In the situation posed by the OP, it wasn’t the parents who were going to partake of the sacrament, but their infant child.Should the Catholic Church have no rules or regulations regarding the Sacraments - meaning, do we have absolutely no resposibility to be in good disposition before we can parktake ?
Well, let’s look at this. A very long first sentence intending to put provisos on the administration of baptism. Look Jesus spoke to us very clearly, he said Go, Baptise… He didn’t say be careful who you baptise in case they are not suitable. I seem to remember he said something about millstones being tied around necks of those who harmed children. Harm can be as is recognised in the confiteor “what I have done and in what I have failed to do”. In what I have failed to do. You are right that baptism cannot be forced, just like belief cannot be forced as it does not make sense, logic. But here we have two parents who wanted their child baptised. Let us say they had given up and knew that their path led to hell (hypothetically), would you insist they took their child to hell with them?Although the Church is truly aware of the efficacy of her faith operating in the Baptism of children, and aware of the validity of the sacrament that she confers on them, she recognizes limits to her practice, since, apart from cases of danger of death, she does not admit a child to Baptism without its parents’ consent and a serious assurance that after Baptism it will be given a Catholic upbringing [27] This is because she is concerned both for the natural rights of the parents and for the requirements of the development of faith in the child.
This reeks of a golden boy elitism that is highly distasteful. People have their families visit all the time. What happens if the Clarks come with their visiting children and grandchildren AND the O’Mally’s have the same AND the Donnely’s? Or should they be more considerate and only bring their families one week at a time? What about a big family who picked the Mass off of Mass times? Or young adults camping? I used to go camping with 20-30 adults and we’d use Mass times. Are you suggesting that we shouldn’t have gone to Mass because “regulars” would be inconvienced?Everyone expects it for a Christmas mass, they wouldn’t for a typical Sunday. It would be a very silly thing to do and cause a lot of hurt to regular parishioners being pushed out.
According to the Vatican, there can only be baptism if there is “serious assurance” the child will have a Catholic upbringing. Your statement that your son was inquiring about a baptism in order to ‘please you’ does not show the “serious assurance” needed. So no baptism.Well, let’s look at this. A very long first sentence intending to put provisos on the administration of baptism. Look Jesus spoke to us very clearly, he said Go, Baptise… He didn’t say be careful who you baptise in case they are not suitable. I seem to remember he said something about millstones being tied around necks of those who harmed children. Harm can be as is recognised in the confiteor “what I have done and in what I have failed to do”. In what I have failed to do. You are right that baptism cannot be forced, just like belief cannot be forced as it does not make sense, logic. But here we have two parents who wanted their child baptised. Let us say they had given up and knew that their path led to hell (hypothetically), would you insist they took their child to hell with them?
No, it couldn’t. The Priest has a responsibility to ask these questions, and to get the “serious assurance” needed in order for him to do his job.All this could be avoided with a little good manners, welcome, how wonderful that you want to give your child the chance of heaven. Rather than, you do appreciate that you are in a state of grave sin and you are facing hell. Why are you bringing your child here!
Firstly, you don’t know anything about the situations of those people and neither do I, so there is no point discussing them. Secondly, you are missing the point - if there is no hope of the child being raised Catholic, then yes, deny them until there is good reason to believe they will be. That is what is taught by the Church.Having attended baptisms several times in our church, I see parents I haven’t seen before, I then don’t see much more of them for one reason or another. It’s sad. But would you have us deny those children? That is what we are talking about here.
You seem unable to accept what has been set out by your own faith. “Serious assurance” is needed. Your son, giving the reason “my parent wants me to” is not giving “serious assurance”. It isn’t a question of blame, it’s a statement of fact.“And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger." That fits this situation almost to a tee. Blame the parents, and the priest goes free.
That’s absolutely true. But denying baptism to a child? It’s not the child’s fault that his/her parents don’t take their faith seriously.I don’t like being super-authoritarian about this stuff. But it’s painfully obvious that a lot of Catholics don’t take the sacraments seriously.
There is no objective evidence that the priest acted improperly. But there is objective evidence to the effect that your son:Why this “we must not blame the priest” attitude? Are priests blameless.