E016 The Character of Baptism

Lesson 16 – The Character of Baptism

The sacrament of baptism is, perhaps, the most famous of all sacraments. This is not surprising, because as the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life” (no. 1213).

Why can’t a person receive a sacrament (like confession or Holy Communion) unless he or she is first baptized? Why is baptism the very first sacrament? Moreover, why is it impossible for baptism to be repeated—why is it impossible to be “re-baptized”?

In this video, we will examine one of the most precious gifts God’s gives his people through the sacrament of baptism: the “character” of baptism. The character of baptism is the answer to these and other very important questions about the sacrament of baptism.

Course Reading

Summa Theologiae III, q. 63, a. 1 | St. Thomas Aquinas

Summa Theologiae III, q. 63, a. 2 | St. Thomas Aquinas

Excerpt from A Companion to the Summa, Vol. IV, pp. 260-262 | Walter Farrell, O.P.

Excerpt from A Companion to the Summa:

A few of the other sacraments have still another effect … : the sacramental character. It is a mysterious thing called mark or character only metaphorically, for it is thoroughly spiritual. It is a badge of our membership in Christ, a participation of His eternal priesthood by which we are dedicated to the sacred things of divine worship; above all, it is a dedication to that perfection of divine worship within ourselves which is our own spiritual life.