Limbo Question

[Lazerlike42]

Dan-Man916:

By the way, Limbo was a “common teaching”. That is the theological grade of certainty it is given by Dr. Luwig Ott in his book, Fundamentals of Catholic dogma.

It was more than just a theory. It was common teaching for a very long time, and cannot simply be waved away by those who don’t like it.

We certainly should have Hope in God’s mercy. However, we do not have the assurance of Faith in this matter, as we would if the child had been baptized.

Ott was not without error.

 

[wjp984]

Rather than start a new thread I just brought this one back up. I was thinking about this issue and thought about this question. There is a such thing as a baptism of desire which would include those people in RCIA waiting for their date of baptism who by some unfortunate tragedy died before the Easter vigil that year. When parents have their baby/child before the age of reason baptized they are making the decision for that child. The baby does not get to choose whether or not it wants to be baptized. Therefore using this logic, if the parents are Christian and the baby or child before the age of reason dies before his or her parents have the chance to have him or her baptized, then wouldn’t that same dsire of baptism extend to the baby from the parents? It doesn’t logically work otherwise. Either there is no such thing as a baptism of desire or the baptism of infants or children before the age of reason is not valid. Therefore I think this child as well as and miscarried or still birth child of a parent with the desire to have the child baptized, is baptized by desire. What does everyone else think. Again, I know this thread is months old but I did not want to start a new thread and I was thinking of this issue.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Rather than start a new thread I just brought this one back up. I was thinking about this issue and thought about this question. There is a such thing as a baptism of desire which would include those people in RCIA waiting for their date of baptism who by some unfortunate tragedy died before the Easter vigil that year. When parents have their baby/child before the age of reason baptized they are making the decision for that child. The baby does not get to choose whether or not it wants to be baptized. Therefore using this logic, if the parents are Christian and the baby or child before the age of reason dies before his or her parents have the chance to have him or her baptized, then wouldn’t that same dsire of baptism extend to the baby from the parents? It doesn’t logically work otherwise. Either there is no such thing as a baptism of desire or the baptism of infants or children before the age of reason is not valid. Therefore I think this child as well as and miscarried or still birth child of a parent with the desire to have the child baptized, is baptized by desire. What does everyone else think. Again, I know this thread is months old but I did not want to start a new thread and I was thinking of this issue.

Your post contains something very important. “Therefore using this logic, if the parents are Christian and the baby or child before the age of reason dies before his or her parents have the chance to have him or her baptized,”

The key is in the last line. It would be generally thought that if a child is more than a few hours old the parents somewhere along the way could have Baptized the child. Baptism of desire does not apply when one has the opportunity but passes it up.
You do not seem to understand Baptism of Desire. It is when a person desires Baptism and dies before they have the opportunity to receive it. In the RCIA example it is applied after the Rite of Acceptance, when a person is in the Order of Catechumens. They have stood before the Church and stated their desire for Baptism. It would apply if the infant desired Baptism, another person cannot desire Baptism for someone else.

 

[wjp984]

Well I see your point but even so. An infant can not choose whether or not it wants to be baptized either. There is usually a waiting period for infants to be baptized. I don’t see priests baptizing babies at hospitals.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Well I see your point but even so. An infant can not choose whether or not it wants to be baptized either. There is usually a waiting period for infants to be baptized. I don’t see priests baptizing babies at hospitals.

The Church in her Canon Law says that a newborn infant should be Baptized “As Soon As Possible” generally within 8 days.