When Jesus was grown, He went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. As He came up from the water, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove, and the Father's voice said: “You are my beloved Son.”
Later, Jesus told His apostles to baptize people everywhere. Baptism is the first sacrament. It is like a door that opens the way to all the other sacraments.
At Baptism, we see beautiful signs:
- Water is poured three times as the priest or deacon says: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
- Holy oil called chrism shows that we belong to Christ.
- A white garment shows our new life with Jesus.
- A candle lit from the Easter candle shows that Jesus is our light.
In Baptism, original sin is washed away, we become children of God and members of the Church, and the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. Baptism marks us as belonging to Christ forever.
Many of us were baptized as babies. Our parents and godparents promised to help us grow in faith. Now we can say our own “yes” to Jesus every day.