Faced with these “typological” images of baptism in the sacred texts of the Old Testament, one may wonder: why is baptism so important? Couldn’t God save us in another way? But the fact that He chose this path, which passes through the water of baptism, must indicate to us that there are profound significances worthy of the effort to be – as much as possible – deciphered. Therefore, we will try to understand them, following the paths of thought opened by some of the classical authors who have enriched the heritage of Christian wisdom.
Through an original mistake, Heaven and Earth separated, God and Man became estranged, and the harmony between the faithful angelic creatures of God and the human ones was gravely disturbed.
It is impossible to understand the significance, value, and necessity of this sacrament if we do not begin by recalling the history of humanity, starting with the very first moment of history: the original sin and its consequences. The drama of disobedience in Paradise by Adam and Eve is reflected implicitly by all the cultures of the world. Almost no ancient religion, no philosophy before Christ is unfamiliar with the problem of the fall of the first parents. From the people of Israel, from whose sacred texts we learn that “all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2), to the distant wise men of India, who bitterly observe that in our world “everything is suffering,” everywhere we find the same acknowledgment of the tragic consequences of original sin. Regardless of the form under which this event is narrated, its essence is presented – more or less clearly – in various versions recorded in the history of religions: through an original mistake, Heaven and Earth separated, God and Man became estranged, and the harmony between the faithful angelic creatures of God and the human ones was gravely disturbed.
In the eighth chapter of his Great Catechism, Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c.335 – c.395) explains through very suggestive images, with a symbolic character, what happened when Adam and Eve committed the first sin. Thus, man can be imagined in the form of a clay vessel molded by the Almighty Creator. Enflamed with envy and hatred, the enemy made this vessel lose its intended content – supernatural sanctifying grace – and receive inside a deadly matter: molten lead. According to Gregory, this lead is the matter that, by filling the soul, makes it heavy, binding it fatally to earthly things. For although he is not an angel and is endowed with a body, man was destined to bear in his soul the divine light, which can sustain him in the heights of the spiritual world. What will the potter do then? Reclaiming his vessel, he will first crush it so that afterward he may remove the hardened lead inside it. Finally, he will remake the entire vessel, which, only now, will be capable of bearing the divine content once again. This process is described by Gregory of Nyssa himself:
“We supposed that some vessel has been composed of clay, and then, for some mischief or other, filled with melted lead, which lead hardens and remains in a non-liquid state; then that the owner of the vessel recovers it, and, as he possesses the potter’s art, pounds to bits the ware which held the lead, and then remoulds the vessel after its former pattern for his own special use, emptied now of the material which had been mixed with it: by a like process the maker of our vessel, now that wickedness has intermingled with our sentient part, I mean that connected with the body, will dissolve the material which has received the evil, and, re-moulding it again by the Resurrection without any admixture of the contrary matter, will recombine the elements into the vessel in its original beauty.”
Starting from such images, we can understand the importance of baptism. The fall of the first parents entailed a certain dimming of the powers of the mind, thus of the soul itself, to which the mind is a constitutive part (its “heart”). After that came the rest: the body became “opaque” to divine grace. If we now look at our own bodily condition, we see how almost everything in our body is dim, non-transparent, emitting unpleasant substances (the perspiration being just one of them). On the other hand, if we look at the Savior Jesus after His resurrection, we see that His current body is “imponderable,” passes through doors and walls, and is luminous. In short, the quality of His resurrected body is different from that of our mortal bodies.
But if man – starting from the original sin – has come to lose his original beauty, his “likeness” to God, what could be done? An incredible thing: his re-creation. A task only the Almighty Demiurge could accomplish.
If man always has a body (except for the period between physical death and the final judgment), the glory of this body differs according to the spiritual level on which he stands. The Apostle Paul taught us this by explaining the difference between the qualities of a natural, earthly body, and those of a spiritual, heavenly body:
“One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars. For star differeth from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power. It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body. If there be a natural body, there is also a spiritual body, as it is written: The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a quickening spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:41-45).
But if man – starting from the original sin – has come to lose his original beauty, his “likeness” to God, what could be done? An incredible thing: his re-creation. A task only the Almighty Demiurge could accomplish. Now is the time to approach baptism. For this is the Sacrament by which man is rebuilt, restored to his initial dignity, and even raised above it:
“Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and the word” (Catechismus Romanus 2, 2, 5).
This simple definition taken from the old Roman Catechism already tells us the essential. Man is reborn. Following Saint Gregory of Nyssa, I must emphasize: man is re-created. His intellectual powers are restored, by enlightening the mind with revealed supernatural teachings, then the entire soul is restored through the “burial” of the catechumen in the death of Christ, from where he emerges through resurrection with Him as a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15) through holy Baptism. Thus original sin is erased, it is “buried” through death with Christ, after which man becomes an entirely new creature.
This baptismal bath is called enlightenment because “those who receive this catechetical teaching have their minds enlightened” (Saint Justin the Martyr and Philosopher). Receiving through Baptism the Word, “the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world” (John 1:9), the Christian himself has become “light” (Ephesians 5:8). Probably the most complete description of Baptism is offered by Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329–390):
“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 the 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” (Oratio 40).
The importance of Baptism is evident in numerous places in Holy Scripture: first and foremost in the Baptism of Jesus Christ Himself by John; then on the day of Pentecost – and in other situations where the apostles, after transmitting the faith, baptized the converts. Each of us can discover, through reading the Holy Scriptures, numerous places where Baptism is highlighted.
At the same time we notice that Baptism does not annul physical death. Why must we endure such a trial, even though we have been baptized? As I said, baptism represents the beginning of our salvation: it restores our souls to the state of sanctifying grace, so that through deeds we may gradually attain perfection.
At the same time we notice that Baptism does not annul physical death. Why? Why must we endure such a trial, even though we have been baptized? As I said, baptism represents the beginning of our salvation: it restores our souls to the state of sanctifying grace, so that through deeds we may gradually attain perfection. But everything will be complete only after the final judgment and the entry of the chosen ones into the Kingdom of Heaven.
On the other hand, let us not forget that Baptism is also called the “sacrament of faith.” In other words, it must be accompanied by a growth – through the work of grace through our meritorious deeds – in faith (which implies the understanding the heavenly mysteries). In this sense the Fathers of the Church are examples even today for all of us: they devoted tens, hundreds, thousands of hours to this deepening of their faith. Thus, we too, as Christians of the 21st century, must do likewise, according to our abilities and possibilities, recognizing at the same time that the greatest temptation, hidden in all imaginable other temptations, is to compromise, through sinful deeds, the graces we have received through Holy Baptism.
This is why we must understand that “the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:9). The fallen angels constantly wage war against us. Their main goal is precisely this: to prevent us from activating the extraordinary holy powers conferred upon us by Holy Baptism. However, the essence of this unseen war is always faith. Therefore, we are not allowed to let our faith diminish/decrease under any circumstance. And for this, the observance of the baptismal vows is the key-element in our daily lives, through which we reject moral temptations and doctrinal heresies – whether they be theoretical or practical. If we do this, we can hope to hear someday the words of Christ the Savior:
“Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace” (Luke 7:50).
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