08/12/2025
A couple weeks ago, someone asked me to write about infant baptism. I did, thinking that it would be kind of a low read post.
Uh, no. 😅
On all of my social media platforms, it drew out some ire in folks. Which is fine. Thankfully, one guy was especially courteous and we had a good back and forth.
I began to notice a central theme with all the dissenters. Mainly, that they believed that there is nothing you need to do to be saved other than choose to follow Jesus. Choose was the word of the day. Since babies can't choose to follow Jesus, baptism is pointless for them.
I thought about this a lot and it occurred to me that many Protestants don't get what Catholics know to be true about baptism. Heck, even most of the first-tier Protestant denominations practiced/practice infant baptism. Lutherans do. Anglicans do. Methodists do or at least they did. John Calvin and the Calvinists did. But, over the years since the Protestant Reformation, everybody has come up with their own idea of what Baptism is and when it should happen, if at all.
I think a lot of the confusion now comes from thinking that Catholics believe that our "work" of Baptism is what saves us. Which isn't the truth at all.
Baptism, as with all the other Sacraments, is where God does work within our souls. We come to receive grace, gifts, forgiveness (only original sin for babies), and entrance into the covenant--the new covenant.
It is God that makes all this happen, and why wouldn't we bring our babies to receive all these wonderful things? We do a lot of things for babies, toddlers, and even young children where they don't get a choice. We do certain things because we are trying to fortify their physical, emotional, intellectual, and, yes, even spiritual health.
John the Baptist was baptizing as a prelude to the baptism Christ would institute. This is not our idea, or some legalistic plan of work to score points with God.
In Baptism, God does all the work within us; we are souls coming to receive all that He wants to give in order that we might have new life in Christ. As adults, we come with a repentant heart for our actual sins desiring to be made clean by the Holy Spirit.
On this Second Sunday of Advent, let us thank God for gift of the Sacrament of Baptism, which is meant for all.
Have a blessed Sunday, Catholic Pilgrims.
*St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ein Karem, the birthplace of St. John.
