Baptism and the Eucharist are distinctly different sacraments of the Church, yet each is foundational in the faith founded by Christ. In these two articles of the Catechism, the two sacraments are connected by the redemptive action of Christ and the unity each reinforces. Through his death on the cross, Christ undoes the sin of Adam (cf. 615).
(Editor's Note: This is the sixth in a seven-part series designed to break open the beauties of the Catechism in hopes that more Catholics will begin exploring its riches for themselves. There is a veritable wealth of information in the Catechism, which is itself but a small reflection of the riches of the Deposit of Faith. So, if you’ve not been properly introduced, meet the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the most beautiful fruit to date of the Second Vatican Council. May the two of you enjoy a long and lasting relationship!)
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Next Friday: “The Sacrament of Matrimony”
Mark Dittman is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the National Catholic Register, Lay Witness, and Catholic Dossier. He can be reached at [email protected].
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery
Section Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church
Chapter One: The Sacraments of Christian Initiation
Article 1: Baptism (1213-1274)
Article 3: Eucharist (1322-1405)
This “undoing” takes place in the soul of each person who is baptized (cf. 1213, 1263). In the Eucharist, this bodily sacrifice of Christ is made present to each of us every time a Mass is celebrated (cf. 1364).
Baptism leaves an “indelible spiritual mark” on the soul of the recipient. It becomes part of the reality of the person, not to be erased even by sin, even if the baptized person does not ultimately receive eternal salvation (1272). “Baptism is the sacrament of faith” (1253). It becomes the first and primary doorway to the other sacraments (1213). In this sacrament “all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin” (1263). The temporal effects of sin remain, but the eternal, spiritual effects are wiped clean (1264).
In our 21st century American experience infant Baptism is the norm. The Church affirms this practice, citing the great gift it is to children and its common practice from at least the second century of Christianity (1250, 1252). However, “adult Baptism is the common practice where the proclamation of the Gospel is still new” (1247). The Catechism also stresses the “ecclesial function” of the godparents, who are to assist the baptized child or adult on his or her Christian journey (1255). The importance of this sacrament is reinforced by the assertion that, though the priest and deacon are the ordinary ministers of Baptism, “in case of necessity, anyone, even a non-baptized person, with the required intention, can baptize” (1256).
It is that important, states the Catechism, because it “is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament” (1257). God, not being limited by his own sacraments, can still confer grace upon and even save the non-baptized. Nonetheless the Catechism notes the Lord’s own insistence on Baptism for salvation (1257; Jn 3:5). The centrality of Baptism is further reinforced by an emphasis on the “sacramental bond of unity” that exists among those who have received the sacrament, even outside the Catholic Church (1271).
The sacrament of the Eucharist fulfills this unity in Christ and in one body: “Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism” (1396). The unity experience by believers in the sharing of the Holy Eucharist is not limited to this world. In the Eucharist the Church is joined in a profound way with all of the saints in heaven (1370). This unity does not extend, however, to Protestant ecclesial communities. Eucharistic intercommunion is therefore not possible with Protestant churches (1400). Intercommunion is possible under certain circumstances with Eastern churches not in communion with the Catholic Church (1399).
If the Eucharist joins us to Christ and other believers, it follows that one of its fruits is separating us from sin. “The Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins” (1393). The Eucharist, then, acts to free us from the spiritual effects of venial sin (1394), and further, it “preserves us from future mortal sins” (1395). This is encouraging, given the tendency for even believers to lapse into sin, both venial and mortal.
For one to gain this strength from the Eucharist, one must believe in it. The Catechism quotes St. Thomas Aquinas when he says that belief in the Eucharist “cannot be apprehended by the senses, but only by faith” (1381). I believe that a logical argument can be made for the reality of the Eucharist, but I acknowledge that to truly believe that a small wafer and what appears to be wine are the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ takes an act of faith.
The grace of Baptism and the strength of the Eucharist unite us with Christ, each other, and the eternal heavenly liturgy, the glory of which will one day be fully revealed to us (cf. 1326, 1402).
