Case XXXIX: The Intention Required in Adults for the Reception of Baptism

Case.—To the pastor of a city parish there came a young Jewess who asked for Baptism and admission to the Catholic Church. The young woman was known to the pastor as a teacher in a public school, and he was aware that she enjoyed an excellent reputation. The young woman said frankly that the chief reason for her step was the antagonism she met with on account of her being a Jewess, and by becoming a Christian she expected to be advanced more rapidly in position. The pastor was much displeased at learning of her worldly motive for desiring the Sacrament of Baptism. He did not hesitate to express his opinion, adding that he did not consider himself justified to admit her to the Catholic Church unless she came with a purer intention. As a result of the conversation the young woman was not baptized and remained a Jewess.

Question.—It is asked now, was the pastor correct in his action? Interest is added to the case by the fact that other worldly motives, such as marriage, enter sometimes into conversions.

Solution.—Our case is one of Baptism of an adult. Adults can be admitted to Baptism only if they apply properly prepared, induced by proper motives, and of their own free will. Hence the Rituale Romanum prescribes “If an adult is to be baptized, he must first, according to the apostolic rule, be diligently instructed in the Christian faith and holy morals, be exercised for several days in works of piety, and have his will and purpose examined repeatedly; and he is to be baptized only when knowing, willing, and properly instructed.” The most important condition for the validity of Baptism is, therefore, on the part of the adult candidate, the intention to receive the Sacrament. The purity of the intention, however, is not included in the condition, therefore if some one is moved for the reception of Baptism also by secondary, worldly purposes, the Baptism is on that account not invalid. Regarding the licitness, however, it is to be observed that St. Augustine in his book De Fide et Operibus (c. 6) writes: “People are not to be admitted to receive Baptism in such a way that no diligence is exercised there to prevent what is holy from being given to dogs.” Hence Benedict XIV., in his Constitutio Postremo mense (a. 1747. n. 41) cautions: “But great diligence is needed here, experience teaching that Jewish women or girls seek this for the sake of marriage, namely because they are in love with some Christian; while men affect a desire for the Christian faith because they wish to escape the bonds of a marriage already contracted and to leave a Jewish wife.” In such cases, and whenever the reception of Baptism is plainly regarded as a business matter, the application would have to be denied. If, however, a Jew has the honest intention to be baptized, though as a secondary motive he sees in it a worldly advantage, such a one should without any difficulty be admitted to Baptism, because a great spiritual benefit is thus bestowed upon him as also on his posterity. The benefit to himself results from the fact that he receives the one Sacrament without which no man can be saved; he is admitted to the Church out of which there is no salvation; and in his last hours he will receive the Sacraments and thus be saved, whereas in the Jewish religion he would die in his sins, without the Sacraments. The benefit to his posterity is obviously the fact that his children will be raised in the true religion, whereas otherwise they would be raised as Jews. This is exactly the reason why even Pope Gregory the Great did not hesitate to make the Jews more willing for conversion by holding in view worldly benefits, because even if these Jews did not become Catholics with an entirely pure intention, it was to be remembered that their descendants, raised in the Christian faith, might be an honor to the Church: “We gain either them themselves or their children,” the great Pope writes in his letter, ad Cyprianum Diaconum (Gregor. M. epist. v. 8). ‘“It has come to my attention that there are Jews on our estates who are entirely unwilling to be converted to God. But it seems to me that you ought to send letters throughout all the estates on which those Jews are known to be, especially promising them on my behalf that whoever among them is converted to our true Lord and God Jesus Christ will have the burden of his tenancy reduced in some measure. I wish this also to be done in such a way that, if anyone among them is converted, then if he has a rent of one solidus, a tremissis should be remitted to him; if three or four, one solidus should be remitted. If it is more, the remission ought now to be made according to the same proportion, or certainly according to what Your Charity foresees: so that the burden of the one who is converted may be lightened and the Church’s interest may not be oppressed by a grave loss. Nor do we do this without profit if, by lightening the burdens of their rents, we lead them to the grace of Christ; because even if they themselves come with less faithfulness, nevertheless those who are born of them will already be baptized with greater faithfulness. Therefore we gain either them themselves or their children. And so whatever we remit from the rent for Christ is not burdensome...” If it is allowed, therefore, according to Pope Gregory, to induce some one through the prospect of worldly benefits to accept the Christian faith, it is even more permissible to baptize an adult who of her own free will demands Baptism, even though she has the expectation to be advanced in her worldly position. It would be unwise to refuse Baptism to one who comes with an intention not entirely pure, because even if this convert may not become a zealous Catholic, at least all his descendants will be won for the Church. The answer to the question asked follows from these considerations.