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This book examines Baptism amid the rite of Christian initiation. In presenting a child for baptism, parents are preparing for a second birth, like a birth into the Christian community. No-one is ever born Christian, which is unlike the experience in the Jewish tradition in which a person is Jewish if their mother is Jewish. That is why the baptismal font is sometimes referred to as the 'womb' of the church. Here we are reborn into the Body of Christ. At the conclusion of the ceremony the celebrant blesses the parents and reminds them of the responsibility that they have undertaken in presenting their child for baptism. They are the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith, and the celebrant prays in the name of the church that they may be 'the best teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they way and do'. This booklet offers a simple explanation of the various stages of the celebration of baptism and the rich symbolism of this ancient ritual. It also explains the role of parents and godparents so that they can participate meaningfully in the ceremony. Geoffrey Plant is priest in Sydney. His ministry has been in education at secondary and tertiary levels, but parish work is his first love. Other titles by Fr Geoff include Embracing the Word, a series of books that look at the gospel readings for Sundays and places them within the context of the community. Releasing the Captive, Welcoming the Outsider and Ascending the Mountain have already been published to great acclaim and have become useful tools for homilists and anyone wanting to become more familiar with the gospel readings for Sundays.
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