Baptism of Blood

I. Notion. Baptism of blood is martyrdom endured by one not baptized.

II. Suppletive Character. 1. Martyrdom in little children not baptized is not a suppletive means of Baptism, that is, it does not justify them dependently on a desire for Baptism. With respect to the fruitful martyrdom of adults, even if you posit that a desire for Baptism is contained in such martyrdom, nevertheless it seems doubtful whether justification takes place dependently on the aforesaid desire; in a word: it is doubtful whether or not Baptism of blood was instituted by God as a suppletive means of the sacrament; perhaps the desire for Baptism is required only as removing an obstacle, with respect to the infusion of grace.

III. Suppletive Force. Martyrdom in the non-baptized, both adults and infants, supplies the place of Baptism with respect to the remission of all guilt and punishment (vol. I, n. 418).

IV. The requisites for Baptism of blood to justify. 1. In little children no disposition is required.

2. In adults there are required the same things which are required for martyrdom strictly so called (vol. I, n. 418). Besides, if the adult has committed grave personal sin, according to some there are required acts of charity or perfect contrition; according to others attrition suffices; according to others, per se an act of charity or perfect contrition is required, while per accidens attrition suffices (cf. St. Alphonsus, VI, 98).

V. The manner in which Baptism of blood produces its effects. According to some, justification in itself is effected ex opere operantis, while from a quasi ex opere operato there is given a higher degree of justification; similarly, some remission of punishment is given ex opere operantis, while total remission of punishment is granted by a quasi ex opere operato. According to others, both justification and the remission of all punishment are effected by a quasi ex opere operato. According to others, the effects are produced in the manner of the former opinion if the martyr elicits an act of charity or perfect contrition; in the manner of the latter opinion if he is only attrite; wherefore the dogmatic theologians should be consulted.

Corollary. An adult who knows that martyrdom is imminent is certainly bound, if he can, to receive Baptism; likewise, if he is a sinner and baptized, to confess, or, if he cannot confess, to elicit perfect contrition, and this already because according to what has been said mere attrition with martyrdom probably does not suffice for justification; and so the hope of martyrdom does not free them from these things.

St. Thomas, III, q. 68, a. 1 and 2; q. 66, a. 11 and 12.

133. Principle I. After the Gospel has been promulgated, by the positive ordination of God the sacrament of Baptism is necessary for all men per se and ordinarily, by necessity of means for salvation; but for adults it is also necessary by necessity of natural and divine precept, since that means must be received by them voluntarily. - It is of faith.

It is proved: For adults from the words of Christ, Mt. XXVIII, 19 and Mk. XVI, 16; for all, even children, from John III, 5-6: Unless someone shall have been born again of water and the Holy Spirit..., which words affirm that Baptism is the condition without which there is no spiritual life; and the Church has understood that this is so, even for children. As is established from perpetual tradition; and from the Council of Florence, decree for the Armenians and for the Jacobites; and from the definition of Trent, sess. 7, can. 5, sess. 5, can. 5, and sess. 6, c. 4 (can. 737, § 1).

The necessity of Baptism as a means is denied by the Pelagians, who reject original sin, and by Protestants, who hold that faith alone suffices; for children, Lutherans say that it is necessary; Calvinists, on the contrary, although they hold it as a rite of introduction into the Church; Baptists deny the validity of Baptism in infants. Several Modernists say that the necessity of Baptism arose from ecclesiastical law (prop. 42).

134. Principle II. The sacrament of Baptism can extraordinarily or per accidens be supplied by Baptism of blood, or martyrdom, or by Baptism of the Spirit, or an act of charity or perfect contrition with at least an implicit desire of the sacrament itself. - It is certain from the tradition of the Church.

It is proved: A. Baptism of blood is martyrdom, or death inflicted and endured for Christ, for the true faith, or for another Christian virtue.

It takes the place of the sacrament, as is established from the words of Christ, Mt. X, 32, 39; Luke IX, 24; even in children, which is clear from the fact that the Church has always honored as martyrs the innocents killed by Herod, "who confessed not by speaking but by dying." This is altogether most fitting: for since the sacraments have efficacy from the Passion of Christ and His merits, it is necessary that a real imitation of the Passion of Christ, by which man is most greatly configured to Christ, obtain the application of the merits of the Passion and the effect of the sacrament (q. 66, a. 11).

B. Baptism of the Spirit¹ or of desire is not so called because the desire of Baptism is present, since this is also present in the other baptisms of adults, but because only the desire of Baptism is present: it is an act of charity or of contrition perfected by charity, which includes at least implicitly the desire or vow of Baptism, in the will of doing all things which God commands under grave obligation and of applying all means necessary for salvation, among which the first is Baptism; "insofar," says St. Thomas, q. 66, a. 11, "as someone's heart is moved by the Holy Spirit to believing and loving God, and to repenting of sins."

¹ This denomination is in use from the beginning of the thirteenth century.

It takes the place of the sacrament in adults, because, since the sacraments have power from the Holy Spirit as from the first cause, someone can through the power of the Holy Spirit obtain the effect, not only without Baptism of water, but even without Baptism of blood. As is established from the altogether general assertions concerning the love of God (John XIV, 23) and concerning penance (Ez. XVIII, 21), which are confirmed by the fact of Cornelius, upon whom, before he had been baptized, the Holy Spirit visibly descended (Acts X, 33, 44); likewise from the Council of Trent, sess. 6, c. 4, and from the doctrine concerning justification ex opere operantis, i.e., by an act of charity and perfect contrition, which is demonstrated in the treatise on grace, and is drawn from the condemnation of proposition 30 of Baius.

But since the vow of the sacrament is required, it follows that those who have been justified by Baptism of the Spirit or of blood remain obliged, given the opportunity, to receive the sacrament of Baptism; whence one already lethally wounded in hatred of the faith would be to be baptized if he should continue to live for a few further instants.

135. Corollary. - Baptism is threefold: of water, of the Spirit, and of blood.

1. Baptism of water, namely, the sacrament of Baptism, is an external ceremonial sign: a sacred rite instituted by Christ and ministered in His name, so that it may be His instrument unto the remission of sins and insertion into the Church. It justifies ex opere operato with attrition alone, imprints a character, and remits all punishments due to sins, as was explained above, n. 130.

2. Baptism of the Spirit, or of desire, is an act of charity or of contrition perfected by charity. It is not a sacrament, because it is not an external sign, and consequently does not imprint a character; whence after such a baptism there remains the obligation of receiving the sacrament of Baptism. It justifies ex opere operantis, and ordinarily does not remit all punishments.

3. Baptism of blood, or martyrdom. It is not a sacrament, because it is not a sacred ceremonial sign or a rite instituted by Christ, which is ministered in His name so that it may be His instrument for sanctification; whence it does not imprint a character. It justifies quasi ex opere operato, namely not actively, but passively, with attrition alone, and in it all punishments due to sins are remitted. It excels the others on account of greater and more perfect conformity with Christ, and therefore God bestows greater grace in it (q. 66, a. 12).

Do not think that attrition does not suffice for Baptism of blood, but that the disposition of charity is required according to that text, I Cor. XIII, 3. - For a) by martyrdom received in due disposition without an obstacle, charity is obtained by that very fact; b) charity is required for this, that martyrdom be not only a means of justification, but also a meritorious work; and in this sense the Apostle seems to speak.

The NEGATIVE opinion is attributed to Alexander of Hales 4. part. quaest. 22. memb. 5. art. 1. Adrian in 4. quaest. ult. de Baptismo, Armachanus lib. 8. de qq. Armen. cap. 37. D. Bonaventure in 4. dist. 4. part. 2. art. 1. quaest. 2. — where however he did not teach it, nor can this opinion be found in his writings, as Suarez disp. 29. sect. 1. Vasquez disp. 153. cap. 7. Mastrius disp. 2. quaest. 7. art. 4. and other recent authors cited by him testify.

The SECOND opinion, the assertive one, is that of D. Thomas 2. 2. quaest. 114. art. 1. ad 1. et quodl. 6. art. 4. Richard in 4. dist. 4. art. 2. quaest. 3. Scotus dist. 4. quaest. 3., whom the others commonly imitate, as in Mastrius loc. cit. Soto disp. 3. art. 11. Suarez, and Vasquez above. This is the opinion of D. Bonaventure dist. 4. part. 2. art. 1. quaest. 2., where he limits the opinion of Alexander of Hales, who said that Baptism of water profits more persons than that of blood. Whence he makes no distinction here between infants and adults, as Suarez notes.

MORE CLEARLY, in the fourth part of that distinction, dub. 4. cit., where he confesses that the Holy Innocents are Martyrs by privilege. And in dubio 4. he asserts that an infant who, while being carried to Baptism, is killed so as not to be baptized, and dies for Baptism, is rightly and piously believed baptized in his blood: what could be clearer?

THE Innocents indeed the Church venerates as Martyrs, and the Holy Fathers confess it: Augustine lib. 3. de lib. arb. cap. 23. et lib. 2. de Symbolo ad Catech. cap. 5. et lib. 3. cap. 4. Cyprian serm. de Stella, et Magis. Leo Pope serm. de Epiph. primo, et secundo. Origen homil. 3. in varia Evang. loca. And the Church prays for them in its prayer as Martyrs.

S. Bonaventure adds, dub. 1., that the liberty of will was wanting to them, and therefore their Martyrdom was not so perfect as in holy adults; for to perfection charity is required, moving the will, as is said Ioan. 15. Wherefore, when Mastrius infers: If contrition were necessary, it would follow that in infants the Martyrdom is imperfect, according to the Fathers — which is readily granted to him: Nay, I retort: If the reason is equal, therefore no disposition of will is required in adults.