Wow!! That makes that whole story clearer to me!!
Yes! Isn’t that great?
It is always exciting to me when a passage of Scripture opens up, after a lifetime.
I am so very glad I read this thread. I hope it helps the OP!!
I find it difficult at times, especially with the Dominican fathers’ Q&A’s I’ve read, to help the OP much.
There are no end of tricky ins and outs to these questions, and often a bit of pride in a particular jargon or thinking that a half baked answer is good enough.
But, I do agree – it makes the story clearer to me as well that it is a child.
I also find it exciting to learn any new detail about scripture; for the more I know – the more I long to harmonize other things I have heard and not fully understood.
The article linked to by C.M. was about the best I have seen through “This Rock”/“CAF” It was fairly well thought out, bringing together the most salient features of the problem – although it too left out many details that may be required for a full understanding; eg: the difference between Jewish boys and Girls, St. Paul’s “Circumcision is worth nothing” rant, and related historical details about the relationship between the ideas of circumcision, and baptism which replaces circumcision.
I mean, a woman, Sophira was the one who had to be frightened into circumcising Moses’ child according to the agreement of God with Abraham; For death threats were included in that passage (Exodus 4:24-26) because of a lack of circumcision of a child; so Circumcision has a value and even an obligation to some people – and obviously not to others.
1Cori 7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing: but the observance of the commandments of God.
For, clearly to a Jew or Hebrew, circumcision is a commandment of God regarding the Covenant of Abraham; Though circumcision itself is nothing. There is, in baptism, a certain parallel in that water baptism itself is little more than circumcision; a physical washing rather than an arbitrary sign about “a book” of skin that is written on – a sign that God commands, to be sure;
I do find it curious that many non-Catholic Christians seem to think baptism commanded by Jesus does not apply to children although our lord never explicitly excuses them from it;
A man, in those times, might have in his household a wife, children, slaves (indentured servants), all who are under his authority and care. Would he deny to his slaves a baptism that he would ask of his wife? I mean, Does someone who is ruler over others and dependent on them at least tell them
how they are to serve him? (if not comand them!); I find it hard to imagine that someone would not oblige their servants to support them in their faith unless they thought them sub-human; which is a more modern slave concept.
Or again, what is a household of a “woman”, except the property she can own, and the children whom she bore?
Even between Jacob’s wife Leah, and second Rachel, they refused to share each other’s children – but each had only their own children (which they asked of Jacob, lest they “would die” ).
How odd, in such an absolute relationship of the day, that a mother would not command her children to help her live out her christian life by the safest route possible – making them Christian; For in her old age – they were the only thing that was truly hers and had to honor her in her religion.
Why else, did mothers bring infants (non-walking) to Jesus, except that Circumcision was obviously not enough insurance?
I don’t think I have ever read a single instance of where a child was told to “believe” and then be baptized. An adult wouldn’t be baptized unless it was a popularity rage – or that they believed --so it makes sense that the command to convert and believe would come first; no one wants popularity hypocrites at the baptismal font except other hypocrites; but an infant isn’t able to be a hypocrite for some time still far off. They may keep their baptism clean far longer than an adult, and honor it more fully out of blind obedience.
I think that is part of the reason that “baptism” is called the sacrament of faith – for it imparts faith to a child over time when properly performed. They can’t believe consciously first, so they are baptized first – since they are assuredly free of the sin of hypocrisy found in adults.
Perhaps the Holy Spirit, who becomes a part of the life of every christian, is then the voice of the child that is otherwise mute by reason of age. For a man is composite; and the fact that Jesus became man is the fullness of what we receive only in part; his spirit is also our spirit; His father, My ABBA through the voice of his spirit;
Galat 4:6 And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father.
(Dogma #177, “Baptism effects the remission of all punishments of sin, both the eternal and the temporal.”)