Catechism Corner | Infant Baptism (2)

Why do children need baptismal grace for salvation?

Because they inherit original sin from the moment of conception. The psalmist laments: "Indeed, in guilt was I born, and in sin my mother conceived me." (Ps 51:7).

The apostle Paul tells us that "through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death" (Rom 5:12). He does not say that this sin is manifested only when the person reaches the age of reason. Rather, he writes before baptism "we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest." (Eph 2:3)

Because babies are born with original sin, they need baptism to cleanse them, so that they may become adopted sons and daughters of God and receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the kingdom of God also belongs to children (see Mt 18:4; Mk 10:14). He never put an age limit upon those eligible to receive His grace.(Lk 18:15-17; Mt 18:2-5)

When St. Paul addresses the "holy ones" of the Church (see Eph 1:1; Col 1:2), these include the children whom he addresses specifically in Ephesians 6:1 and Colossians 3:20. Children become "holy ones" of the Church and members of the body of Christ only through baptism.

Pastoral Directives

Since the well-being of an infant's future Christian life is closely related to the parent's life of faith, the Church will not entrust parents with the task of nurturing an infant's faith if they themselves do not practice the faith.

The above instruction declares: "Assurances must be given that the gift granted (by baptism) can grown by an authentic education in the faith and Christian life, in order to fulfill the true meaning of the sacrament. As a rule, these assurances are to be given by the parents or close relatives, although various substitutions are possible within the Christian community. But if these assurances are not really serious there can be grounds for delaying the sacrament; and if they are certainly non-existent, the sacrament should be refused."(n. 28,2)

Indications that these assurances are existent are regular attendance at Sunday Mass, devout reception of sacraments, prayers, Scripture readings, acts of charity, etc.

On the other hand, when parents ask to have their child baptized simply for worldly or superstitious motives (e.g. for admittance to a Catholic school to obtain corporal blessings or to be saved from misfortune), baptism should be refused or delayed until, through catechetical instruction, they can grasp the real significance of baptism.

Similarly, when Catholics who are married civilly only ask for baptism of their children, the sacrament should also be refused or delayed unless, meanwhile, they make a sincere promise to have their marriage regularized and return to Church life. In any case, whenever baptism has to be deferred or refused, it must be made absolutely clear that this is being done not as a means of exercising pressure on the parents, but simply because, in the circumstances, the probability of the child being educated and brought up as a Catholic is absent. (https://catholic.org.hk/en/infantbaptism/)

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.