Christian initiation and communion

34. Communion of life in the Church comes through the sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. Baptism is “the doorway to the spiritual life; it makes us members of Christ and draws us into the body of the Church”. (¹⁰²) In Confirmation, the baptized “are joined more completely to the Church, they are enriched with special strength by the Holy Spirit and thus are more solemnly obliged to spread and defend the faith in word and deed as true witnesses of Christ”. (¹⁰³) The journey of Christian initiation comes to completion and reaches its summit in the Eucharist, which fully incorporates the baptized into the Body of Christ. (¹⁰⁴)

“These sacraments are an excellent opportunity for an effective evangelization and catechesis, when preparation for them is entrusted to people of faith and competence”. (¹⁰⁵) While dioceses in America have made undeniable progress in preparing people for the sacraments of Christian initiation, the Synod Fathers nonetheless expressed regret that “many receive them without adequate formation”. (¹⁰⁶) In the case of the Baptism of children, efforts to catechize the parents and godparents should not be spared.