This is really weird but I need help

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AndrewF1995

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So a baby of my family friend was over and they are hindu, my parents left and my cousin freaked me out and told me the baby would go to hell because it isn’t baptized. So I got my hand wet and flicked water at her and did what I thought was right… Then I learn its a mortal sin. I didn’t pour water over her head so is it a mortal sin even though it wasn’t valid…

I am 15 by the way, so I’m not some crazy adult, I had good intentions but I didn’t really think.
 
AndrewF1995 said:
So a baby of my family friend was over and they are hindu, my parents left and my cousin freaked me out and told me the baby would go to hell because it isn’t baptized. So I got my hand wet and flicked water at her and did what I thought was right… Then I learn its a mortal sin. I didn’t pour water over her head so is it a mortal sin even though it wasn’t valid…

I am 15 by the way, so I’m not some crazy adult, I had good intentions but I didn’t really think.
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Your answer lies in the last couple of lines…you were not aware of the gravity of what you were trying to do, so that eliminates one of the criteria for it being a mortal sin. In order for a sin to be mortal, it must be grave matter, and you do it with full knowledge and consent.
 
**The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches us,

“The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation.60 He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them.” (CCC 1257)

"Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.“63 Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.” (CCC 1261)**

Search the Catechism here; scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!

mark
 
kristie_m said:
Your answer lies in the last couple of lines…you were not aware of the gravity of what you were trying to do, so that eliminates one of the criteria for it being a mortal sin. In order for a sin to be mortal, it must be grave matter, and you do it with full knowledge and consent.
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Yeah I’m just paranoid, i dont remember if I knew it was bad or not. Its all a blur!
 
AndrewF1995 said:
So a baby of my family friend was over and they are hindu, my parents left and my cousin freaked me out and told me the baby would go to hell because it isn’t baptized. So I got my hand wet and flicked water at her and did what I thought was right… Then I learn its a mortal sin. I didn’t pour water over her head so is it a mortal sin even though it wasn’t valid…

I am 15 by the way, so I’m not some crazy adult, I had good intentions but I didn’t really think.
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I would talk to your priest about it. There is a good change that the baptism was valid and the Church needs to be informed.
 
AndrewF1995 said:
So a baby of my family friend was over and they are hindu, my parents left and my cousin freaked me out and told me the baby would go to hell because it isn’t baptized. So I got my hand wet and flicked water at her and did what I thought was right… Then I learn its a mortal sin. I didn’t pour water over her head so is it a mortal sin even though it wasn’t valid…
.
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so where did you learn it was a mortal sin to attempt to baptize this child if you did it in good faith? Who told you that? they are as wrong as the cousin who presumed to speak for God and damn the child to hell.

Why not spend a bit of time learning what the Catholic Church really teaches rather than reacting to what somebody tells you without trying to learn the truth? It is illicit for a layperson to baptize someone who is not in danger of death, but that does not make it a mortal sin. For something to be a mortal sin 3 conditions are necessary: grave matter, full knowledge, and full free will consent and intention to commit mortal sin. All of those 3 are present in this case. Yes it is objectively grave matter to try to confer sacraments illicitly with intent to do an illicit act, but for one thing as a minor it is not easy for you to have either full knowledge or full free will consent. Yes Christ tells us baptism by water and the holy Spirit are necessary for our salvation but the Church tells us Christ acts through the sacraments but he is not bound by the sacraments, and can same whoever he pleases, which is why she recognizes baptism by desire and by martyrdom as well. Moreover the Church never presumes to state who is or is not in hell, but reserves that judgement to God alone, as Christ warned.
 
This is how a baptism is performed.
1238 The baptismal water is consecrated by a prayer of epiclesis (either at this moment or at the Easter Vigil). The Church asks God that through his Son the power of the Holy Spirit may be sent upon the water, so that those who will be baptized in it may be "born of water and the Spirit."40

1239 The essential rite of the sacrament follows: Baptism properly speaking. It signifies and actually brings about death to sin and entry into the life of the Most Holy Trinity through configuration to the Paschal mystery of Christ. Baptism is performed in the most expressive way by triple immersion in the baptismal water. However, from ancient times it has also been able to be conferred by pouring the water three times over the candidate’s head.

1240 In the Latin Church this triple infusion is accompanied by the minister’s words: “N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In the Eastern liturgies the catechumen turns toward the East and the priest says: “The servant of God, N., is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” At the invocation of each person of the Most Holy Trinity, the priest immerses the candidate in the water and raises him up again.

Best to tell a priest in Reconciliation how you did it and ask forgiveness for attempting/actually doing a baptism without permission of the parents.
 
I don’t believe doing this is a moral sin. Whoever told you this is wrong.
However if you believed while you were doing it, that it was a mortal sin, this could be a different matter, and if that is the case I would advise you then to go to confession about this in the next few days.
Nor does the the Catholic Church hold that unbaptized babies go to hell. I presume that a person who is not a Catholic told you that. You ought to be careful on relying on this person for the truth.
It could be valuable for you to get a “Catechism of the Catholic Church” from a local book store, because it has very much fundamental information about Catholic teaching. You can also google to the catechism and read from it online there.
 
Cristiano said:
I would talk to your priest about it. There is a good change that the baptism was valid and the Church needs to be informed.
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This is the most important thing here. If the OP said the words needed for a valid baptism, this is a real possibility. If all he did was to silently flick some water, then most probably no baptism took place. But do check with a priest to be sure. The baby’s whole life changes when he’s baptized.

Betsy
 
its not a mortal sin to baptize someone even if you’re not a priest. its highly illicit though if there is no urgent necessity

now, there’s three things that makes a baptism valid. what was your intention when you did it? did you say the proper words? also, i’m not sure sprinkling would constitute a valid baptism as Canon Law says that it should be by pouring or immersion
 
Talk to your parish priest. I’m not exactly sure where you get the idea that what you did is a mortal sin. However, the Church does not encourage the baptism of an otherwise healthy baby against the will of the parents (canon 868 §1, 1).

Secondly, I’m not exactly sure if what you did constitutes a valid baptism. It depends on what you did, what you said, and also what you intended to do. My guess is that you didn’t really know what you were doing or should be doing and thus lacked proper intent to validly baptize. But just go and talk with your parish priest to straighten all this out in your own mind…
 
I have a question. Did you say I baptize you in the names of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy ghost, or did you just flick the water on the child.

If you did not say the words you did not baptize the child, you just got it wet.
 
oneGODoneCHURCH said:
I have a question. Did you say I baptize you in the names of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy ghost, or did you just flick the water on the child.

If you did not say the words you did not baptize the child, you just got it wet.
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I think so :confused: i dont even think the water got to her though!
 
AndrewF1995 said:
Thank you I was just about to say that. I should have just gone right to confession! Thank you for everyones help though… I need to start thinking before I act.
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God bless. You did what many do. reacted to a stament that should not have been said.
 
AndrewF1995 said:
So a baby of my family friend was over and they are hindu, my parents left and my cousin freaked me out and told me the baby would go to hell because it isn’t baptized. So I got my hand wet and flicked water at her and did what I thought was right… Then I learn its a mortal sin. I didn’t pour water over her head so is it a mortal sin even though it wasn’t valid…

I am 15 by the way, so I’m not some crazy adult, I had good intentions but I didn’t really think.
Click to expand...
Ok well I grew up in a non-denominational/Baptist high school so my views might possibly be skewed. But what I was taught to believe is that if the baby does not know Christ and is never witnessed to and grows up to believe that belief is true, then he will NOT go to Hell. Hell is reserved for people who know the truth but still do not believe. Take it for what it is worth. I may be completely wrong but that is what I believe is true. Hope this helps!
 
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