BBFA4 – The Blessing of Holy Water – Baptism: Born from Above w/ Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast

Episode 4 -Baptism: Born from Above– Deacon Keating discusses the adopted child reality and the Sonship of Jesus Christ.  The symbol of water and its importance in the rite and in our spiritual lives. The solemn prayer of the celebrant, which, by invoking God and recalling his plan of salvation, blesses the water of baptism or makes reference to its earlier blessing.

Deacon Keating takes a careful look at the Baptismal Rite and offers prayerful reflection and insight to help us live out the faith and nurture the domestic church.

From the Baptismal Rite for Children:

From the earliest times, the Church, to which the mission of preaching the Gospel and of baptizing was entrusted, has baptized not only adults but children as well. Our Lord said:

‘Unless a man is reborn in water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of

God.’ The Church has always understood these words to mean that children should not

be deprived of baptism, because they are baptized in the faith of the Church, a faith proclaimedfor them by their parents and godparents, who represent both the local Church

and the whole society of saints and believers: ‘The whole Church is the mother of all and the mother of each.’

 To fulfill the true meaning of the sacrament, children must later be formed in the faith in

which they have been baptized. The foundation of this formation will be the sacrament

itself that they have already received. Christian formation, which is their due, seeks to lead

them gradually to learn God’s plan in Christ, so that they may ultimately accept for themselvesthe faith in which they have been baptized

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO. 

More episodes of Baptism: Born from Above with Deacon James Keating Ph.D.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

Deacon Keating is also the author of:

You can find the book here.

(A great gift for clergy)

From the book description:

Deacon James Keating’s book Abiding in Christ: Staying with God in a Busy World is a how-to-pray resource. This book helps readers to find a quiet space wherein they can be present to God and offers suggestions of how they can be more open to God s movement within them.