Why do we have baptisms during the Liturgy?

 

Father Chris, I am wondering why we have baptisms during the Liturgy sometimes.  Isn’t the Liturgy about worshipping God?

You are absolutely right—the Liturgy is about worshipping God and glorifying the Holy Trinity.  What better way for the Trinity to be glorified, than for a person to offer themselves to be baptized into Christ.  By putting on Christ and becoming a partaker of His Body (and a part of the Church—His Body), our Lord Jesus Christ is truly glorified. 

Also, by having the Baptism during the Liturgy, it reinforces the fact that this is not just a private family affair.  Anytime someone becomes a part of the Church, they become a part of the WHOLE community—the Body of Christ.  This displays that each and every person baptized into Christ becomes truly our brother or sister.   This is also the ancient context of the Holy Mystery of Baptism—intimately connected to the reception of Communion.