IS baptism of desire desire for baptism?

[Gregory_I]

From what I have read in the Church Fathers, the baptism of desire spoken of doesn’t seem to universally indicate those who WOULD desire baptism if they knew its importance, but those who DID desire baptism, Like emperor Valentinian but did not receive it before death.

I don’t want to be too rigid about this, but Can a Catholic believe that the baptism of Desire is ONLY an explicit desire for baptism?

 

[laszlo]

Pope Pius IX
Rationalism and Indifferentism
[From the Allocution, “Singular quadem,” Dec. 9, 1854]

1647 For, it must be held by faith that outside the Apostolic Roman
Church, no one can be saved; that this is the only ark of salvation;
that he who shall not have entered therein will perish in the flood;
but, on the other hand, it is necessary to hold for certain that they
who labor in ignorance of the true religion, if this ignorance is
invincible, are not stained by any guilt in this matter in the eyes of
God. Now, in truth, who would arrogate so much to himself as to mark
the limits of such an ignorance, because of the nature and variety of
peoples, regions, innate dispositions, and of so many other things?
For, in truth, when released from these corporeal chains “we shall see
God as He is” 1 John 3:2], we shall understand perfectly by how close
and beautiful a bond divine mercy and justice are united; but, as long
as we are on earth, weighed down by this mortal mass which blunts the
soul, let us hold most firmly that, in accordance with Catholic
teaching, there is “one God, one faith, one baptism” Eph. 4:5 ]; it
is unlawful to proceed further in inquiry.

You may read also this

extraecclesiamnullasalus.pathsoflove.com/#church-teaching

 

[IntegraCatholic]

To the OP, yes, you can hold that, and it is the only point of view that is consistent with the perennial teaching of the Church (by the fathers, the mediaevals, and the moderns).

Re: inculpable ignorance, see this explanation by the one of the most renowned theologians of the 19th century, Fr. Michael Muller, CSsR:

“Inculpable Ignorance Neither Saves nor Damns”

Also consider his treatment of inculpable ignorance from his “Questions and Answers on Salvation”:

Inculpable ignorance

1. Which Protestants are not guilty of the sin of heresy, but commit other great sins?

Those who are Protestants without their fault and who never had an opportunity of knowing better, are not guilty of the sin of heresy; but if they do not live up to the dictates of their conscience, they will be lost, not on account of their heresy, which for them was no sin, but on account of other grievous sins which they committed.

1. Will those heretics be saved, who are not guilty of the sin of heresy, and are faithful in living up to the dictates of their conscience?

Inculpable ignorance of the true religion excuses a heathen from the sin of infidelity, and a Protestant from the sin of heresy. But such ignorance has never been the means if salvation. From the fact that a person who lives up to the dictates of his conscience, and who cannot sin against the true religion on account of being ignorant of it, many have drawn the false conclusion that such a person is saved, or, in other words, is in the state of sanctifying grace, thus making ignorance a means of salvation or justification.

If we sincerely wish not to make great mistakes in explaining the great revealed truth, “Out of the Church there is no salvation,” we must remember:

1. That there are four great truths of salvation, which everyone must know and believe in order to be saved;

1. That no one can go to heaven unless he is in the state of sanctifying grace;

1. That, in order to receive sanctifying grace, the soul must be prepared for it by divine Faith, Hope, Charity, true sorrow for sin with the firm purpose of doing all that God requires the soul to believe and to do, in order to be saved;

1. That this preparation of the soul cannot be brought by inculpable ignorance. And if such ignorance cannot even dispose the soul for receiving the grace of justification, it can much less give this grace to the soul. Inculpable ignorance has never been a means of grace or salvation, not even for the inculpably ignorant people that live up to their conscience. But of this class of ignorant persons we say, with Saint Thomas Aquinas, that God in His mercy will lead these souls to the knowledge of the necessary truths of salvation, even send them an angel, if necessary, to instruct them, rather than let them perish without their fault. If they accept this grace, they will be saved as Catholics.

 

[Nostradennis]

Pope Pius IX
Rationalism and Indifferentism
[From the Allocution, “Singular quadem,” Dec. 9, 1854]

it is necessary to hold for certain that they
who labor in ignorance of the true religion, if this ignorance is
invincible, are not stained by any guilt in this matter in the eyes of
God.

What is the teaching on the The Feast of the Holy Innocents who were murdered by Herod.
They are declared sanctified. How did they specifically labor since all infants labor in ignorance?

 

[IntegraCatholic]

Baptism was not necessary until after the public ministry of our Lord–the Great Commission at the Ascension or, perhaps more specifically, at Pentecost, when the Apostles were empowered to fulfill that commission.

 

[Gregory_I]

The Holy Innocents are considered martyrs since they were slain for christ.

 

[Gregory_I]

OK, that makes alot of sense!

So, ***invincible ignorance should not be passed off as sanctifying grace ***basically.

Invincible ignorance simply means that they are not culpable for not knowing the truth. But that does not mean that they WILL try and live a grace filled life, nor does it gurantee that they will respond to God’s grace, in whatever form he gives it. Nor should we believe that they who are invincibly ignorant can live a grace filled life the same way a Christian can. But, if by some miracle of God’s grace, an invincibly ignorant person DID respond to God’s grace, then he will supply what is lacking. as that article says:

“What are we to think of the salvation of those who are out of the pale of the Church without any fault of theirs, and who never had any opportunity to know better?”

To this question we give the following answer:

"Their inculpable (invincible) ignorance will not save them; but if they fear God and live up to their conscience, God, in His infinite mercy, will furnish them with the necessary means of salvation, even so as to send, if needed, an angel to instruct them in the Catholic Faith, rather than let them perish through inculpable ignorance." (St. Thomas Aquinas)

This to me seems to make ALOT more sense and actually gives a stronger impetus for the Catholic missions. I feel like we need to tell everybody now, but, I guess That’s rather improbable.