www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship The Other Sacramental Mysteries Can You Baptize Yourself?

I know the answer is "no," a person cannot baptize himself, but I don't know why. What is the reason?

Anna:

Christ is in our midst!!

When we are baptized, the priest incorporates us into the Church. He is already a member of the Church and delegated to be able to incorporate new members into the Body of Christ.

If one were to baptize oneself, what would one be incorporating oneself into? Seems like some sort of circular action with no reference to anyone but oneself, certainly no reference to Christ or His Saving Body, the Church.

Bob

As I recall many years ago when I was a child we were taught that there were 3 "kinds of Baptism.

Water that the most familiar one to most people

Blood you are martryed before you can be Baptised

Desire you wish to be Baptized but there is no opportunity to be Baptized

Little Green Coat:

Christ is in our midst!!

You are correct. However, none of the three do you do yourself. The first is done by the Church; the other two are works of the Holy Spirit and are not self in-corporations into the Christ--which the earlier poster asked about.

Bob

My answer is no you can not

Theophan is correct: one must possess the Spirit to transmit the Spirit, which is the act of Baptism.

While Nemo dat quod non habet -- can't give what you don't have -- has its validity, it is nuanced in application:

CCC[emphasis added]

ajk:

Christ is in our midst!!

I think you miss the point of the question. While I agree totally with the citation from the CCC, the citation assumes that the one doing the baptizing is himself already baptized and thus able to incorporate another into the Body of Christ. Baptism is not some "stand alone" act. It is initiation into Christ, into His Church, into Him. The one doing the baptizing stands in the Person of Christ Himself since it is Christ Who incorporates each of us into His Body, the Church, through one of His members--usually clergy who have been ordained to do this; or by another member in an emergency.

So the question is "Can I incorporate/invite myself into a body if I am not already part of it?" Put another way: Can I invite myself to Thanksgiving dinner at the White House just because i want to do so? (Let me know how that works next November.)

Bob

I did not and am not addressing the question " Can You Baptize Yourself?" but the quote explicitly given:
Specifically:

Actually, just the opposite:[emphasis added]

Specifically:[emphasis added]

No need to wait until November, it's a poor analogy for baptism. And actually, regarding inviting, since we no longer enforce the Disciplina arcanii, anyone can attend the Eucharist-Divine Liturgy-Mass, uninvited (save by God's grace) to a thanksgiving (eucharistic) meal.

Very shortly we will make our annual visit to the pool of Bethsaida.

I have long believed, taught, and confessed that we are as incapable of self-absolution (and Baptism is the ultimate absolution) as the Paralytic was incapable of self-locomotion.

Christ is Risen!!

Following the situation in Ukraine where a group that has been labeled "self ordained" (and not wishing by any means to enter that argument), I believe that if one can self baptize, then one can certainly self ordain. And we all know what arguments that raises.

Bob