Going Behind the Word: Adopted Sons and Daughters: Be confident because God loves you more than you can know

Going Behind the Word What does baptism mean? What do Catholics believe about baptism? These are important questions for us to consider as background to the homily given today. There are so many questions that arise from the readings today, but especially about what it means to say we are baptized. "Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift....We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship." St. Gregory of Nazianzus