sacrament which infuses the divine life of
the Holy Trinity into our souls and
to prevent little children coming to Christ
through the gift of holy baptism" (No.
Is Baptism Necessary
opens to us fully the mystery of Christ's 1261).
passion, death and resurrection. Through For Salvation?
the nourishment of grace from the Baptism is indeed a precious gift.
reception of other sacraments, the study In examining this question, we see the Fr. William P. Saunders, PhD
of the faith and our life within the need to be vigilant in insuring the baptism
Church, we live our baptism looking of our own loved ones. Here grandparents
forward to its fulfillment in the kingdom should encourage their children, who may
of heaven. have become lax, to return to Church, to
have their own children baptized and to
What then about infants who die live the faith with them. Faithful family
without baptism? Here, we trust in the members should do their best to share
infinite mercy of God, Who desires all their faith with those children who are
people to be saved. We cherish the neglected spiritually by their own parents.
beautiful story of the Gospel where Jesus Moreover, we also see the responsibility of
said, "Let the children come to Me and bearing witness to the faith in word and
do not hinder them. It is to just such as action, so as to lead others to baptism
these that the kingdom of God belongs" and to a full life in Christ.
(Mark 10:14). Therefore, we hope that
these children who die without the Jesus said, "I solemnly assure you,
benefit of sacramental baptism will have no one can enter into God's kingdom
eternal salvation — that is the desire of without being begotten of water and
the whole Church, the family of the child, Spirit" (Jn 3:5). At the Ascension, our
Copyright © Arlington Catholic Herald, Inc. Lord commanded the Apostles, "Go,
the innocent child himself who naturally All rights reserved. Used with permission.
longs for God, and — we trust — the therefore, and make disciples of all the
Printed with ecclesiastical approval
desire of God. Just think of the holy nations. Baptize them in the name 'of the
innocents who died because of Herod's Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
wrath; we consider them saints and Spirit.' Teach them to carry out
honor them on Dec. 28. Nevertheless, we everything I have commanded you" (Mt
must not again be seduced into thinking 28:19-20). In another account of the
baptism does not matter — baptism is Ascension, Jesus added, "The man who
the definite means that opens the path of believes in [the good news] and accepts
salvation. The Catechism rightly cautions, baptism will be saved; the man who
"As regards children who have died refuses to believe in it will be
without baptism, the Church can only Pope John Paul II Society of Evangelists condemned" (Mk 16:16).
entrust them to the mercy of God, as she P.O. Box 5584, Bakersfield, California 93388
E-mail: info@pjpiisoe.org Phone: 661 393-3239
does in her funeral rites for them .... All Given these teachings of our Lord,
www.pjpiisoe.org
the more urgent is the Church's call not Pamphlet 061 the Second Vatican Council in the
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
stated, "[Jesus] Himself explicitly died for the faith and with Christ. In his divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit
asserted the necessity of faith and treatise on baptism, Tertullian (d. c. 220) offers to all the possibility of being made
baptism, and thereby affirmed at the coined the phrase "laver of blood," to partakers, in a way known to God, of the
same time the necessity of the Church distinguish the baptism of these Paschal mystery" (Pastoral Constitution of
which men enter through baptism as catechumen martyrs from that of those the Church in the Modern World, No.
through a door. Hence they could not be baptized with the "laver of water": he 1260).
saved who, knowing that the Catholic wrote, "We have a second laver which is
Church was founded as necessary by one and the same, namely the laver of In speaking of the "People of
God through Christ, would refuse either blood." St. Augustine (d. 430) (writing God," and affirming that the fullness
to enter it, or to remain in it" (No. 14). after the persecution) stated, "When any of the means of salvation subsists within
Therefore, sacramental baptism is the die for the confession of Christ without the confines of the Catholic Church, the
only means given by our Lord which having received the laver of regeneration, Council clearly expressed that other
assures salvation. The Church must it avails as much for the remission of their Christians, who share with Catholics
never neglect the duty to proclaim the sins as if they had been washed in the baptism, the Sacred Scriptures, and
Gospel, and by the grace of God, call sacred font of baptism" (City of God, XIII, perhaps even the other sacraments and
people in faith to baptism. 7). This belief in the efficacy of a baptism apostolic succession (as with the
by blood is based again on the teachings Orthodox Churches), can also be saved
The Catechism, however, adds a of Christ: "Whoever acknowledges Me (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church,
caution: "God has bound salvation to the before men I will acknowledge before My No. 15). The Council then addressed non-
sacrament of baptism, but He Himself is Father in heaven" (Mt 10:32) and Christians: those who "seek the unknown
not bound by His sacraments" (No. "Whoever wishes to be My follower must God": "Those who, through no fault of
1257). Besides the normal ritual baptism deny his very self, take up his cross each their own, do not know the Gospel of
of water and the invocation of the Holy day, and follow in My steps. Whoever Christ or His Church, but who
Trinity, the Church has also accepted two would save his life will lose it, and nevertheless seek God with a sincere
other forms of baptism — a baptism of whoever loses his life for My sake will heart, and moved by grace, try in their
blood and a baptism of desire. While save it" (Luke 9:23-24). actions to do His will as they know it
these two forms are not the sacrament of through the dictates of their conscience
baptism per se, they do render the same The baptism of desire is based on — those too may achieve eternal
graces and effects (Catechism, No. the belief that Christ desired all people to salvation" (No. 16). In this sense, these
1258). be saved. The saving action of our Lord's people have a sincere desire for God and
passion, death and resurrection eternally would have desired baptism explicitly if
First, consider baptism by blood. radiates touching even those people who they had the opportunity to receive it or if
During the age of Roman persecution, may not explicitly ever have the benefit of they had known its necessity (Catechism,
catechumens — those individuals who missionary activity, come to know the No. 1260).
were preparing for baptism and entry Gospel, or to receive the Lord through the
into the Church — oftentimes were sacrament of baptism. The Second However, such a statement should
arrested, tried as Christians and Vatican Council stated, "Since Christ died not seduce us into an indifferentism
condemned to death. The Church for all, and since all men are in fact called where one thinks that baptism is either
considered them to be martyrs since they to one and the same destiny, which is not important or optional: baptism is the
