Gazing into the waters of salvation, entering the doors of the Kingdom

Yesterday, our new adopted youngest son received the Sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation, and Holy Communion. Prior to the liturgy, his godfather, Tony Clark, took this picture of me gazing into the baptismal basin:

 

Of course, I'm taking a little bit of liberty with the title of this post, as the water had not yet been blessed by Father Janowicz. Here is the basin before the iconostasis:

 

Receiving the Most Holy Eucharist for the first time:

Following the reception of the three sacraments, the newly baptized is taken by the priest through the Royal Doors, into the sanctuary and before the altar, a powerful representation of entrance into full communion with God, the Giver of live and Lover of mankind:

A special thanks to Tony and Amanda Clark and Leann Svarverud for the photos!

Finally, a beautiful quote from St. John Chrysostom about baptism and the new man:

In Baptism are completed the articles of our covenant with God; burial and death, resurrection and life; and these take place all at once. For when we plunge our heads down in the water, the old man is buried in a tomb below, and wholly sunk for ever; then, as we raise them again, the new man rises in his place. As it is easy for us to dip and to lift our heads again, so it is easy for God to bury the old man, and to show forth the new. And this is done thrice, that you may learn that the power of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit fulfils all this. To show that what we say is no conjecture, hear Paul saying, "We were buried with Him by Baptism into death"; and again, "Our old man was crucified with Him"; and again, "We have been planted together in the likeness of His death." And not only is Baptism called a "cross," but the Cross is called Baptism. "With the Baptism," says Christ, "that I am baptized with, shall ye be baptized"; and "I have a Baptism to be baptized with, which ye know not." For as we easily dip and lift our heads again, so He also easily died and rose again when He willed; or rather, much more easily, though He tarried the three days for the dispensation of a certain mystery.

Related on Ignatius Insight:

• The Liturgy Lived: The Divinization of Man | Jean Corbon, O.P.
• Are Catholics Born Again? | Mark Brumley
• The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Spirituality | Mark Brumley
• The Sacraments | Peter Kreeft | From Fundamentals of the Faith