Article I: On the Notion, Efficacy, and Necessity of Baptism

1448. DEFINITION. Baptism is derived from the Greek verb βαπτίζω, that is, I wash, dip, immerse, and it is customarily distinguished as threefold, namely, of blood, of spirit, and of water.

1. Baptism of blood is the pouring out of blood, or death endured for the faith, or for another Christian virtue. 2. Baptism OF SPIRIT, or of desire, is perfect conversion to God through contrition, or love of God above all things, with the explicit or implicit vow of true Baptism of water. 3. Baptism OF WATER is the Sacrament itself, concerning which we must now treat.

It is defined: A Sacrament of the New Law instituted by Christ, for spiritual regeneration, through external washing of the body, under the prescribed form of words.

1449. Principles. I. It is of faith that BAPTISM is a true Sacrament of the New Law. The reason is that the three requisites for a true Sacrament concur in it: 1. a sensible rite, namely washing with water and the express invocation of the Most Holy Trinity. 2. The institution of Christ, as is proved from Matthew 28:19. More probably, it was instituted before His Passion, namely at the time when He Himself was baptized by John; whence it is said, John 3:22: "Jesus came ... and baptized," namely through the disciples, as is established from chapter 4:2: "although Jesus Himself did not baptize." 3. The conferral of grace, from divine institution: "Unless anyone shall have been born again, etc." (John 3:3).

1450. II. The EFFECTS of the Sacrament of Baptism are: 1. Remission of all guilt, original and personal, which it finds in the soul; whence Trent (sess. 5, can. 5): "In those reborn God hates nothing" (see, with respect to adults, n. 1475). 2. The condonation of all punishment, eternal namely and temporal, so that absolutely nothing delays the baptized from entrance into heaven, as the same Council of Trent has (ibid.); and hence no penance, at least laborious and satisfactory, ought to be imposed on baptized adults, from the Council of Florence.⁵ 3. The bestowal of sanctifying grace, by which we are made sons of God and heirs of heaven; and at the same time the infusion of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and of all virtues, both theological and moral, as the Roman Catechism has. Moreover, in view of the same grace, actual graces accommodated to the end of Baptism are conferred in their own time, namely for living holily and Christianly, as befits adoptive sons of God. 4. The impression of character, which is as it were the seal of Christ, a sign of eminent dignity, by which the baptized person is consecrated to God and bound forever to His service.⁶ 5. Co-optation into the company of the faithful, by which namely the baptized person becomes a member of the Church and is subjected to her authority.⁷

"Yet there remains in the baptized the tinder of sin, which is not sin, and if it is resisted, it will profit unto the crown."⁸ There remain also the penalities of this life, for example pains, death, etc., both so that we may be conformed to Christ, and because God, in raising man up, did not will that he put away the traces of his fall.⁹

1451. III. Baptism, after the sufficient promulgation of the Gospel, IS NECESSARY for all unto salvation, by necessity of means, unless the vow of the Sacrament or martyrdom supplies its place. It is of faith, from Trent, defining thus: "If anyone shall say that Baptism is free, that is, not necessary for salvation, let him be anathema."¹⁰ Declaring this necessity, it teaches that the translation of man from the state of original sin into the state of grace, after the Gospel has been promulgated, cannot be done without the laver of regeneration or its vow, from that which is written (John 3:5): "Unless anyone shall have been born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."¹¹

From these things it follows: 1. that any adult, as soon as he has been sufficiently instructed, is held, and indeed by divine law, to receive Baptism, and through this to enter the Church of Christ and profess her faith. 2. That little children, since they are incapable of a vow or desire, cannot be saved, outside the cause of martyrdom, except through Baptism in reality;¹² whence St. Augustine: "Do not say, do not teach, that infants overtaken by death before they are baptized can arrive at indulgence of original sins, if you wish to be Catholic."¹³ 3. That those sin gravely who, without an urgent cause, notably delay the Baptism of an infant. But a notable delay, more commonly and more probably, is judged to be that which would run beyond 10 or 11 days.¹⁴ Hence several Synods threaten the penalty of excommunication to parents who through negligence prolong Baptism beyond the eighth day.¹⁵

1452. Questions. Q. 1. How does Baptism OF SPIRIT and OF BLOOD supply the place of the Sacrament?

Resp. 1. Baptism OF SPIRIT supplies from the work of the worker, inasmuch namely as man, the divine Spirit breathing upon him, is justified by force of charity with respect to original sin, but by force of perfect contrition with respect to actual sins of which he is conscious. Nor, for producing these effects, is it required that the vow of Baptism be explicit, but there suffices, at least in him who is ignorant of the law of Baptism, or does not advert to it, an implicit vow, such namely as is included in the disposition of doing all things whatsoever have been enjoined by God. Thus St. Alphonsus¹⁶ with St. Thomas.¹⁷ Yet this baptism does not impress a character, nor confer a right to the other Sacraments; nor does it remit all temporal punishment, unless perhaps charity is so intense that it merits relaxation of every punishment (cf. n. 1674).

Resp. 2. Baptism OF BLOOD OR MARTYRDOM is equated with true Baptism, because quasi from the work worked, after the manner of true Baptism, it remits every guilt and punishment. It is said quasi, because it does not operate so strictly as the Sacrament, but from a certain privilege by reason of imitation of the passion of Christ.¹⁸ Therefore martyrdom profits even infants. The practice of the Church confirms this, for she honors as Saints and true martyrs both the holy Innocents slain for Christ and those witnesses of the faith who were slaughtered without having perceived Baptism of water.¹⁹

Q. 2. What is required that martyrdom be true and produce the aforesaid effects?

Resp. 1. There is required the suffering of death, or of lethal torment, or of such evils as by their own nature lead to death, even if someone miraculously escapes from them, as Benedict XIV affirms according to the common doctrine of theologians.²⁰

2. A pious cause is required; because "punishment does not make martyrs, but the cause," says St. Augustine.²¹ Whence it is necessary that violent death be sustained for the profession of faith, as is established from Luke 9:26; 12:8; or for the exercise of some other Christian virtue, because the works of all virtues are certain protestations of faith, as the Angelic Doctor says.²² Indeed, as true martyrs, more probably, those are to be held who, in service to those suffering plague, die from charity; and St. Alphonsus affirms that for this opinion stand 12 Academies, 13 Cardinals, and more than 300 authors against Hurtado and others.²³

3. In adults there are required certain positive dispositions, which are: 1. acceptance of death, at least habitual, from a supernatural motive, as is commonly held against some; because death, that it be meritorious, must be in some way voluntary in those who are capable of voluntary acts. Whence there must be absent the will to defend oneself, as also the rash exposure of one's own life; and therefore soldiers who are killed in a war of religion are probably not true martyrs, because they defend themselves. 2. Supernatural sorrow for sins; otherwise these are not remitted.

But whether perfect charity is required is indeed denied by some; but more probably it is affirmed by others with St. Alphonsus,²⁴ both from 1 Corinthians 13:3 and because martyrdom does not necessarily import perfect charity, namely when someone from fear of hell prefers to die rather than to sin. St. Thomas seems to agree, when he says: "The outpouring of blood does not have the notion of baptism, if it is without charity."²⁵ From this it is clear that baptism of spirit is included in baptism of blood, but not vice versa.