Ritual exsufflation and insufflation

This may be an oddity to us 21^st century folk, but the ritual action of breathing was once a crucial act in the rites of the Church. Most notable, the rite of baptism contained these ritual breaths, the officiate breathing on the catechumenate. Exsufflation – the hard blowing was a kind of exorcism, the symbolic act of blowing away evil and more importantly sin. Insufflation was the gentle breath (that is one proceeded by and "h" – that which would fog a window). Insufflation was the symbolic act of bestowing the Spirit of God upon and individual or even a blessing.

Sure this may seem crazy to us. At best, it is adiaphora. But let us take a closer look. In John's account of the Gospel, Jesus breaths on his disciples (Cf. John 20:22). This is coupled with the assertion of the coming of the Holy Spirit. In essence, this act for John replaces the Pentecost story of Luke in Acts. Notice that this in line with the idea of insufflation – the imparting of the Holy Spirit. There is a reason the Holy Spirit is associated with breath and wind! (also cf. the with Hebrew understanding of Spirit: ruach)

This rich biblical imagery was not lost on Luther who included this ritual breathing as part of his baptismal rite of 1523 (cf. "The Oder of Baptism" in Luther's Works Vol. 53, pg.96). It has fallen out of use in the Roman Catholic world since Vatican II. Could we reinstate this? Possibly though there is little impetus as it is so far down the adiaphora list and more over is nearly forgotten. Nevertheless, this might have a reprieve at and adult baptism were you could explain the symbolism in advanced.