By DON FIER
In concluding our consideration of the necessity of Baptism for salvation last week, we examined a very delicate matter, namely, the fate of infants who die without being baptized. In accordance with the words of Jesus, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5), the Church has always taught that it is a revealed truth of our faith that Baptism is necessary for salvation.
Yet, as we have seen in recent columns, the Church also recognizes Baptism of blood and Baptism of desire as ways of receiving baptismal grace, for God “is not bound by his sacraments” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], n. 1257).
Infants, however, are not capable of even an implicit desire for Baptism. It is for this reason that the Church steadfastly urges parents “not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism” (CCC, n. 1261) as soon as possible after birth. Nonetheless, in our modern age, there are millions of babies who die without Baptism. In The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized (HSI), the International Theological Commission acknowledges this and notes that people “find it increasingly difficult to accept that God is just and merciful if He excludes infants, who have no personal sins, from eternal happiness” (n. 2).
After several years of careful study, the ITC concluded that several factors “give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptized infants who die will be saved and enjoy the Beatific Vision” (HSI, n. 102). At the same time, the commission stated that these factors “are reasons for prayerful hope, rather than grounds for sure knowledge” (ibid.). It is for this reason that “the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God” (CCC, n. 1261).
The Catechism closes its treatment of the Sacrament of Baptism by enumerating and briefly explaining its manifold effects, which “are signified by the perceptible elements [matter, form, words, and gestures] of the sacramental rite” (CCC, n. 1262). The baptismal effects, as we saw earlier in this series, are conferred ex opere operato (“by the very fact of the action’s being performed”), for “the sacrament is not perfected by the righteousness of the minister or of the recipient of Baptism, but by the power of God” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, Q. 68, art. 8).
Indeed, “the faithful are initiated into the riches this sacrament signifies and actually brings about in each newly baptized person,” says the Catechism, “by following the gestures and words of this celebration with attentive participation” (CCC, n. 1234).
What are the principal effects of Baptism? On the occasion of Pentecost, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter proclaimed, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Thus, in accord with what is revealed in Sacred Scripture, the principal effects are twofold: “purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit” (CCC, n. 1262).
First, let us consider forgiveness of sins. In 1439 at the Council of Florence, it was solemnly proclaimed: “The effect of this sacrament [Baptism] is the remission of every sin, original and actual, also of every punishment which is due to the sin itself. Therefore, no satisfaction must be enjoined for past sins upon those who immediately attain to the kingdom of heaven and the vision of God” (Denzinger, Enchiridion Symbolorum, n. 1316).
In other words, not only are original sin and all actual sins forgiven, but also all temporal punishment due to sin is remitted. If a person dies immediately after receiving Baptism, he or she goes straight to Heaven.
However, “certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized” (CCC, n. 1264). Adam and Eve enjoyed the so-called preternatural gifts upon entry into this world: integrity, bodily immortality, impassibility, and infused knowledge (see volume 146, n. 12; March 21, 2013 for a fuller explanation of the preternatural gifts). As natural parents of all mankind, when they ate of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve forfeited these gifts not only for themselves but also for all future generations to come. Among the gifts forfeited is freedom from the disordered inclinations of the triple concupiscence which we must struggle against during our sojourn on earth: “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).
Forgiveness of sin, then, might rightly be called the negative aspect of Baptism. The positive aspect, on the other hand, is the infusion of sanctifying grace by which the recipient is justified and sanctified. These two aspects can never be separated; they constitute, as it were, two sides of the same coin. The neophyte is not only purified, but made “an adopted son of God, who has become a ‘partaker of the divine nature’ (2 Cor. 5:17; 2 Peter 1:4; cf. Gal. 4:5-7), member of Christ and co-heir with him (cf. 1 Cor. 6:15; 12:27; Romans 8:17), and a temple of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19)” (CCC, n. 1265).
Along with sanctifying grace, through which the recipient of Baptism receives a share in the divine life, his soul is infused with other supernatural gifts: the three theological virtues, which enable him to believe in God, to hope in Him, and to love Him; the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord), which give him the power to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit; and the four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude), which allow him to grow in goodness (cf. CCC, n. 1266).
[Note: the three theological virtues, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the four cardinal virtues will be treated in greater detail in future columns of this series.]
Yet another spiritual effect of Baptism is incorporation into the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, for “from the baptismal font is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races, and sexes” (CCC, n. 1267).
Through baptismal waters, the faithful become “like living stones . . . built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5) with Christ as the cornerstone. Furthermore, they “become sharers in Christ’s priestly, prophetic, and royal office” (CCC, n. 781; for more on the threefold mission of the laity, see volume 147, nn. 51-52; December 18-25, 2014).
Even more, the baptized person gains the right within the Church “to receive the sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God, and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church” (CCC, n. 1268; cf. 1983 Code of Canon Law, canons 208-223). The baptized person, moreover, gains a claim to everlasting life in Heaven.
Duties and responsibilities — as well as rights — are part of the new life of the baptized person. “Reborn as sons of God they must confess before men the faith which they have received from God through the Church” (Lumen Gentium, n. 11 § 1). The baptized person “is called to be subject to others, to serve them in the communion of the Church, and to ‘obey and submit’ to the Church’s leaders” (CCC, n. 1269). Likewise, he is called to “participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God” (CCC, n. 1270).
Another effect of sacramental Baptism is that an indelible character is imprinted upon the recipient’s soul which marks him as Christ’s own possession. It is referred to as indelible because no sin can erase it, “even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation (cf. Romans 8:29)” (CCC, n. 1272). A change on the most fundamental level of one’s being is effected by Baptism, a change referred to in philosophy as ontological. Once baptized, always baptized: one cannot be un-baptized — the sacramental seal lasts into eternity.
It should be noted that Baptism of blood and Baptism of desire do not imprint the sacramental character, nor do they enable a person to receive the other sacraments. They do, however, bring about the forgiveness of sins, conferral of sanctifying grace, and membership in the Church.
Members Of Christ’s Body
The Catechism also identifies Baptism as the sacramental bond of the unity of all Christians: “Baptism constitutes the foundation of communion among all Christians, including those who are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church” (CCC, n. 1271).
The fathers of Vatican II, while duly noting serious differences and obstacles that prevent full ecclesiastical communion with our separated brethren, affirm that “it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ’s body, and have a right to be called Christian” (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 3).
In closing, as taught by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, yet another important spiritual effect of Baptism is the conferral of special sacramental grace which enables the baptized person “to cope with suffering in this life, to resist sinful tendencies, and to thereby grow in holiness and live well the Christian life” (Basic Catholic Catechism Course, p. 118).
With this in mind, next week we will begin our consideration of Confirmation, the sacrament which “is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace” (CCC, n. 1285).
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(Don Fier serves on the board of directors for The Catholic Servant, a Minneapolis-based monthly publication. He and his wife are the parents of seven children. Fier is a 2009 graduate of Ave Maria University’s Institute for Pastoral Theology. He is doing research for writing a definitive biography of Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
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