AS CATHOLICS, after the joys of the birth of a child, we plan for their baptism. The sacrament of Baptism is the beginning of life beyond the human. It’s the supernatural life.
As Catholics, we believe that we came into the world with a soul which is supernaturally dead because of original sin. While complete with the natural endowments of human nature, the supernatural life is absent from the soul.
Original sin is the absence of something that should be there. It is a darkness where there ought to be light.
It was Jesus Himself who instituted the sacrament of Baptism by having Himself baptized with St. John the Baptist. His baptism is to apply to each individual soul the atonement which He made on the Cross for original sin.
Jesus will not force His gift upon us, the gift of supernatural life for which He paid. He holds the gift out to us hopefully, but each of us must freely accept it. We accept it by receiving the sacrament of Baptism or we bestow upon our infants the sacrament to avail of this gift. When Baptism is administered, the spiritual vacuum disappears as God becomes present in the soul, and the soul is caught up into that sharing of God’s own life which we call sanctifying grace. Thus we call it the beginning of the supernatural life.
Our little precious Arabella was baptized on June 24th the day we found most fitting as it was the feast of St. John the Baptist with Monsignor Louie Galbines officiating the celebration.
After which, a joyful agape followed with family and friends to welcome Arabella to the Christian world!