Lumen Fidei - page 58

58
us adopted children of God and sharers in the
divine nature. It thus modifies all our relation-
ships, our place in this world and in the universe,
and opens them to God’s own life of commu-
nion. This change which takes place in baptism
helps us to appreciate the singular importance of
the catechumenate —whereby growing numbers
of adults, even in societies with ancient Christian
roots, now approach the sacrament of baptism
— for the new evangelization. It is the road of
preparation for baptism, for the transformation
of our whole life in Christ.
To appreciate this link between baptism and
faith, we can recall a text of the prophet Isaiah,
which was associated with baptism in early Chris-
tian literature: “Their refuge will be the fortresses
of rocks… their water assured” (Is 33:16).37 The
baptized, rescued from the waters of death, were
now set on a “fortress of rock” because they had
found a firm and reliable foundation. The waters
of death were thus transformed into waters of
life. The Greek text, in speaking of that water
which is “assured”, uses the word pistós, “faith-
ful”. The waters of baptism are indeed faithful
and trustworthy, for they flow with the power of
Christ’s love, the source of our assurance in the
journey of life.
43. The structure of baptism, its form as a re-
birth in which we receive a new name and a new
37 Cf. Epistula Barnabae, 11, 5: SC 172, 162