Baptism Question

[WillyAL]

For context: I am a non-Catholic with a Catholic spouse. I have attended Sunday Mass with my wife for as long as we’ve been married.

It has been my observation that like many religious traditions, Catholicism has many “rules,” some of which make perfect sense, some of which are just kind of neutral (from my perspective), and some of which leave me scratching my head. An example of a head-scratcher is the teaching regarding baptism. I often read that baptism “leaves and indelible mark on the soul” and that once someone is baptized in the Church, they are Catholic and there is nothing one can do to change that. I have a few friends who were raised Catholic but chose to leave the Church as adults. Some have joined other churches and some are not religious. While they obviously don’t concern themselves with how the Church regards them, I assume that a they at least know. My question concerns (a hypothetical) someone who was baptized as an infant, then due to circumstances beyond their control, never set foot in a church again. They have no memory or knowledge of their baptism. Would the Church consider such a person Catholic? Suppose this person grew up in another church and married in this other church. Would the Catholic Church consider this an invalid marriage? From a Catholic perspective, what would be the consequences for someone is such a situation? “God understands?” “No harm no foul?” “Skating on thin ice?” “One way ticket to Hell?”

Looking forward to your thoughts.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

First, don’t assume that people know something. Invariably, many do not.

To your question, someone who does not know that he was baptized Catholic obviously cannot be held to the Catholic form of marriage. God is not a trickster.

 

[CommonWeal]

Would the Church consider such a person Catholic?

Yes.

Suppose this person grew up in another church and married in this other church. Would the Catholic Church consider this an invalid marriage?

Good question. Under current canon law, it seems the answer is yes, the marriage would be canonically invalid. See this article by Dr. Edward Peters (especially points #4 and #5).

From a Catholic perspective, what would be the consequences for someone is such a situation? “God understands?” “No harm no foul?” “Skating on thin ice?” “One way ticket to Hell?”

As for moral consequences, mortal sin always requires knowledge that one’s acts (or state in life) is gravely sinful. Assuming the person remained ignorant, the answer is likely “no harm no foul.”

 

[1ke]

Would the Church consider such a person Catholic?

Yes.

Would the Catholic Church consider this an invalid marriage?

Yes.

From a Catholic perspective, what would be the consequences for someone is such a situation?

God does not hold us accountable for what we do not know.

The people accountable before God are the parents of this individual.

 

[1ke]

To your question, someone who does not know that he was baptized Catholic obviously cannot be held to the Catholic form of marriage.

This is factually inaccurate. A person baptized Catholic is definitely held to the canons on form, unless a dispensation from form is granted.

It is, in fact, the source of my own parents’ invalid marriage. My mother, baptized Catholic as a baby and, after the divorce of her parents, raised outside the Church by my non-Catholic grandmother, married my father in a non-Catholic church. Their marriage was invalid due to lack of canonical form.

God is not a trickster.

Yes, this is quite true.

 

[fencersmother]

I once read that by the local bishop ALL PEOPLE (Catholics, various protestants, Jews, Muslims… ALL) are considered to be Catholics and the bishop is responsible for all their souls.

Some just don’t know it, or care to acknowledge this truth.

 

[WillyAL]

Thanks one and all for your responses.

 

[Vico]

For context: I am a non-Catholic with a Catholic spouse. I have attended Sunday Mass with my wife for as long as we’ve been married.

It has been my observation that like many religious traditions, Catholicism has many “rules,” some of which make perfect sense, some of which are just kind of neutral (from my perspective), and some of which leave me scratching my head. An example of a head-scratcher is the teaching regarding baptism. I often read that baptism “leaves and indelible mark on the soul” and that once someone is baptized in the Church, they are Catholic and there is nothing one can do to change that. I have a few friends who were raised Catholic but chose to leave the Church as adults. Some have joined other churches and some are not religious. While they obviously don’t concern themselves with how the Church regards them, I assume that a they at least know. My question concerns (a hypothetical) someone who was baptized as an infant, then due to circumstances beyond their control, never set foot in a church again. They have no memory or knowledge of their baptism. Would the Church consider such a person Catholic? Suppose this person grew up in another church and married in this other church. Would the Catholic Church consider this an invalid marriage? From a Catholic perspective, what would be the consequences for someone is such a situation? “God understands?” “No harm no foul?” “Skating on thin ice?” “One way ticket to Hell?”

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Anyone that it validly baptized is a member of the Church of Christ and the baptism leaves a permanent mark on the soul which seals the person with a supernatural quality. This is because of the action of the Holy Spirit not because of acceptance. However at the age of reason there may be a rejection of the faith which could bring the loss of sanctifying grace obtained at baptism.

Catholics are bound to follow the canon laws.

 

[WillyAL]

However at the age of reason there may be a rejection of the faith which could bring the loss of sanctifying grace obtained at baptism.

This is the first time I’ve heard of a loss of the grace obtained at baptism. When one loses this grace, does one also lose one’s Catholicism? Does the Church assert that this individual is still subject to canon law? How else is it possible to lose this baptismal grace?

 

[CommonWeal]

This is the first time I’ve heard of a loss of the grace obtained at baptism. When one loses this grace, does one also lose one’s Catholicism? Does the Church assert that this individual is still subject to canon law? How else is it possible to lose this baptismal grace?

I believe the “loss of grace” Vico was referring to is due to committing mortal sin, which always separates us from God by the loss of sanctifying grace. Calling one’s self “Catholic” is far less important than living one’s life in accordance with the Catholic faith (i.e., being a “practicing” Catholic). As far as I know, committing a mortal sin is the only way to lose the sanctifying grace we receive by our baptism.

As for the legal question you ask, I don’t know the answer. It’s a very good question. I don’t know if there is some formal act (schism?) which can free the faithful from the law of the Church.

 

[Vico]

This is the first time I’ve heard of a loss of the grace obtained at baptism. When one loses this grace, does one also lose one’s Catholicism? Does the Church assert that this individual is still subject to canon law? How else is it possible to lose this baptismal grace?

Here is something then, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that will expand on the topic. The sacrament of Penance allows the faithful to recover the sanctifying grace given through Baptism after it has been lost through sin. All mortal sin is a loss of charity, but may also be a loss of faith (infidelity, apostasy, heresy, indifferentism, or identifying onself with other religions) and even a loss of hope (in the sins of presumption and despair).1999 The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the *sanctifying *or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification:48

Therefore if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself.49

1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.

1496 The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Penance are:

• reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace;
• reconciliation with the Church;
• remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins;
• remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin;
• peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation;
• an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle.

 

[Vico]

…

Q. When one loses this [sanctifying] grace, does one also lose one’s Catholicism?
A. No, one validly baptized or received in the Catholic Church remains enrolled for life. The character of baptism remains even with loss of sanctifying grace.

Q. Does the [Catholic] Church assert that this individual is still subject to canon law?
A. Yes. Even with a **formal act of apostasy, heresy or schism.****CIC Can. 11 **Merely ecclesiastical laws bind those who have been baptized in the Catholic Church or received into it, possess the efficient use of reason, and, unless the law expressly provides otherwise, have completed seven years of age.
(However there was an exception in canon law, regarding some canons related to marriage, from 1983 though 2010.)

Q. How else is it possible to lose this baptismal [sanctifying] grace?
A. There are three sources mortal of sin: ignorance, passion, and malice. (For ignorance to result in mortal sin requires wanton indifference which keeps one in ignorance.)