with any other ingredient, is sufficient for the matter of baptism; yet, when administered in public with solemn ceremonies, the Catholic Church guided by apostolic tradition, the more fully to express its efficacy, has uniformly observed the practice of adding holy chrism. [1] And, although it may be doubted whether this or that water be genuine, such as the Sacrament requires, it can never be matter of doubt that the proper and the only matter of baptism is natural water.
Having carefully explained the matter, which is one of the two parts of which the Sacrament consists, the pastor will evince equal diligence in explaining the second, that is the form, which is equally necessary with the first. In the explication of this Sacrament, a necessity of increased care and study arises, as the pastor will perceive, from the circumstance that the know ledge of so holy a mystery, is not only in itself a source of pleasure to the faithful, as is generally the case with regard to religious knowledge, but, also, very desirable for almost daily practical use. This Sacrament, as we shall explain in its proper place, is frequently administered by the laity, and most frequently, by women; and it, therefore, becomes necessary to make all the faithful indiscriminately, well acquainted with whatever regards its substance.
The pastor, therefore, will teach, in clear, unambiguous language intelligible to every capacity, that the true and essential form of baptism is: "I BAPTIZE THEE IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST:" a form delivered by our Lord and Saviour when, as we read in St. Matthew, he gave to his Apostles the command: " Going teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." [2] By the word " baptizing," the Catholic Church, instructed from above, most justly understands that the form of the Sacrament should express the action of the minister, and this takes place when he pronounces the words: "I baptize thee." Besides the minister of the Sacrament, the person to be baptized and the principal efficient cause of baptism should be mentioned. The pronoun " thee," and the names of the Divine Persons are, therefore, distinctly added; and, thus, the absolute form of the Sacrament is expressed in the words already mentioned: " I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Baptism is the work not of the Son alone, of whom St. John says: " This is he who baptizeth;" [3] but of the three Persons of the blessed Trinity. By saying, however, " in the name," not names, we distinctly declare that in the Trinity there is but one nature and Godhead. The word " name" is here referred not to the persons, but to the divine essence, virtue and power, which are one and the same in the three Persons. [4]
It is however to be observed, that of the words contained in
