Baptism is the sacrament of initiation, the sacrament of belonging.
Through Baptism we become full members of Christ and the Church. This sacrament of initiation is one that takes place in the church community, with the church community and, in many ways, by the church community. As individuals, parents, family members, friends and sponsors we see ourselves as participating in an act commanded by Jesus as a way of bringing a child or an adult into the local and international Church community. T he sacrament of Baptism is a command of Jesus, but in addition, it is an act that we as Christians embrace freely. In Baptism we recognize that God has adopted us as God s children, claiming us as members of Christ s body, the Church and therefore, God s kingdom.