Sacrament by which by washing ourselves with water and invoking the Holy Trinity, original sin is erased, making us members of the Church and adopted children of God and heirs of heaven.
97.2. BAPTISM
It is a sacrament through which by washing ourselves with water and invoking the Holy Trinity, original sin is erased.
Baptism, in addition to washing away original sin, forgives any other personal sin that the person being baptized has, if he receives baptism after having the use of reason (provided he has due repentance), and all the penalties due for them. Baptism introduces us into the Church, making us Christians, members of the Church, adopted children of God and heirs of heaven. Through baptism we are born to a new life, the life of grace, of faith.
Since baptism is the door to enter the Church, without having received baptism one cannot validly receive any other sacrament.
In the early years of Christianity, baptism was performed by immersion of the baptized person in a pool. But already at the beginning of the second century, the Didache, already in the first century, speaks of baptism by infusion, pouring water on the head of the person being baptized.
Jehovah’s Witnesses impose baptism by immersion (by bathing), considering every other form invalid, on the grounds that Christ received it that way in the Jordan. But from the earliest times of Christianity, the Church also used ablution, as the Church does today. If Saint Paul baptized the jailer in prison, it is not likely that he did so by immersion. The same applies to Saint Peter when, on the day of Pentecost, he baptized three thousand; it is not easy to suppose that it was by immersion. The oldest known catechism, the “Didache”, written in the year 70 of our era, when very many disciples of Christ were still alive, says: “if there is no running water, to baptize, pour water three times on the head” (932).
When a child is born, he should be baptized at once, so that original sin may be forgiven and he may be made a Christian. The Vatican Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith affirms that the obligation to baptize, “as soon as possible,” children born of ordinary Christian parents remains in full force; although today, because of the progress of medicine and the great decrease in infant mortality, that expression “as soon as possible” can be understood more broadly. But voluntarily depriving children of this sacrament for a long time can be a grave sin. The current Code of Canon Law says that children are to be baptized in the first weeks (933).
It is not absolutely true that children who die without baptism can be saved. Nor is it absolutely true that they cannot be saved. God may have extraordinary means to save them that we are unaware of. That is why the Church has a mass for these children, entrusting them to the mercy of God.
God’s mercy makes us trust that there is a way of salvation for children who die without baptism.
But it is clear that if in the case of a fatal disease there are two medicines, one that cures and another that we are not sure cures, everyone who has common sense will apply the first. The existence of limbo is not a dogma of faith (934).
Limbo is the place or state of those who have died only with original sin. They cannot enter heaven;nor go to hell or purgatory, since they have no personal sins. Limbo is a theological conclusion defended today by almost all Catholic theologians.
When baptizing a child, it is advisable to give him a name that is not foreign to Christian sentiment. These names are those of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin in her main invocations and devotions, and of the saints.
The patronage of a saint offers a model of charity and ensures his intercession.
The baptized child must be educated Christianly by word and example (pray regularly at home, go to mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, confess frequently, live social justice, fulfill professional obligations, respect the property of others, be responsible in public and social life, etc.);and when he reaches the use of reason he must prepare well for First Communion.
To give him a good Christian formation, it is advisable to take him to parish catechesis, put him in a school where he is taught the Catholic Religion, closely follow the religious formation he receives at school, properly form his conscience (discover the value of fulfilling one’s duty, get him used to helping others, make him see that things are not good or bad because many or few do them, etc.).
To help the Christian education of the baptized, godparents are chosen to replace the parents, if they are missing. In order for them to be able to carry out their mission well, they must lead a life consistent with the mission they are going to assume, not be impeded by the law of the Church, be aware that their mission is not a mere procedure, but that they must be willing to fulfill it honestly;Therefore, they must be practicing Catholics, accept the doctrine of the Magisterium of the Church, not be active in political parties that have an ideology opposed to the Gospel, carry out their professional work according to moral criteria and not incompatible with the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Depriving children of baptism and Catholic education, thinking that this way they are left with greater freedom to choose when they grow up, is as absurd as not teaching them any language, so that when they grow up they can choose the language they prefer. The logical thing is that parents transmit to their children all the goods they have: education, culture, language and faith. Later, as adults, each person freely makes all of this their own or responsibly rejects it. Parental inhibition at this point may later be censured by their own children.
According to a document of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, baptism must be administered in childhood, and a true education in the faith and Christian life must be ensured. If a child received a large inheritance, the parents would accept it immediately so that he could begin to enjoy it, and would not wait until he was older. Baptism is worth more than the greatest inheritance. To do a great favor for someone you don’t have to ask permission. A child is vaccinated without asking permission.
The person in charge of baptizing is the priest; but, if there is a danger that the child will die before the priest arrives, anyone, man or woman, must baptize him, even if he is not Catholic, and even if he is not even baptized himself. It is enough that he has the use of reason and wants to do what Christ instituted (935).
To baptize, natural water is poured over the head of the child, saying, with the intention of baptizing:
I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The words are pronounced at the same time as the water is poured. It must wet the skin of the head and run over it. If possible, before two witnesses. Nevertheless, if the child later comes out of danger, he must be taken to the parish priest, explaining what happened, so that he may complete the missing requirements.
But baptism can only be received once, as it imprints character and leaves the soul sealed forever.
I am going to add here some norms on emergency baptism.
Although it is not frequent that it has to be done, since in clinics there are usually people who have a lot of practice in doing it, it is enough for me that by making them known here one more person can achieve eternal glory. The Church wants aborted fetuses to be baptized. This is what is mandated in the Code of Canon Law.
When in an abortion it is certain that it is a living human being, it is baptized absolutely according to the formula that I have just indicated.
But if there is doubt, it is done under condition: “If you are capable…”, “if you live…”.
Moles or embryos present special difficulty. To baptize them, they may be taken with both hands and, with the fingers, the membrane surrounding them may be torn and they may be immersed in a container of water so that it touches all the contents, the formula being pronounced by the same person who performs this action.
When the fetus presents a human figure, the head is baptized. If it shows signs of life, with the ordinary formula. If there is doubt that he lives, it is done under condition. Only in cases of certain and complete corruption should baptism be omitted. If the fetus has a monstrous shape, it must always be baptized, at least under condition. And if you doubt whether it is one or more, baptize one absolutely and the others under condition. If it is clear that there are several people united together, each one is baptized separately.
If, because of the difficulties of childbirth, there is danger that the child will die before being born, he should be baptized in the mother’s womb; and if the first thing that comes out is a hand or a foot, let him be baptized there, and afterward, if he is born alive, let him be baptized again on the head, conditionally. And if the mother dies before the child is born, the fetus should be extracted by those to whom this belongs, and baptized, absolutely if it certainly lives, or conditionally if it is doubtful whether it lives: it should not be forgotten that the human fetus can survive the mother for one or several hours, depending on the case.
Baptism is necessary to be saved. But in case of impossibility, it can be replaced by the baptism of desire, at least implicit, which is contained in an act of sincere love for God. And it is clear that martyrdom is an excellent act of love for God.
Those who suffer death for the sake of the faith, catechumens, and all people who, under the impulse of grace, without knowing the Church, sincerely seek God and strive to fulfill his will, are saved even though they have not received baptism (936).
The need for baptism to be saved is clear in the Gospel. Jesus Christ tells Nicodemus: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (937).
But since the first centuries of Christianity, in the Church, there has been talk of baptism of desire;thinking not only of the catechumens who died before receiving baptism, but also of every man who, ignoring the Gospel of Christ and his Church, sought the truth and did the will of God as he knew it;since it could be assumed that such people would have explicitly desired baptism if they had known its need. Today the Church extends baptism of desire to all unbelievers who never failed in their conscience and were always willing to do what God asked of them.
For these, God has to have a way for them to be saved. This is what Saint Thomas thought.
Author: Pbro. Jorge Loring
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(931) – DENZINGER: Magisterium of the Church, no. 989. Ed. Herder. Barcelona
(932) – DIDACHE: VII, 3.
(933) – New Code of Canon Law, No. 867.1
(934) – ANTONIO ROYO MARÍN, O.P.: Theology of Salvation, 3rd, V, no. 265s. Ed. BAC. Madrid
(935) – ANTONIO ROYO MARÍN, O.P.: Moral Theology for Lay People, 2nd, 2nd, I, 49, 2nd. Ed. BAC.
(936) – New Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1281
(937) – Gospel of Saint John, 3:5
(938) – Council of Trent: DENZINGER: Magisterium of the Church, No. 961. Ed. Herder. Barcelona
