Our Own Baptism

Today we're going to learn about our own baptism and how it connects us to Jesus! Do you remember when we learned about Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River? Well, when we were babies, something very special happened to us too - we were baptized! In our Maronite tradition, when you were just a tiny baby, your parents brought you to church. The priest poured holy water over your head three times, just like how Jesus went down into the water. But why three times? Can anyone guess? That's right - for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! When the priest baptized you, he said special prayers in Arabic, our beautiful language. He made the sign of the cross on your forehead with holy oil called chrism. This oil smells wonderful and shows that you belong to God's family now. You became a child of God and part of our Maronite Church family! Just like when Jesus was baptized and God said 'This is my beloved Son,' God was saying the same thing about you! You became God's beloved child. The water washed away anything that separated you from God, and you received the Holy Spirit to live in your heart. Can anyone tell me what color we wear for baptism? Yes, white! White clothes show that we are clean and pure in God's eyes. Even though you were too little to remember your baptism, it was real and important. Every time you see someone being baptized in church, remember that this happened to you too. You are special - you are baptized! You belong to Jesus and to our Church family forever. So remember, through your baptism, you became God's beloved child, just like Jesus is God's beloved Son.