one’s life. What affect should baptism have on daily life?

Baptism is a spiritual birthday. While many cradle Christians cannot remember their baptism as an infant, the promises made by one’s godparents at baptism ought to continue to shape one’s life. What affect should baptism have on daily life?

“Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission,” the Catechism states. Everyone is born with the stain of original sin, passed down from the first sin of Adam and Eve, which inclines the will away from God and true happiness. Christ, through baptism, restores the soul into communion with God. 

Baptism makes an incalculable difference, then, in living a life of virtue. God created mankind to know, love and serve Him in the life of grace. Baptism marks the beginning of this new life. 

Deacon Michael Van Dyke, assigned to the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit after his ordination in October, has the privilege of bringing souls to Christ through baptism.

“The first time I will be the celebrant of baptism is in a few weeks, in late February,” Deacon Van Dyke said. “I imagine the amazing and humbling part will be serving as the conduit for the Holy Spirit to wash away original sin, enabling the child to be marked with the same Holy Spirit, and thus facilitating that child becoming one with Christ.”

Through the ministry of the Church, baptism continues to bring souls into communion with God. In the New Testament, John the Baptist foreshadowed Christ's institution of this sacrament (CCC, 1223-1225), going about the countryside preaching repentance, encouraging people to reject sin and wash themselves clean to prepare for the coming of God. Yet, John's baptism was purely symbolic; the outward washing did not really cause the spiritual cleansing of the soul.

In Acts 19, St. Paul encounters some Christians who had never heard of the Holy Spirit because they only received the baptism of John. “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus,” Paul says in Acts 19:4. After receiving baptism in the name of Jesus, “the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying” (Acts 19:6), revealing the spiritual transformation that baptism brings about.

When Christ, the sinless Son of God, received the baptism of John, He sanctified the waters by His own purity. As St. Thomas Aquinas writes in his Summa Theologica III:66:2, “Baptism received this power when Christ was baptized.” Through the baptism of Christ, a sacrament was instituted — an outward sign of an inward reality. The waters of baptism are now efficacious, actually bringing about what they symbolize. Those washed by the baptism of Christ now truly experience a cleansing of the soul as the stain of original sin is washed away. 

For Deacon Fred Guardiola, who currently ministers at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Northville, baptism transforms the very fabric of everyday life.  

“Throughout my life I’ve heard the Lord calling me to teach and preach His Gospel. My response to that call influences all aspects of my life,” Deacon Guardiola said. “I seek to deepen my prayer life and grow closer to the Lord every day. As a husband and father, I encourage my family to actively seek a deeper relationship with Jesus and to learn about our faith as it is revealed in the Bible and through prayer and spiritual reading. Out in the world, I look for opportunities to engage in faith-related conversations with friends and coworkers.”

Before his ascension, Christ gave his apostles the Great Commission: “to go out into all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The Church still administers this sacrament to bring souls to the new life promised by God.

Yet, as the Catechism points, “For all the baptized, children or adults, faith must grow after Baptism” (CCC 1254). The reception of baptism alone is not enough to ensure holiness. At baptism, certain promises are made to God, most especially the rejection of Satan and all his works. The baptismal candidate also professes belief in the Trinity, the Church, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life.

These promises, which the Church invites the faithful to renew each year at the Easter Vigil, guide the life of all the baptized. In keeping these promises until death, the baptized can grow in their love of God and others, Deacon Van Dyke said.

Baptism leaves the soul changed forever, and each person is called to live out that change. The radical effects of baptism can be seen in the lives of the saints: the astonishing humility of Mother Teresa, pastoral kindness of Pope St. John Paul II, and the courage of the martyrs offer a sharp contrast to the dullness and mediocrity of sin. 

“I live out my baptismal promise by living as best as possible as someone incorporated into the body of Christ,” Deacon Van Dyke said. “Broadly speaking, it means fulfilling my diaconal responsibilities during Mass and in ministries of service at and outside the parish. Specifically, it means being present to parishioners or to others who need someone simply to listen to them, to pray with them, to pray for them.”  

Baptism leaves the soul changed forever, and each person is called to live out that change. The radical effects of baptism can be seen in the lives of the saints: the astonishing humility of Mother Teresa, pastoral kindness of Pope St. John Paul II, and the courage of the martyrs offer a sharp contrast to the dullness and mediocrity of sin. 

Deacon Guardiola, who performs baptisms at his parish, said he feels “blessed to be part of this essential step in each person’s journey toward fullness of life and union with God.” 

“I’m also encouraged by what I perceive as an authentic return to the faith by our young families,” Deacon Guardiola said. “I truly believe the Holy Spirit is acting in a powerful way across the Archdiocese of Detroit to 'unleash the Gospel.'”