56
them the whole person is engaged as a member
of a living subject and part of a network of com-
munitarian relationships. While the sacraments
are indeed sacraments of faith,
36
it can also be
said that faith itself possesses a sacramental
structure. The awakening of faith is linked to the
dawning of a new sacramental sense in our lives
as human beings and as Christians, in which visi-
ble and material realities are seen to point beyond
themselves to the mystery of the eternal.
41.âÂÂThe transmission of faith occurs first and
foremost in baptism. Some might think that bap-
tism is merely a way of symbolizing the confes-
sion of faith, a pedagogical tool for those who
require images and signs, while in itself ultimate-
ly unnecessary. An observation of Saint Paul
about baptism reminds us that this is not the
case. Paul states that âÂÂwe were buried with him
by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
we too might walk in newness of lifeâ (
Rom
6:4).
In baptism we become a new creation and GodâÂÂs
adopted children. The Apostle goes on to say
that Christians have been entrusted to a âÂÂstan-
dard of teachingâ (
týpos didachés
), which they now
obey from the heart (cf.
Rom
6:17). In baptism
we receive both a teaching to be professed and a
specific way of life which demands the engage-
ment of the whole person and sets us on the path
36
âÂÂCf. S
econd
V
atican
E
cumenical
C
ouncil
, Constitu-
tion on the Sacred Liturgy
Sacrosanctum Concilium
, 59.
