Tribulation Times
"Baptism incorporates us into Christ and forms us into God’s people. This sacrament pardons all out sins, rescues us from the power of sin and darkness and brings us to the dignity of adopted children, a new creation through water and the Holy Spirit. Hence we are called and indeed are the children of God" (Christian Initiation: General Introduction, #2) From Scripture and the post-apostolic period The sacramental mystery of Christian baptism, a word derived from the Greek of immersion, finds its scriptural origins in the great commission of Christ to his disciples at the end of Matthew’s gospel (Mt 28:19) "go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Thus there is an inseparable connection between faith and the acceptance of baptism. Jesus tells Nicodemus in the 4th Gospel: "unless one is born of water and Spirit, one cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (Jn 3:5). Baptism is the very basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to the Spirit and the door to the other sacraments (CCC 1213) without which no one can enter the Kingdom of God.
St Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the Cappadocian Fathers writing in the late 4th century described Baptism as follows: "Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift. We call it gift, grace anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own, grace since it is given even to those who are guilty. Baptism because sin is buried in the water, anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed, enlightenment because it radiates light, clothing since it veils our shame, bath because it washes and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship" Anyone familiar with the Easter Vigil Liturgy will be reminded of how the Church has sought to place the sacrament of Baptism within the overall context of creation and salvation history. In the liturgy of Easter the Church recalls and commemorates the great events of salvation history that already prefigured the mystery of Baptism.
Since the beginning of time water, plentiful and yet essential, has been the source of life and fruitfulness for the earth. The waters of the Great Flood recorded in Genesis as well as the Crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites are seen as prefiguring the ongoing drama of salvation by our loving and merciful God.
All these Old Testament prefigurations find their fulfillment in Christ. His public ministry opens symbolically with his baptism in the Jordan and closes with the great commission to his disciples to "go teach and baptize". From its very beginning on the day of Pentecost, the Church has celebrated and administered Baptism as essential to its very mission to preach the Gospel of Christ. Indeed Peter declares to the astonished crowd in Acts "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). While Paul declares to his jailer "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" the text continues: "he was baptized at once, with all his family" (Acts 16:31-33) Throughout the New Testament there are several instances of baptismal practices of the early Church from the baptism of Saul (Paul) (Acts 9:18) to the baptism of the Eunuch by Philip (Acts 8:38-40), the baptism of large group by the disciples (Acts 2:41, 10: 46-48 and 19:3-7). We should remember that the rite of immersion for the washing away of sins is not a NT experience. Immersion or ritual purification has a long history among all the religious systems of the world especially within Judaism.
In the writings of the New Testament and especially those of St. Paul we find many images used to describe the effects of baptism: as an immersion into the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life"
(Rom 6:3-4) as a tomb, in which we are buried with Christ: "and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead"
(Col 2:12) as the means by which one is publicly united with Christ through union with the Church: "For by one Spirit, we are all baptized into one body"
(I Cor 12:13) "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal 3:27) as prefigured in Exodus of the Chosen People by Moses: "And all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea"
(I Cor 10:2) in the Gospel of St Luke Jesus identifies Baptism with struggle and suffering: "I have a Baptism to be baptized with and how I am constrained until it is accomplished"
(Lk 12:50) and as we saw above in the 4th Gospel, Jesus speaks of baptism as a spiritual "womb" from which one it to be reborn (Jn 3:3-8). "unless one is born again of water and Spirit, one cannot enter the Kingdom of God"
(Jn 3:5)
Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerRequest3@aol.com
READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/july.asp?version=63&startmmdd=0101
July 20, 2010 (Jud 1:14-16) Now of these Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying: Behold, the Lord cometh with thousands of his saints: To execute judgment upon all and to reprove all the ungodly for all the works of their ungodliness, whereby they have done ungodly: and for all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against God. These are murmurers, full of complaints, walking according to their own desires: and their mouth speaketh proud things, admiring persons, for gain's sake. IN THE NEWS: U.S. Atheists Reportedly Using Hair Dryers to 'De-Baptize' CATHOLIC VIEW OF BAPTISM: The Great Mystery of Baptism: Its Theology and Celebration.
"Baptism incorporates us into Christ and forms us into God’s people. This sacrament pardons all out sins, rescues us from the power of sin and darkness and brings us to the dignity of adopted children, a new creation through water and the Holy Spirit. Hence we are called and indeed are the children of God" (Christian Initiation: General Introduction, #2) From Scripture and the post-apostolic period The sacramental mystery of Christian baptism, a word derived from the Greek of immersion, finds its scriptural origins in the great commission of Christ to his disciples at the end of Matthew’s gospel (Mt 28:19) "go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Thus there is an inseparable connection between faith and the acceptance of baptism. Jesus tells Nicodemus in the 4th Gospel: "unless one is born of water and Spirit, one cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (Jn 3:5). Baptism is the very basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to the Spirit and the door to the other sacraments (CCC 1213) without which no one can enter the Kingdom of God. St Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the Cappadocian Fathers writing in the late 4th century described Baptism as follows: "Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift. We call it gift, grace anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own, grace since it is given even to those who are guilty. Baptism because sin is buried in the water, anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed, enlightenment because it radiates light, clothing since it veils our shame, bath because it washes and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship" Anyone familiar with the Easter Vigil Liturgy will be reminded of how the Church has sought to place the sacrament of Baptism within the overall context of creation and salvation history. In the liturgy of Easter the Church recalls and commemorates the great events of salvation history that already prefigured the mystery of Baptism.
"Father you give us grace through sacramental signs which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power In Baptism we use your gift of water which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us in this sacrament"
(Easter Vigil: Blessing of Water)
(Easter Vigil: Blessing of Water)
Since the beginning of time water, plentiful and yet essential, has been the source of life and fruitfulness for the earth. The waters of the Great Flood recorded in Genesis as well as the Crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites are seen as prefiguring the ongoing drama of salvation by our loving and merciful God.
"You freed the children of Abraham from the slavery of Pharaoh, brining them dry-shod through the waters of the Red Sea, to be an image of the people set free in Baptism"
(Easter Vigil: Blessing of Water)
(Easter Vigil: Blessing of Water)
All these Old Testament prefigurations find their fulfillment in Christ. His public ministry opens symbolically with his baptism in the Jordan and closes with the great commission to his disciples to "go teach and baptize". From its very beginning on the day of Pentecost, the Church has celebrated and administered Baptism as essential to its very mission to preach the Gospel of Christ. Indeed Peter declares to the astonished crowd in Acts "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). While Paul declares to his jailer "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" the text continues: "he was baptized at once, with all his family" (Acts 16:31-33) Throughout the New Testament there are several instances of baptismal practices of the early Church from the baptism of Saul (Paul) (Acts 9:18) to the baptism of the Eunuch by Philip (Acts 8:38-40), the baptism of large group by the disciples (Acts 2:41, 10: 46-48 and 19:3-7). We should remember that the rite of immersion for the washing away of sins is not a NT experience. Immersion or ritual purification has a long history among all the religious systems of the world especially within Judaism.
* Baptism: from the Gr. "baptein" and "baptizein" meaning to dip or immerse.-Ritual purification (Lev 14:5)
(self administered and repeated)
-Inner purification (Isa.1:16)
-John the Baptist’s original practice: prepares one for the Eschaton and is tied to metanoia. (Mk 1:4-8) * "as they acknowledged their sins" repentance/change of mind/cancellation of debt/sins suggests a new understanding, one is cleansed on one’s moral imperfections.
(self administered and repeated)
-Inner purification (Isa.1:16)
-John the Baptist’s original practice: prepares one for the Eschaton and is tied to metanoia. (Mk 1:4-8) * "as they acknowledged their sins" repentance/change of mind/cancellation of debt/sins suggests a new understanding, one is cleansed on one’s moral imperfections.
In the writings of the New Testament and especially those of St. Paul we find many images used to describe the effects of baptism: as an immersion into the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life"
(Rom 6:3-4) as a tomb, in which we are buried with Christ: "and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead"
(Col 2:12) as the means by which one is publicly united with Christ through union with the Church: "For by one Spirit, we are all baptized into one body"
(I Cor 12:13) "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal 3:27) as prefigured in Exodus of the Chosen People by Moses: "And all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea"
(I Cor 10:2) in the Gospel of St Luke Jesus identifies Baptism with struggle and suffering: "I have a Baptism to be baptized with and how I am constrained until it is accomplished"
(Lk 12:50) and as we saw above in the 4th Gospel, Jesus speaks of baptism as a spiritual "womb" from which one it to be reborn (Jn 3:3-8). "unless one is born again of water and Spirit, one cannot enter the Kingdom of God"
(Jn 3:5)
Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions, and virtues"
75. In every passion, and also in the virtues, let us critically examine ourselves: Where are we? At the beginning, or in the middle, or at the end?Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerRequest3@aol.com
This month's archive can be found at: http://www.catholicprophecy.info/news2.html.
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