Morals of the Church
Library › Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology › Volume III. On the Virtue of Chastity (1928) › Book II. On Conjugal Chastity in Particular › Appendix II. On Instruction in Relation to Chastity › II. Matrimonial Instruction

Section — Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology

In Spanish

138.

The Church desires, and even commands, priests to give certain necessary instructions to those who intend to be united in marriage. Here they are:

I. The principal ends of marriage are: a) to beget children for heaven; b) that married persons mutually give help to each other.

II. With regard to the first end it must be noted that some acts are permitted to married persons and others prohibited.

  1. It is permitted: a) The conjugal act, that is, the union of bodies. It is noted that to perform this act the woman must place herself face upward and the man over her; and without reason this posture ought not be changed. b) Whatever is necessary for the completion of the conjugal act is lawful, for example mutual touches, etc.

  2. It is prohibited: a) Under mortal sin, everything that can impede generation. Therefore one must not give ear to those who advise limiting the number of offspring. Trust in divine Providence, which, if it gives you children, will also give you means to support them. b) It is forbidden to you to excite grave sexual commotions in each other mutually, if you do not intend and are not able to perform the conjugal act.

III. The conjugal act is not only lawful for you, but even obligatory, when the spouse asks it seriously. In this case it is not lawful to refuse without a grave reason, for example in case of sickness.

IV. If the Lord blesses your marriage, the woman must avoid whatever could harm the fetus which she carries in her womb, such as great efforts, lifting great weights, violent emotions, for example of anger or sadness, the immoderate use of the bicycle, etc. During this time let the husband take account of the condition in which the woman is, and let both pray to the Lord for the creature that is to be born, so that it may be able to receive Baptism.

V. Finally I must make some observations to you concerning Baptism:

  1. Must the fruit of the woman's delivery always be baptized?

Certainly, both in the case of miscarriage, that is, premature birth, and also when the child is born in ordinary conditions, even if he gives no sign of life or is still wrapped in the membranes.

  1. Who must baptize the child? - a) In the normal case, that is, when the child is healthy, he must be baptized in the church. b) But in danger of death, he must be baptized by one of those present. The father and mother can do it only when there is no other person who knows how to do it or can do it decently, or in case of extreme urgency. In case of miscarriage, as a general rule, Baptism will have to be administered by the father or the mother.

  2. How must Baptism be administered? If the child can be baptized on the head, let it be done on it in the ordinary form; that is, you will clean his head so that the water can touch it directly. Then take ordinary water, preferably a little warm if you have it at hand; blessed water is not necessary. With it bathe the child's head, saying at the same time: I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. - If it cannot be done on the head, baptize him on any other member, however small it may be, even if it were no more than a finger of the hand or of the foot; and afterward, when another more important member appears, such as the hand or the foot, rebaptize him on it, until you can do it on an important part of the body, such as the breast, the back, the shoulders, and finally the head; for only then is there certainty of the validity of Baptism, when it has been administered on the head. On the contrary, if after having baptized him on a finger you can do it on the head, cease doing it on the other members. Whenever for the first time you have not been able to baptize on the head, in the ablution of any other member you will use this formula: If you can be baptized, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. If finally you can baptize him on the head, say: If you are not baptized, I baptize you, etc.1

  3. How must Baptism be administered when the fetus does not yet have human form, or is still wrapped in the afterbirth membranes?

In this case it belongs to the father or the mother to administer Baptism, and in this he or she must put the greatest attention, since it is a matter of the salvation of a soul, because an unbaptized child cannot enter heaven. Therefore, if after the conjugal act, even if no more than a few days had passed, the woman should expel a substance of uncertain nature, it must not simply be thrown away, because it could well be that in it there was a fetus. The fetus is enclosed in a membrane full of a whitish liquid. If therefore you find this membrane, place it on a cloth, and afterward pour a little water over it,2 saying: If you can be baptized, I baptize you, etc. Then, always keeping the membrane submerged, break it a little obliquely, making the liquid come out; and then, while stirring the membrane a little in the water, you will say: If you can be baptized, I baptize you, etc. Afterward wash the membrane in the water.

1 Cf. p. 118, note.

2 Cf. p. 119, note 1.

In Spanish