Building up the Body of Christ with welcoming arms, loving hearts and joyful worship.
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April 16, 2023It is a common experience to see someone in special clothing that sets them apart from others: a bride in her wedding dress; a queen in royal robes and crown; a priest wearing a vestment or collar identifies these persons for us in any gathering. Clothing can also signify an occasion. For special days or events we sometimes purchase new clothing. Some may recall going out for an Easter outfit, buying all things new from head to toe! This was more than indulgence or wanting new clothing. It signified what had happened on the feast of new life. We who wore the new clothing “shouted” that we, too, were a new creation because we shared in the resurrection of Jesus at baptism.
In the Church’s rite of baptism—both infant and adult—the newly baptized is clothed in a white garment as they come out of the font. What does it mean to drop your old clothes and be robed in a white garment? The rite tells us to see in our white garment a sign of our new life with Christ. Now, you are putting on Christ and clothing yourself with his way of life. It was customary for the newly baptized to wear their white robes for the full 50 days celebrating Easter. In fact, anyone who was a neophyte or long-baptized could wear this white garment publicly as a sign of their transformation.
A newly baptized member of the Church is as exhilarating to us as any new baby or member of our family. Wearing the baptismal robe beyond the Easter Vigil announces the presence of a new Christian to the whole community and allows them to rejoice and welcome our newly baptized. They are a gift to any gathering of the faithful and a reminder of the privilege and responsibilities of our own baptism. This is also why those in OCIA and CMI who are already baptized wear a white robe. We rejoice with them in completing their sacraments of initiation, Confirmation and Eucharist.