Catholics tend to be baptized as infants, to begin their relationship with the Church. Baptism is “the true light that enlightens every man” (Jn 1:9). All who are baptized “are called to become themselves light - the light of the faith they have received - for their brothers, especially …show more content…
In fact, it is even commendable to do so. Those who choose to be baptized as adults have experienced life without the guiding hand of the Church and have somewhere encountered God on their journey alone. These adults choose to join the Catholic faith themselves rather than having the decision made for them as babies.
Some adults choose to be re-Baptized. This practice is common in other Christian branches, such as the Baptist Church. However, the Catholic church believes Baptism is a sacrament a person should only experience once in their life, as the purpose of Baptism is to remove Original sin following birth. To be baptized twice signifies that Original sin was not removed the first time, which implies the initial Baptism was ineffective and, thus, …show more content…
Baptism gives us three essential virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity. Faith strengthens us and this strength gives us the hope to persevere through all of life’s hardships and sufferings. Charity, or Love, binds us to others. It gives us the compassion and empathy to help others through their own hard times. From Confirmation, we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are Wisdom-the gift of learning to value what we believe in through faith, Understanding-the gift of being able to comprehend the true teachings of the Church, Right Judgement-the ability to make right choices while living a Christian lifestyle, Fortitude-the gift of courage brought on by God’s strength in us, Knowledge-the ability to recognise God in the world and in other people through our faith, Piety-the willingness to serve God, and Fear and Awe of the Lord-the desire not to hurt our relationship with God. The three virtues given to us at Baptism help us enact the seven gifts given to us at