The Sacrament of Baptism (Lex Orandi (Unnumbered))

Synopsis

The celebration of the sacrament of baptism underwent a major change in the years after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was revised to take into account the situation of the contemporary world by incorporating insights from the earliest centuries of the Church. The Rite of Baptism for Children was renewed to take into account the role of parents and godparents in a more direct way.

These two situations-the initiation of adults who profess their own faith and the baptism of children whose faith is professed for them-are the object of this book. The symbols and actions of the rites together with the words of Scripture and prayer are explored to answer the question: how do these celebrations reveal a theology of initiation and baptism for today's Catholic community?

The series Lex Orandi attempts to derive a theology of the seven sacraments primarily, though not exclusively, from the typical celebrations of the reformed Roman Rite. It does so out of an ancient conviction, rediscovered in the twentieth century, that God acts in the sacraments precisely through their symbolic function.