What do baptisms and funerals have in common?

In life, there are two things that are certain: birth and death. While it may seem trite, everybody that has ever existed has been born, and everybody who has ever existed (aside from a few famous biblical exceptions) has died. In the life of the church, liturgies reflect this reality.

Baptism is a type of birth. A washing clean of original sin and a spiritual adoption into the family of God. In the Gospel of John, a Pharisee named Nicodemus approaches Jesus under the cover of night to ask Jesus about his teachings. Jesus says to him, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the spirit” (John 3:5). This “rebirth” into adoptive sonship is something that we can’t lose, even through sin.

Funerals, on the other hand, seem like the opposite of a baptism. In baptism, we celebrate life and in funerals we mourn death. Right? Well… kind of.

Death has traditionally been seen in the life of the Church as another birth—a heavenly birth. Many saints’ feast days are on the day of their death for this reason. Sts. Peter and Paul are sometimes referred to as, “the twin founders of Christian Rome.” Not because they are blood brothers (they aren’t), but because they were traditionally said to have been martyred on the same day. They have the same heavenly birthday.

Next time you go to a Catholic baptism or funeral, pay special attention to a few of the symbols that are used at each.

The Easter Candle: The large candle that adorns most sanctuaries and is lit throughout the Easter Season is ignited for a particular person twice during their life: Their baptism and their funeral. During a baptism, the priest will light a candle from the Easter candle and give it to one of the parents or godparents while saying, “Receive the light of Christ. This light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly, so that your child, enlightened by Christ, may walk always as a child of the light.”

During the funeral, the Easter candle is often front and center in the church in front of the casket. During the petitions, the reader will remind the congregation and the loved ones of the deceased, “In baptism, N. received the light of Christ. Scatter the darkness and lead him/her over the waters of death.”

The White Garment: White in the Church is the symbol of purity and cleanliness. During a baptism, after the pouring of the water, the priest will present the baptized with a white garment while saying, “n., you have become a new creation and have clothed yourself with Christ. May this white garment be a sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring it unstained into eternal life.”

In a funeral, this is exactly what happens. After the casket is closed and before the procession begins, the priest, family, or funeral directors will cover the casket with a large white cloth called a “pall” (pronounced “paul”). This is a reminder of that same Christian dignity that the deceased was baptized into.

Sprinkling of water: In baptism, the most important part of the ceremony is the pouring of water over the head of the child with the words, “n., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” That was the command of Jesus in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19).

In a funeral, the casket is again sprinkled with water as the priest says, “In the waters of baptism, N. died with Christ and rose with him to new life. May he/she now share with him eternal glory.”

Placing of the Christian Symbol: At the very beginning of every baptism, the priest traces a cross on the forehead of the child while saying, “n., the Church of God receives you with great joy. In her name, I sign you with the Sign of the Cross of Christ our Savior. Then, after me, your parents and godparents will do the same.” This is a symbol of the indelible mark that baptism places on the soul of all Christians. A branding, if you will.

During a funeral, a crucifix is placed on the head of the casket. This is a visible reminder of the permanent mark that baptism has placed on a person. A mark that isn’t erased even in death.

The Color White: As stated above, white is the color of new life and cleanliness. For both baptisms and funerals, it is the color that priests will most often wear (although black is also an acceptable option for priests at funerals). This is meant to be another connection between the sacrament of baptism and the sacramental of the funeral liturgy.

Our baptism is the most important day of our Christian life. This life of ours on this earth is not a procession from life until death, but rather from rebirth to rebirth. As it says in the book of Wisdom, “The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead… but they are in peace” (Ws. 3:1-2a, 3b).