Monday, April 03, 2006


Father cut our hair in the shape of a cross to tonsure us.

More on Tonsuring during the Sacrament of Holy Baptism:

The sacrament of baptism restores the image and likeness of God with the child. When we anoint with oil, we reconcile the child to God. When we immerse the child, God, through the Church, "gives" a new life - a personal resurrection. When we chrismate, the child receives the additional gift of the Holy Spirit - a personal Pentecost. The next step or movement in the baptismal service is the rite of tonsure. Tonsuring, the cutting of the hair, is a symbol of obedience and sacrifice. It is seen as furthering the restoration of the child away from the fallen world. To do this, we must always be willing to obey God and be ready to sacrifice for Him. By offering a piece of hair, the child can offer his first free and joyful sacrifice to God. In addition, the tonsuring continues the theme of the entire baptism service: the rejection of the world with its pleasures and cares. This is all the child has to offer and yet the offering is done to offer the child fully to God.

The priest asks God to bless the child as God blessed David the King by the hand of the prophet Samuel. When he cuts the baby's hair, he says: "The servant of God______, is tonsured in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

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