THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX METROPOLITAN OF THE TWO AMERICAS
ST. NICHOLAS AND ST. GEORGE CHURCH
NEW YORK
HOLY BAPTISM
THE HOLYNESS OF BAPTISM
What do we need to know about the mystery of Holy Baptism?
Holy Baptism is the mystery through which man, through the triple immersion in holy water by the priest, in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, obtains forgiveness from the ancestral sin and all the sins committed until then, is born again spiritually and becomes a member of the Church of Christ . Baptism is also called the "door of the mysteries," because only through baptism do we become sons of God after the gift, and we can also receive the other Holy Mysteries. Baptism is established by the Savior through the words: "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." (Matthew 28, 19).
Who can receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism?
All children born of Orthodox Christian parents, children born of mixed marriages and unbaptized orphans, living with relatives and in orphanages. Young people who for some reason were not baptized in time, as well as those of another religion who return to Orthodoxy willingly and profess the right faith, can still receive baptism, after they have been well examined by the priests and the bishop and after they have have been catechized for a long time and trained in the teachings of the Orthodox faith and give proof of full determination.
Who cannot receive Orthodox Baptism?
Aborted and killed children before baptism, in any situation; stillborn children and children born to atheist or sectarian parents and of another religion, until they become mature and ask for baptism of their own free will. Neither mature people of another religion can be baptized, without their will and persistent request, nor the mentally ill who cannot say their heart's desire, nor can they confess their true faith.
Who performs the Baptism, when is it performed and in what specific place?
Baptism is performed only by the priest and the bishop, at least eight days after birth and up to 40 days, if the baby is healthy; and if he is sick, immediately. The Baptism service takes place only in the church, namely in the vestibule, in the vestibule or in a designated room in the churchyard. Only in very special cases, when the baby is threatened with death, the priest can baptize him at home, at the hospital or wherever he is.
What should be done if there is no priest nearby and the child is threatened to die unbaptized?
In these cases, when the child is threatened to die immediately after birth, at home or in the hospital, the nurses or midwives must be instructed by the priest to always have an aghiasma, ordinary water, and a candle at hand. Then, after they name the dying baby, they baptize him, pouring water in the shape of a cross over the baby and saying the words: The servant of God (name) is baptized in the name of the Father, Amen; and of the Son, Amen; and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. If the baby dies, he is baptized and his soul is saved. And if he does not die, those who baptized him must tell his relatives or the priest that he was baptized by them, and the priest performs the entire service of Baptism, without immersing him in water in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, because Baptism is not repeated .
Aborted children and stillborn children can be baptized at Epiphany or Saint John, as is the custom in some places?
Under no circumstances can aborted and stillborn children be baptized, because they have no soul in them. All of them remain before God's judgment and on the conscience of the parents who killed them. And the priests who practice this non-canonical baptism commit a great sin. They must confess to the bishop and, if they repeat the sin, be stopped by the priesthood. Parents who have aborted children must confess to their priest, make a strict canon, baptize the children they aborted, give alms, clothe orphaned children from orphanages and, above all, give birth to other children instead.
By whom and when is the baby named?
The baby's name is given by the parents, but with the blessing of the priest, who reads a special prayer when naming the newborn, because with that name given at Baptism, the Christian will travel through life and stand before God at the judgment. The baby's name is confirmed at the moment of baptism, when it is immersed in water in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, and it cannot be changed until death. Only by circumcision in monasticism can the baptismal name be changed.
What should parents name their children?
If it is a male part, it should be given the name of Saint John the Baptist, the greatest man born of a woman. You can also put the name of the saint who is the patron saint of the church in the village or the name of the saint from the day he was born. Other holy names for boys are the names of the Holy Apostles and the great Hierarchs, Martyrs and Pious. In the same way for girls, the first name should be that of the Mother of God, the first supplicant for the world. Then the names of the great saints and martyrs, the name of the saint whose patron saint the church bears, or of the saint from the birthday. But everything must be done with the priest's blessing and advice.
Is it good to give the baby two or even three names?
No, because all the saints had one name, apart from a few exceptions. It is even worse when the baby is given a Christian saint's name and a second non-Christian name or one from another Christian faith. In such cases, only the Christian name from the calendar is mentioned in the church and at services.
What benefit do those who bear the names of saints and what harm do those who bear the names of heathens or of another religion and race?
Those who bear the names of saints have great use and help in life and after death, because the saints whose names we bear pray for us incessantly and help us in dangers, in suffering and in the hour of death and the fearful judgment.
Instead, those who bear the names of gods, pagans, and do not have a day of celebration in the calendar, are absent in life, in death and in the right judgment of the prayers and help of the saints. However, if we live a Christian life on earth, all the saints are constantly praying in heaven for us and help us on the path of salvation.
What are the main parts of Holy Baptism?
The first part of the service of the Holy Baptism is formed by the renunciations or exorcisms, when the person who comes to be baptized stands with his face to the sunset and declares three times, personally or through his nose, that he renounces Satan, all his things, all his servants , of all his service and all his pride. Then the one who is baptized is turned to face the east and again declares, also three times, personally or through the nose, if he is an infant, that he unites with Christ, saying the Creed three times.
The second part of the Baptism is the sanctification of the water, that is, the making of the aghiasma for baptism and the triple pouring of consecrated oil into the baptismal font. And the third and most significant part of Baptism is the triple immersion of the infant in Christianity, saying: The servant of God (name) is baptized, in the name of the Father, Amen; and of the Son, Amen; and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Then the newly baptized wraps himself in a clean white cloth, popularly called chrism, which comes from Christ. After several other prayers, the priest anoints the body of the newly baptized with Holy and Great Myrrh, which is the second Sacrament of the Church, saying these words: The seal of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Then he cuts the bristles of his head in the form of the Cross, as a sign that he renounced the old man and put on the new, dresses him and, taking him in front of the Holy Altar, shares him with the Body and Blood of Christ. Thus the newly baptized receives three Holy Mysteries at once: Baptism, Myring and Holy Communion.
What are the effects of Baptism on the newly baptized?
By renouncing Satan and uniting with Christ, it is shown that the newly baptized willingly renounces the enemy of the world and unites with Christ, the Savior of the world. And through the bath of Holy Baptism, in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, the baptized person receives forgiveness from the original sin and all the sins committed before Baptism, is born again spiritually in Christ, receives the name of a saint and becomes a member of the Church and a son of God after grace. Through the anointing with the Holy and Great Myrrh, the newly baptized receives the grace of the Holy Spirit and all the gifts necessary for his life and salvation that spring from grace. And through the union with the Most Pure Mysteries, the newly baptized receives Christ Himself for the first time, as a gift and a sign that from now on he is completely a son of God and a member of His Church on earth.
How do they imagine the materials and objects with which Baptism is performed?
The vessel for Baptism, which is called christening, comes from the word Christ and is called the christening vessel. In the first centuries, so-called baptisteries were built in the church yard, that is, special buildings with a small stone basin for Baptism. Cristelnita imagines three things: the body of the Church, in which we are born again; the spiritual bath, in which we cleanse ourselves of ancestral sin and the grave in which we bury the old man in us, so that we may rise to a new life in Christ. The water represents the Holy Spirit poured out on the world. Because water is the bath of the body, and the Holy Spirit is the bath of the soul, as the Savior said: "Unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (John 3, 5). The water of Baptism represents the water of the Jordan and the tomb of the Lord. And immersing the baby three times in water, in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, represents Christ's stay in the tomb for three days and three nights. The consecrated oil with which the baby is anointed represents God's mercy for man; the priest blowing three times over the water of Baptism is the symbol of the Holy Spirit that comes upon us at Baptism; cutting the hair of the newly baptized in the form of the cross symbolizes the rejection of the old man and his spiritual growth in Jesus Christ, to a new, holy life. The white cloth, called chrism, in which the baby is wrapped after baptism, represents his spiritual cleansing after union with Christ, the shroud with which the Lord was wrapped in the tomb and the lighted garment with which man is clothed in
moment of Baptism. And the lighted candle, which is given to the baptized baby, symbolizes the light of Christ "which illuminates everyone" and guides us on the path of the right faith.
Who can be godparent at Baptism and what Christian duties does the godparents have?
The nose is the soul parent of the newly baptized. Through baptism, he becomes a spiritual relative and confessor to the Christ of his son, having a great debt to him. That is, to supervise him as he grows in faith, if he is regularly brought to church, if he knows how to pray, if he confesses and shares as often as possible, and if his carnal parents give him a Christian education. Then the nose itself must always advise him on the path of faith, give him holy books, take him to churches and monasteries and take care of him all his life.
Any christening nose, as well as a wedding nose, must be a good Orthodox Christian, be a member of the church, with an exemplary spiritual life and be married.
Who cannot be godparent?
Those who live unmarried, i.e. in cohabitation; those who are Catholic or sectarian; those who do not strongly believe in God, do not go to church and are not orthodox; those who swear by holy things, are drunkards and live in debauchery, as well as those who are from mixed or dismembered families and have a bad name among Christians, cannot be baptismal and wedding priests. It is not canonical for there to be more baptismal and wedding priests, because through these holy mysteries they are related to each other, no longer allowing their children to marry each other.
Where are the souls of unbaptized children and those aborted by their parents? What more can be done for their souls?
As some Holy Fathers say and as the Holy Church teaches us, the souls of dead children unbaptized before or after birth, as well as those aborted voluntarily or involuntarily, cannot enter Heaven, because they were not baptized. But they are not in hell either, because they have not sinned. Their souls are in a twilight place, between light and darkness, and they are waiting for the hour of the Last Judgment, when they will be judged before Christ together with the parents who killed them.
Fr. Ioanichie Bălan, Orthodox Guidance in the Church, vol. I