On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.
Why do Catholics baptize infants?
Why not? Seriously, why not? Why wouldn’t you give an infant the best gift of all—God’s salvation? Not to mention the trust and love shown in selecting trusted friends or family members to assist in the baby’s spiritual development. It’s been a Church practice since the second century on.
Some Christian faiths don’t believe in infant baptism, saying that babies aren’t capable of sin, repentance or faith. Some believe baptism should be “chosen,” not imposed, so the person being baptized should be of an age that he or she can request it. Catholics believe that even newborns need baptism to remove original sin’s taint. It’s an important part of the faith. A friend of mine who works with returning Catholics positively glows when she speaks with them about God putting his special imprint on infants, giving them a treasured gift that will be with them all their lives. Maybe it’s that special imprint, a “return to sender” mark if you will, that brings some us back to full communion with the Church after years away.
Converts who were baptized in another Christian tradition are not baptized anew, but do need to prepare for other sacraments as part of their intiation into the Catholic faith.
What do Catholics think “happens” to the non-baptized? We entrust children who die without being baptized and people who live in remote countries who never heard about Jesus and were not baptized to them to God’s great mercy and pray for their salvation.
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