INSTRUCTION FOR

ADULTS TO BE BAPTIZED

FIRST SESSION

Aim:
1. To establish rapport with the candidate of adult baptism
2. To draw out from the candidate the reasons why he/she wants to be baptized and bring
him/her to a deeper motivation.
3. To help him/her understand that his/her request for baptism is a call from God and at the
same time his/her response to the call.

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Establishing Rapport
- Get to know the candidate; name, address, birthday, and other background
information.

B. Why Do I Want To Be Baptized?

- Draw out from the candidate why he/she wants to be baptized.

C. Synthesis
- It is God who calls us to enter into a loving relationship with Him. Thus, He
chooses us:
: To become His child;
: to become a member of the Church, the people of God.

II. HISTORY OF SALVATION

A. God Constantly Reveals Himself to Man

1. Personal Experiences on God’s Presence
- Ask the candidate if there were occasions / times in his/her life where she
experienced or felt God telling him/her something. Did he/she ever
experience God present in his/her life? How?

2. Instances in the Bible Where God Revealed Himself to People

a) The story of the call of:
: Abraham - Gen. 12: 1-9 : Mary - Lk. 1: 26-38
: Moses - Ex. 3: 1-22 : Apostles - Lk. 5: 1-11
: Samuel - 1Sam.3: 1-14
b) God called them and revealed his plans to them. They were to be the key
personalities/leaders in the over-all plan of God--- the establishment of the
people of God or God’s Kingdom.
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C) Process of God’s call
 : God takes the initiative. He chooses one personally, He calls each one
by name.
: Feeling of unworthiness on the part of the one being called
: God assures the one being chosen
: Response in Faith

3. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God’s Promise

a) He is the greatest revelation of God (Heb. 1: 1-3).
b) Jesus Christ is also embodiment of man’s response to God’s revelation.
He shows us how to respond to God’s call.
c) Jesus begins to form the new people of God, the Church.

4. The Sacrament of Baptism

a) In Baptism God reveals himself to us. He calls us and chooses us to live a
new way of life. He assures us by giving us the Holy Spirit and the
necessary graces that we may respond in faith.

B. Man’s Response to God’s Call

1. Response in Faith
a) Every call demands an answer. When God calls us to himself, what is the
adequate answer to His call or invitation?
b) It is faith. With our whole being, we give our “YES” to God. The bible
calls it “obedience of faith.”
: To obey--- comes from Latin which means “to listen, to hear.” To
obey in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard
because it is the truth guaranteed by God who is the truth Himself.

2. Abraham and Mary

a) Abraham responded in faith
: He obeyed when he was called to go out to a place where he was to
receive his inheritance. He went not knowing where to go.
: He lived as a pilgrim in the promised land. He was ready to sacrifice
his only son Isaac to God.
: He did all these because he believed in the word of God.
b) Mary also responded in faith
: She welcomed the good news and the promise brought by the angel
Gabriel. She believed that with God nothing is impossible.
: Mary’s faith never wavered.

3. The Baptismal Candidate’s Response in Faith

a) Faith is a Gift from God
: God in his mysterious ways moved and assisted the candidate. He has
given His grace and the help of the Holy Spirit to move the heart of

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the candidate to be converted to God, and recognize Him as creator
 and Father. This is shown is his life experiences and in his desire to
be baptized. His “personal experiences” of God and his desire for
baptism are in itself a grace from God.
b) His/her Faith is Certain
: The candidate was moved to believe because it was God himself, the
Truth who revealed (manifested) Himself as God, creator, protector,
Father and guide to him/her.
: He/she believes not because of intellectual reasoning or proofs but
because God Himself spoke to him/her.
c) His/her Faith Seeks to Understand
: The candidate seeks to know better the One who calls him/her and on
whom he/she put faith in. He/she wants to understand better what He
has revealed to him/her.
d) In other words, faith is the candidate’s response to the call or invitation of
God who reveals Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. Faith is a
personal acceptance of God in the person of Jesus Christ--- accepting Jesus
as Lord and savior.
: Faith is the candidate’s “please come in” to Jesus Christ who stands
at the door and knocks. It is coming to a personal relationship with
Jesus, and through Him, to God the Father.
: Faith is a decision to commit himself/herself to Jesus, and to follow
Him and His ways. It is a decision only possible through the Holy
Spirit.
: To those who accept Him and believe in His name, Jesus gives the
power to become children of God.

SECOND SESSION

Aim:
1. To enable the candidate of baptism to become aware of the basic doctrines and lifestyle of the people of God;
2. To give to the candidate a basic catechesis on the initiation sacraments.

I. RESPONDING TO THE CALL

A. Introduction
1. The Community of Believers
a) Faith is a personal act--- the free response of the human person to the
invitation of God who calls and reveals Himself. But faith is not an isolated
act. No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone! I respond to
God’s call personally but I also respond with others.
b) When I say; “I believe”, I do not say it in isolation, I say it with the whole
Church. It is the faith of the Church I personally profess. The Church is a
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community of believers.
c) It is through the Church that we receive faith and new life in Christ by
 baptism. It is the Church that believes first, and so bears, nourishes and
sustains my faith.
: The believer has received faith from others and should hand it to
others. Each believer is thus a link in a great chain of believers. I
cannot believe without being carried by the faith of others, and by my
faith In help support others in faith.
d) In the rite of baptism, the minister asks: “What do you ask of God’s
Church?” And the answer is: “Faith.”
: Salvation comes from God alone; but because we receive the life of
faith through the Church, she is our mother. Because she is our
mother of our new birth, she is also our teacher in the faith.
e) Becoming a believer and being incorporated into the community of
believers demands a new way of living. It is a kind of lifestyle where the
believer joins the community of the baptized to a life of Worship,
Formation and Service.
Note: It is good for the one giving the instruction to give here a brief
description of the BEC as the new way of being Church.

B. A New Way of Life: Christian Living

1. Worship (Liturgical Life)
a) Our faith lives and grows through prayer and worship. The whole of
Christian life must be offered to God. We are to offer our whole selves
"as living sacrifice, holy, and pleasing to God."

b) But while all life must be worship, we need to express our worship in explicit acts:
: Personal Prayer - "Unless we pray we cannot grow in our personal
relationship with God (PJP II).
- Jesus spent hours in prayer communicating with His
Father
: Group Prayer - Sunday Prayer Meetings, Bible Sharing, charismatic
groups, block rosary, etc

* Whether done individually or in group, prayer must retain its character as a

personal conversation with God who loves us.
* Such conversation may be done in the silence and solitude of one's heart or
in the meaningful recitation and conscious repetition of prayer formulas.

c) Christian Prayers (formula prayers)

: The Lord's Prayer ( Our Father)
- A prayer Jesus himself taught. The first part of the Our Father deals
with the Father and the Kingdom. The second part speaks of the basic
needs of man -security, peace, forgiveness.
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: Hail Mary - Mary has a special role in the salvation of man. She is the
model of faith and intercession in behalf of man. Mary is the mother
of Christians. Thus every Catholic honors Mary and offers his
prayer to her. The Hail Mary is one of them.

: Glory Be - This short prayer is a prayer of praise to the trinity. It is similar

to the sign of the Cross. It is also a reminder of baptism.

: I Believe - The christian prays what he believes. The creed is a prayer that
(Creed) summarizes what we believe in.

: Act of Contrition
- The Christian realizes that he is a sinner. Therefore in need of
God's forgiveness and strength. He expresses this need in this
prayer.

d) Our life of worship and our life of prayer find their source and summit in the
Sacred liturgy - celebration of the sacraments especially the Eucharist.
: In the Eucharist the community of believers gather around the Lord who is
truly present in the assembly, present in the minister, in the Scriptural Word
read in the Church and most eminently in his Body and Blood.
: The center and life of the "gimong." Other prayers lead and flow from it.

2. Formation

a) Faith is a dynamic reality. It needs to grow. It is a life, and like all life, it cannot
remain static. The believer must strive to know Jesus and his values more, his
holiness, and to make them alive in his own life. In other words, to be formed according
to Jesus himself.
: To live as he loved, to be compassionate as he is compassionate

* The Ten commandments

- The 10 commandments are useful guide for the follower of Jesus in
living his Christianity. The believer can evaluate his response to God in
the light of the 10 commandments. He can judge how far he is Christ
like.

* The Beatitudes
- The beatitudes is a description of how those who positively responded
to the invitation will live. Hence, it describes a lifestyle, a mode of
relating with our fellowmen.

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b) Faith includes believing the words and accepting the teachings of Jesus. Trusting that he
has the words of eternal life. Whoever believes in Jesus must also strive to know and accept the
truths which he continues to teach through His Church.
 : The believer must have an informed faith.
: Importance of knowing the meaning of the basic doctrines and teachings of the
Church, the sacraments, the Bible.

3. Service and Witness

a) Faith becomes mature and life-giving through love. As faith without work is dead, so too
faith without love is dead.

: If I have faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing

( 1 Cor. 13:2)
: Faith is exercised not only in explicitly religious acts. It must be exercise in service,
to care for the needy and to care for our earth.
- In one's neighbor faith recognizes not only a person made in the image and
likeness of God, but a bearer of Christ himself.
- And faith recognizes that the earth environment has to be nurtured and cared
for.

b) Expressing our faith through deeds of justice and love is urgent because the the exercise of
faith often seems to be restricted to the realm of religious activities and private morality.

: To promote human development, justice in society and peace is the task of the
baptized with the whole Church.
: Faith moves us to participate in the transformation of the world.
- Salvation from sin
- Liberation from everything oppressive to man
- Development of man in all his dimensions - personal and communitarian

c) Believing is also bearing witness. Our Lord enjoins us. Your light must shine before others
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father (Mt. 5:16).
: The baptized joins the Church in her task of evangelization - announcing a message
of salvation.

4. Overcoming the Reality of Sin

- Our faith response to the call brings us into the struggle with sinfulness. Even a person of
faith experiences failure. Often we fail to love.

: Hence, the need to pray daily "Forgive us our sins" and to seek reconciliation with
God and with the Chruch in the Sacrament of reconciliation.

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THIRD SESSION

Aim: To lead the adult to be baptized to a deeper understanding on the grace/blessings, duties and
responsibilities of a Christian he will receive in the sacraments of initiation.
 THE SACRAMENTS OF INITION
* The sacraments of initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist lay the
foundations of every Christian life.
- The faithful are born anew by baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of
Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life.

BAPTISM:
A. Meaning:
* Word of GOD. Jn. 3: 1-6 ( Nicodemus)
- "....No one can enter into God's Kingdom without being
begotten of water and Spirit"

* Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the
Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.

SIGNS AND SYMBOLS IN BAPTISM

Dagiti pagilasinan ken tanda

a mausar iti bunyag Nakristianoan a Kaipapananna Pagrebbengan
1. Danum - awatentayo ti Espiritu Santo
- mainom, pagsibog,pagluto - agbalintayo a templo ti Espiritu Santo , - Agbiagtayo a kas annak ti Dios
= biag awatentayo ti biag nga ited ti Dios ket agbalintayo ( 1 John 3:1 )
nga annakna (1 Cor. 12:12ff)
- agbalintayo a membro ti Familia ti Dios
( Simbaan ), ken kabsat ni Kristo
- paglaba, pag-ugas -maugasan/ mawayawayaantayo iti basol gapu ta
= paglinis agtaeng ti Espiritu Santo kadatayo
- mataytayo iti basol, agbalintayo a baro a parsua
- layus = patay
2. Nasindian a Kandela -Ni Kristo ti pudno a Silaw , dagiti sursurona ken
- pagsilaw ti biagna ket mangted ti lawag ( Jn.8:12) - Agbiagkayo a kas tattao nga adda
- mangted ti pudot - pabaraenna ti panagayattayo iti pada a tao iti lawag ( Eph. 5:8 )
- agbalintayo a silaw kadagiti kakabsattayo
3. Lana - O.T. malanaan dagiti napili nga adda ti
- agas, pangpapigsa misionna - Ibiagtayo ti misiontayo a
- Makiranudtayo iti Mision ni Cristo kinapadi, kinaprofeta, ken kina-ari .
(2 Pet. 1: 3-4 )
4. Puraw a lupot
- ikawestayo ti Nadiosan a biag ( Kristo ) - Agbiagtayo a kas natan-ok a
- nalinis -Agbalintayo a baro a parsua (2 Cor. 5:17) Kristiano.

CONFIRMATION

- The scarament of Confirmation is described by Vatican II in terms of its two

essential characteristics: closer union with the Church, and strengthening and
empowerment by the Holy Spirit to actively spread the faith.
 EFFECTS OF CONFIRMATION

The main effect of Confirmation is to strengthen and confirm the grace of Baptism
( CCC, 1302-3). This means a more intense sharing in the mission of Christ and of the
Church, empowering the confirmed to be public witnesses of the faith:
- witness to the Kingdom of God ;
- witness to Jesus the Christ, as the unique Savior of all;
- witness to the freedom from the slavery of sin brought by God's presence through
Christ and the Spirit
- witness to the love of God, Father, Risen Incarnate Son, and Spirit, by loving
service of others in the Spirit;
- witness to Christ's real presence in the Christian community, the people of God, the
Church.

ACTS 19: 1 - 7

Laying on of hands is an important element of the sacrament of confirmation. In its secular

roots, laying on of hands indicated the conferral of an office or responsibility on someone. It
strengthened a person who was faced with new duties or was entering a new state of life.
Similarly, by dispensing gifts of the Spirit and conforming us more to the character of Christ,
confirmation equips us for the duties of spreading and defending the faith. The laying on of
hands "confirms" us in our role as witnesses to Christ.

Anointing with oil called chrism is a second sign of this sacrament. Ointments and oils were
commonly used in treating illnesses and in the physical therapy of athletes. The anointing of
confirmation signifies health and strength and causes spiritual health and strength in the
supernatural life of the recipient. (O.T. -oil is use to anoint a king or someone sent for a
mission).

THE EUCHARIST:
FRUITS OF RECEIVING COMMUNION

1. Union with Christ

-The first effect of receiving Holy Communion worthily is to “ unite with Christ”
( CCC, 1391). “ Whoever eats this bread and drinks my blood remains in me and I in
him”. ( Jn 6: 56). This communion with Christ brings us true life. Just as the living
Father sent me, and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
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2. Liberation from Sin
- A second effect of Holy Communion is to "separate us from sin," since we receive
Christ whose life-giving blood was " poured out in behalf of many for the
forgiveness of sins" ( Mt. 26:28; CCC, 1393). This communion with the Risen Christ "
gives life through the Holy Spirit" , deepening our life of grace begun in Baptism. As
bodily food restores our physical energies, so the Eucharist is a " remedy to free us from
our daily faults and to preserve us from mortal sin" It strengthens our life of loving
service, weakened by our disordered desires, self-centered attitudes, and sins.

3. Reconciliation
- To reconcile and be reconciled is a major effect of the Holy Eucharist as the
" sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity" ( CCC, 1394,1398).
Without displacing in the the least the sacrament of Reconciliation, the
Eucharist thus constitutes the chief ordinary means of reconciliation in the Church. It
brings us together in the table of the Lord, uniting us in sharing food and drink in
a sacred meal hosted by Christ himself. The Eucharist thus " educates us in active love for
neighbor.
( For) if Christ offers himself equally to each one, it shows us what value each person,
our brother or sister, has in God's eyes. It makes us grow in awareness of the dignity
of each person .... (and) becomes the deepest motive of our relationship with our
neighbor."

At the holy table all differences of race or social class disappear ... The Eucharist
becomes the great instrument for bringing men closer to one another .... to establish
better relationship among ourselves, leading to recognition to one anotner's rights
and correspoding duties as well" (John Paul II, ND 1590).

REFERENCES:

1. Catechism of the Catholic Church

2. PCP II
3. National Catechetical Directory of the Phillipines
4. The New American Bible
5. Rite of Adult Baptism
6. The Catholic Faith Catechism

FOURTH SESSION

Aim: To familiarize the candidate of baptism on the Rites of Adult Baptism , and to make clear to the
candidate of his duties and responsibilities as Christian as mentioned in the rites of baptism.

I. Presentation of the Rites of Adult Baptism

II. Practice on the Rites of Adult Baptism