He saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit.

— Titus 3:5

Either before you arrive or as you wait for class to begin, find this short passage from Sacred Scripture in your Bible or through an online search. Reading it will prepare you for this week’s material.

— Romans 6:3–11

Almighty ever‑living God, who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him, solemnly declared him your beloved Son, grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well pleasing to you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

As you watch the video lesson, refer to these key highlights. Feel free to use the space provided to take notes.

• Baptism is the first of the sacraments; it is the sacrament of rebirth.

• Baptism is administered by pouring of or immersion in true water and the recitation of the Trinitarian formula: “[Name], I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

• Baptism cleanses the soul from original and actual sin and gives sanctifying grace.

• Confirmation is administered by the laying on of the hand and anointing with sacred chrism as the minister says: “[Name], be sealed with the Holy Spirit.”

• Confirmation imparts to the soul a certain maturity and the grace to witness to the Faith.

• Both Baptism and Confirmation give “character”—a share in Christ’s priesthood.

Wisdom of the Saints

[Baptism] is the carriage to God, the dying with Christ, the perfecting of the mind, the bulwark of Faith, the key of the Kingdom of heaven, the change of life, the removal of slavery, the loosing of chains, the remodeling of the whole man . . . the greatest and most magnificent of the Gifts of God.

— St. Gregory of Nazianzus

Take a moment to go through these questions with the group. For larger classes, divide them up into partners. Answers are provided to assist you in leading discussion.

1. In what sense is Baptism the beginning of Christian life?

   Baptism is the first sacrament Christians receive. As such, it is the “basis of the whole Christian life” (CCC 1213). Baptism gives sanctifying grace, which begins the divine life within the soul (see CCC 1266). Baptism also gives a character, which sets the recipient apart for Christian worship. It thus makes it possible for Christians to “serve God by a vital participation in the holy liturgy of the Church and to exercise their baptismal priesthood by the witness of holy lives and practical charity” (CCC 1273).

2. If the priest pours oil over the head of an unbaptized person and says, “I baptize you in the name of Christ,” is this a valid baptism?

   No, it is not. Christ instituted the sacrament to be administered with true water (see CCC 1239) and with the Trinitarian formula: “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” (Mt 28:19).

3. Most associate Baptism exclusively with the forgiveness of original sin. What are some other effects of the sacrament of Baptism?

   We read that the two main effects of the sacrament of Baptism are “purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1262). The first effect is the forgiveness of original sin and all personal or actual sins committed since birth and the remission of all the punishment due to these sins. The second effect is the birth of divine life (grace) within the soul. This is sometimes referred to as spiritual regeneration or birth unto spiritual life.

   In addition to these effects, Baptism also makes the recipient like Jesus. The soul of the recipient is conformed to Christ—who is at once priest, prophet, and king (see CCC 1241). Thus, the Christian shares with him in his passion, death, and resurrection. The mysteries of his life are applied to the soul of the recipient. In addition, the Christian receives graces, virtues, and gifts of the Holy Spirit (see CCC 1265). Then, since the Christian has become a child of God and brother of Christ, he is made a member of Christ’s Church and co-heirs to the kingdom. In other words, the Christian is incorporated into the Lord’s mystical body (see CCC 1268).

   Finally, the sacrament of Baptism also imparts character, an indelible mark on the soul that sets the Christian apart and gives him a share in Christ’s priesthood for the purpose of worship.

4. What does Confirmation add to Baptism?

   If Baptism begins spiritual life, then Confirmation increases spiritual life. Confirmation enriches the soul with a special strength of the Holy Spirit—one associated with spiritual maturity (see CCC 1285). It deepens the baptized person’s spiritual adoption, unites him more firmly to Christ, increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit within him, and binds him more perfectly to the Church. In addition, it gives the Christian the grace to give public testimony to the Faith and to act as a witness to Christ Jesus (see CCC 1303).

5. Which sacrament is more necessary, Baptism or Confirmation, and why?

   Baptism is more necessary for salvation. Jesus teaches Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5). He also commands his disciples to baptize as part of their evangelizing mission (see Mt 28:19). The Catechism states, “The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude” (CCC 1257). It is for this reason that the spread of the Gospel is so urgent. Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace but not for salvation in the strict sense.

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. 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: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word.”

— CCC 1213

Discuss these questions with the group, pair them with a partner, or ask them to meditate on their own.

1. Why is it significant that the sacraments are associated with healing? From what do you need healing most? How do the sacraments address that need?

   The sacraments connected to healing (especially Baptism, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist) show that God’s grace restores both soul and body. They address sin, spiritual brokenness, fear, and alienation by cleansing, forgiving, strengthening, and uniting us to Christ. Personally, I may need healing from guilt, habits, or loneliness; the sacraments offer forgiveness, spiritual renewal, and the support of the Church to help me grow in holiness.

2. How intentionally do Christians live the grace of their baptism? What can you learn from their example? How do you hope to live your own?

   Intentional Christians cultivate baptismal grace through prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments, community involvement, and charitable action. From their example we learn consistency in worship, accountability, and service. I hope to live my baptismal calling by keeping a regular prayer life, attending Mass, going to confession, serving others, and witnessing to Christ in everyday relationships.

3. What does it mean for you to give witness to the Faith? How do you hope for the grace of Confirmation to play out in your life?

   To give witness means to live and speak the Gospel authentically—through moral choices, acts of love, and courageous testimony. I hope Confirmation’s grace will deepen my commitment, strengthen me with the Holy Spirit’s gifts (wisdom, courage, etc.), and empower me to serve and evangelize more boldly in my family, work, and community.

After concluding your group discussion, return to watch the second video where converts to the Catholic faith discuss their conversion and how they live today as Catholics.

Rome to Home

The effect of this sacrament [confirmation] is that in it the Holy Spirit is given for strength, as he was given to the apostles on the day of Pentecost, in order that Christians may courageously confess the name of Christ.

— Pope Eugene IV, Exultate Deo

Sacrament: A sign that causes grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us

Character: An indelible spiritual mark which is the permanent effect of the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, by which a person is given a new permanent configuration to Christ and a specific standing in the Church; the reception of these sacraments is never repeated.

Grace: The free and undeserved gift that God gives us to respond to our vocation to become his adopted children, by which we receive a share in the divine nature. (For more on grace, see chapter 19.)

Spiritual Adoption: The transformation by which one becomes a child of God by the reception of grace, typically communicated in the sacrament of Baptism.

God’s Word

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

— Mark 1:9–11

By this holy water and by Your Precious Blood, wash away all my sins, O Lord. Amen.

— A prayer recited while blessing oneself with Holy Water

This serves as a review of the material that your students can read after each class, but it may be helpful for you to read as well. Consider reading it before each class to better prepare you for group discussion.

Cleansed and Sealed

The Catholic faith is a fabric of many mysteries woven together. These mysteries are not meant merely to be memorized and admired; rather, they are meant to envelop us and to change us. And so now that we have considered the rudiments of the Faith, we return to the sacramental life to see how those mysteries touch our lives.

Baptism is the beginning of life in the Church and the “door” of the sacraments. Baptism gives the Christian a share in the divine life and a taste of Trinitarian communion. It makes him a child of God and capable…of the fullness of worship. Baptism also imparts a character. A character is an indelible mark on the soul that gives to the Christian a permanent share in Christ’s priesthood.

Baptism is conferred by the pouring of or immersion in water combined with the Trinitarian formula: “N, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The washing with water cleanses the soul from original sin. Beyond this, Baptism also fills the soul with grace, the virtues (faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance among others) and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord), bringing to bear the mysteries of God on the life of the soul.

Baptism is referred to as spiritual regeneration. As the Lord explained to Nicodemus, we must be born again—that is, “born of water and the Spirit”—so that we might enter the kingdom of heaven (Jn 3:5). The baptismal font is thus the grace-giving womb from which man is reborn unto eternal life.
This spiritual adoption also makes the Christian like Jesus Christ. To become a son of God by adoption is to become like the Son of God by nature. This also means to be conformed to him in his death and resurrection. Just as Christ lay in the tomb of the earth for three days, so the newly-baptized is immersed three times in the tomb of the font. And just as Christ rose again to a resurrected life, so, too, the Christian gasps out the old man in the waters and breathes in the new life of grace. St. Basil the Great writes, “The water into which the body enters as into a tomb symbolizes death; the Spirit instills into us his life-giving power, awakening our souls from the death of sin to the life that they had in the beginning.” Baptism thus has the Christian sacramentally pass through the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection.

Baptism is so important that the Lord makes it readily available. While most are baptized by a bishop, priest, or deacon, anyone can validly perform a baptism when there is a danger of death. All that is required are the right words and action, along with an intention to do what the Church intends.

To make the effects of Baptism even more readily available, the Lord will sometimes give someone the effects of Baptism before they receive the sacrament itself. In baptism of desire, one receives grace and is cleansed of sin when he has an efficacious desire for the sacrament but is unable to receive it. In baptism of blood, one receives the effects of the sacrament when he gives his life in witness for the Faith.

At baptism, the Church asks that a godfather and/or a godmother be appointed. Just as one needs a provider and teacher in life, so too one needs a provider and teacher in the life of faith. Godparents exercise special care for their godchildren, especially when a child’s parents cannot foster the Faith.

The sacraments, we said, are each ordered to special effects. So in addition to Baptism, Christ instituted six other sacraments with each addressing a different aspect of our spiritual lives. Baptism is a rebirth. Confirmation, the second sacrament of initiation, is the sacrament of maturity.

The Scriptures do not include a clear passage in which Christ institutes Confirmation as with Baptism. Nevertheless, we believe that he instituted all seven sacraments. So, whereas Christ instituted other sacraments by…showing, he instituted confirmation by promising—specifically, by promising to send the Holy Spirit.

In this sacrament, God gives a further fullness of grace and the Holy Spirit. Since confirmation is generally administered at the end of adolescence, it is often likened to coming-of-age rites, but the comparison does not quite hold. Confirmation is not the ritual recognition of adulthood, nor is it always conferred at this time. Rather, confirmation strengthens the grace given at baptism in order to make it more active and fruitful in the life of the Christian. It is for this reason that Confirmation is associated with mission. Confirmation gives one grace to testify to the truth of the Faith and to bear the trials of spiritual struggle.

Confirmation also imparts a character. Like the character given at baptism, it makes one receptive to the grace of the other sacraments and active in worship through the priesthood of Christ.

Confirmation is typically performed by a bishop, though in certain cases (as at the Easter Vigil or in danger of death) it can be performed by a priest. The sacrament is conferred by the laying on of a hand and the anointing with oil on the forehead. The minister says, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit,” and the recipient responds, “Amen.” A special oil called chrism is used for the anointing. Chrism is blessed by the bishop and only available for certain rites. It is scented with balsam, and its fragrant odor symbolizes the attractive power of Christian testimony.

And so, by Baptism, the life of grace begins in the soul, and by Confirmation, it develops to maturity. From each sacrament, the Christian derives added benefit, mounting with grace upon grace as he is clothed with the mysteries of divine life and made more and more like the Son of God.

Walsh, Liam G. Sacraments of Initiation. 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: Hillenbrand Books, 2012.