My Road to Baptism (Part 7): Two Small Steps Towards Baptism

A few months after I had begun studying, I was told that I would be baptised at Christmas.

I was delighted.

At the same time, I discovered that baptism itself was not the next step.

Before Christmas, there would be two liturgical rites during Sunday Mass.

Each marked another stage of the journey.

Standing in front of everyone

The first rite took place during Mass.

Before it began, all of us who were preparing for baptism gathered about thirty minutes early.

The priest explained what would happen, handed us a small sheet with our responses written on it, and we rehearsed everything together.

It was wonderfully reassuring.

We even had what I secretly thought of as a "cheat sheet."

Because the rite took place in front of the altar, we sat in the front row.

I usually preferred sitting somewhere around the middle—or even near the back—of the church.

The front row felt far too visible.

By the time Mass began, I was already nervous.

"What do you seek?"

After the homily, each of us was called by name.

Together with our sponsors, we walked to the front of the church.

The priest asked us:

"What do you seek?"

Together, we answered that we wished to draw closer to God and to live according to the teaching of Christ.

The priest then welcomed us into the Christian community and traced the Sign of the Cross on our foreheads.

Our sponsors did the same.

Finally, we were given a small card with the Lord's Prayer.

It was a simple ceremony.

But somehow, it felt as though the whole parish was saying,

"We know you are here now."

From that day onward, we were known as catechumens.

Another step

About a month later came another rite.

Once again, we gathered before Mass.

Once again, the priest explained everything.

And once again, there was a short rehearsal beforehand.

By now, I was beginning to realise that the Church was wonderfully considerate towards nervous beginners.

Are they ready?

This time, however, something was different.

The priest turned to our sponsors and asked whether they believed we were sincerely trying to live according to the Gospel.

I remember thinking:

"That's quite an important question..."

Fortunately, my sponsor answered with confidence.

Whether she had ever secretly wondered if I was ready, I shall never know.

But she smiled and answered,

"Yes."

Then the priest asked us directly whether we truly desired baptism.

This answer, at least, was easy.

"Yes, I do."

Oil, the Creed, and a new beginning

During the rite, we also received a card with the Apostles' Creed.

Then, together with everyone in the church, we recited it for the first time as people preparing for baptism.

At the end came another moment I had never experienced before.

The priest traced the Sign of the Cross on my forehead with blessed oil and prayed that Christ would strengthen me.

I answered,

"Amen."

Afterwards, my sponsor gently wiped away the oil with a piece of cotton.

It was such a small gesture.

But somehow, it has stayed in my memory.

One step closer

When everything was over, nothing looked different.

The church was the same.

The people were the same.

Even I felt much the same as before.

And yet, something had quietly changed.

I was no longer simply someone learning about the Catholic faith.

I had taken another step towards baptism.

Christmas was drawing closer.

And for the first time, it began to feel real.