Baptism

[Jaymo16]

I’ve got a quick question, in the confirmation section of the library it talks about the succesive stages of the Christian journey as being repentance, faith, baptism, confirmation, resurrection, and judgement. So does that mean repentance and faith have to come before baptism? If so then how does an infant have repentance and faith? I’m really just trying to find this out for my understanding but it was just something that struck me as confusing.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

You can look at this in two ways. For an adult that would be the correct order. However I would add one "Repentance, Faith, Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Resurrection, and Judgement. Because Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are the three Sacraments of Initiation.

Concerning infants. They need no Repentance because they have no personal sins. Grace is a free gift from God when they are Baptized into the Faith of the Church. In infant Baptism the seed of Faith is planted.

 

[JimG]

I would add that infants are baptized into the faith of the Church, a faith which is expressed by their parents and sponsors during the baptism liturgy.

JimG

 

[ChrisC]

Frequently, I hear callers to Catholic Answers Live question the propriety of infant baptism. The same stock answers are given including reference to the household of Cornelius, Jewish circumcision on the eigth day, very early Church Tradition, etc. I have my own answer to this which must have occured to others as well but I like to state it.

My answer to that question would be this:
An infant can not intellectually accept the Christian faith and request to be born into the life of Christ anymore than an unborn child can intellectually accept human nature and request to born into this earthly life. Both modes of life are freely bestowed on a child (to be) by God through the instrumentation of his parents. The option to accept or reject either or both of these gifts will present itself soon enough as the person developes into a mature person.

 

[John_Henry]

I would also add that, although some sort of faith can be grasped (by grace) prior to baptism, the Council of Trent also describes (further or deepened) faith as a fruit of baptism.