[Advent Conspiracy] Enter the Story 2011

Why does the Catholic Church Baptize Infants?

Baptism brings meaning to a person’s life and opens the door to a fellowship with Christ. In the Catholic Church, baptism means so much more than sprinkling water over somebody and accepting them into a Christian community. The Catholic Church acknowledges one baptism for the forgiveness of sin, even original sin. Baptism in the Catholic Church is more than welcoming a person into the Church, it is the welcoming of a person into the family of God. Christ told his apostles to baptize people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Just as an adopted child takes the name of their adopted parents, baptized children take the name of God within their soul. For example, a dog born of a dog belongs to the dog family, a human born of a human is part of the human family, and a soul born of God, through holy waters, is part of Gods family. Through our baptism we are sons and daughters of Christ.          

But why does the Catholic Church baptize infants? Let’s look at where is this covenant happened in the Old Testament, and how baptism is directly related to circumcision. Justin Martyr recalls that circumcision began with Abraham and the Sabbath and will have an end with the one who is born of a virgin (Coxe 216). In Genesis we see God making a covenant with Abraham by circumcising men at eight days of age (Gen 17). Therefore, in the Old Testament, God called his people to share in his divinity as infants. We even see this happening to Jesus when he was given the name of Jesus on the eighth day when he was supposed to be circumcised (Luke 2:21). In the New Testament, we see that this covenant is made new by baptism. Justin Martyr speaks of the analogous of circumcision and baptism:

And we, who have approached God through him, have received not carnal, but spiritual        circumcision, which Enoch and those like him observed. And we have received it through baptism, since we were sinners, by God’s mercy; and all men may equally obtain it (216).

Justin Martyr draws the direct parallel between the covenant God mediated with his people through circumcision and the covenant that Christ instituted through baptism. The sacrament of baptism offers such a great spiritual gift that she does not wish to see anyone die without it (CCC 1250). Because of the covenant of circumcision, the Church can justify baptizing infants. If God called eight day old infants into his family in the time of Abraham, he certainly can call infants into his family through a spiritual circumcision, baptism. The Church does realize that such a sacrament is in need of a Profession of Faith which is why Christ also instituted other sacraments of Reconciliation (Luke 15:11-24, 1 Peter 4:8), Confirmation (Acts 2:1-4, Isaiah 11:2-3, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11)  and of course Holy Communion (Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26) which renews the baptismal covenant every time it is received.

Notes:

New Roman Missal for Parents and Adults