sacrament of baptism and ministry work

How is baptism the original and foundational sacrament of ministry?

Baptism is one of the two main sacraments of the church, along with the Eucharist, because of its function of deliverance into the body of Christ. Through baptism, the individual becomes incorporated into the whole. The baptism sacrament creates unity with Christ and also with the community of Christ, the Church. Baptism is a sacred door, through which one enters into a whole new relationship with God and the rest of humanity. In fact, baptism is “the gateway to the whole spiritual life,” and walking through that doorway “incorporates one into the body of Christ,” (Austin, n.d., p. 1).

The foundations of baptism are traced directly to scripture. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink,” (1 Cor 12:13). Without baptism, there would be no ministry, there would be no church. Therefore, baptism remains the fundamental, original sacrament of ministry.

The central metaphor of the baptism is the body. That body is concretely the body of Christ, and symbolically the body of the church and its constituent components. The Eucharist should not be viewed as separate from the baptism but a continuation thereof: “Baptism initially incorporates one into the body of Christ, and the role of Eucharist is to gradually bring to completion that initial unity,” (Austin, n.d., p. 1). Baptism also becomes the microcosmic component—the sacrament whereby individuals become one with Christ--of the macrocosmic component—the origin of the Church. For the individual, baptism delivers one to Christ and the Eucharist solidifies that bond. The Church is empowered and strengthened by these foundational sacraments. Pope Paul VI (1964) also explicates the central role of baptism in upholding the “sacred nature and organic structure of the priestly community,” (Sec. 11). Therefore, baptism functions on many levels in the church: on the level of the individual who becomes reborn in Christ, on the level of the clergy and the role it plays in the body of Christ, and finally, on the level of the human community.

Baptism is also described as a “door,” through which one must enter in order to be saved (Pope Paul VI, 1964, Sec. 14). The baptism is a prerequisite for salvation, grounded in scripture and borne out in practice. Becoming one with Christ is not possible without participating in the body, as the “Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ,” (Pope Paul VI, 1964, Sec. 14). The church fulfills its sacred duty to deliver and save all of humanity. Central to baptism is the principle of unity. Prior to baptism, the individual is alone, lost, and wandering, destined to live in darkness. Through the door of baptism, one sheds that loneliness and isolation and joins the Christian community. The community is a global one, which transcends superficial boundaries of race or class. Moreover, the community is the body of Christ, literally functioning as the vehicle of salvation for humanity.

Through baptism is conveyed the grace of God. The water that is integral to baptism is the water of new life. It is the parallel to the “water and the blood flowing from the side of Christ on the cross,” (Austin, n.d., p. 1). As Austin also points out, “Early baptismal theology viewed the Church as mother, who through the waters of the font gives birth to new Christians,” (p. 2). The baptism represents the life-giving force of Christ, referring also to the propagation and proliferation of faith worldwide. Likewise, the Pope (1964) proclaims the maternal role of the Church: “By her proclamation of the Gospel, she draws her hearers to receive and profess the faith, she prepares them for baptism, snatches them from the slavery of error, and she incorporates them into Christ,” (Sec. 17). Ministry means spreading the truth of Christ, the foundational goal of the Church. The baptism is the birthright of all of humanity, the fulfillment of the work of ministry.