For many years I believed that Sacred Scripture, the Bible, spoke of Saul (Paul) being knocked from his "horse" by a flash of light as he traveled to Damascus, where he hoped to find and persecute Christians. Did you know that there is no horse in the conversion story of Saul? Now be honest with me. How many of you thought that Saul was knocked off his horse? Let's see a show of hands. Good. There's quite a few. I'm not alone.

Saint Paul's conversion story is found in three places in the New Testament (NT) Book of Acts: 9:1-18; 22:1-16; and 26:12-18. In Acts 9:17-19, we are told that things like scales fall from Paul's eyes, he regains his sight, he is baptized, and after he eats, he regains his strength. Then in Acts 22:16 the true value of baptism is revealed when Paul is told to get up, be baptized, and have his sins washed away, calling upon the name of Jesus.

As we can see in Paul's conversion, baptism washes away sin. These Bible passages, as well as others, support the Catholic belief that baptism is more than a symbolic washing as most Fundamentalist Christians believe. Catholics believe that baptism, done in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, wipes away all sin, original and actual.

When we are baptized, we become members of Christ's body (the Church) and the gates of heaven are opened to us. Jn 3:5 clearly states this fact when Jesus answers Nicodemus' question on how a man grown old can be born again. Jesus tells him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Jesus is not talking about a physical "re-birth" as Nicodemus thinks He is, but about being "born from above" through a birth of "water and the Holy Spirit."

At the end of Mark's gospel (Mk 16:15-16), Jesus tells His disciples, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned." The Bible clearly tells us that baptism, through the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, opens heaven's gates.

We must remember, though, that while the gates of heaven have been opened to the baptized, there is no guarantee they will remain open to each baptized man and woman. Throughout the rest of our lives we must nurture our faith in Jesus, strive to avoid sin, repent of those sins we fail to avoid, and partake of the sacraments.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) clearly declares the value of baptism. CCC 1213 states, "Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: 'Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word.'" The Catechism calls baptism God's most beautiful and magnificent gift (CCC 1216).

Too many "Bible Believing" Christians deny the saving power of baptism. Yet, they claim they follow the Bible alone. The Bible is loaded with references to baptism, and many of them, clearly, preach the saving power of baptism. Witness what 1 Pet 3:19-21 says, "It was in the spirit also that He (Jesus) went to preach to the spirits in prison. They had disobeyed as long ago as Noah's day, while God patiently waited until the Ark was built. At that time, a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you."

Saint Paul in Col 2:11-12, tells us that circumcision, the sign of incorporation into Abraham's descendants, has been replaced by baptism, the sign of incorporation into Christ's Body, the Church.

In the 1870's, James Cardinal Gibbons wrote the book, "The Faith of Our Fathers." In it he described a sacrament as "a visible sign, instituted by Christ, by which grace is conveyed to our souls." Never forget that the Sacraments are not magic. They are the means by which Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, communicates His grace to us. If we are open to His grace, then we, as members of His Body, the Church, can grow in holiness and, at our earthly death, enter the open gates of heaven.

For more insight read CCC paragraphs 527, 774, 782, 1210-1284. Also, read the following Bible passages: Ezek 36:25-27, Jn 3:1-6 & 22, Mt 28:18-20, Tit 3:4-7, Acts 2:37-38, 1 Cor 6:11, Rom 6:3-5, 1 Pet 3:19-21, Heb 10:22, 1 Cor 12:12-13, 1 Cor 10:1-2.