Why are some babies so lucky to be baptized, and others are not? Suppossedly when one gets baptized they receive the Holy Spirt. I feel sorry for the people who weren't baptized as infants. How can they want to get baptized as adults, if they don't have the gift of the Holy Spirit? Wouldn't it make sense to make baptism easier and say we will baptize you now Mr. so and so, and then you will receive the holy spirit and your faith can grow from there--at least they can die with having been baptized. They baptise babies and then they make a choice later, why can't adults? I think it is harder for unbaptized adults, because they are asked to make a choice before they don't have the Holy Spirit to given at baptism to guide them.

Sharon

-- Sharon (delipasta@hotmail.com), June 20, 2003

Answers

Hi Sharon, It is true that some are "luckier" to be baptized as adults, but that does not mean that they will always accept God's message through his Holy Church. People that are not baptized and want to be a part of the Church must go through RCIA to become part. This is very important because if they don't then how are they to understand the teachings of the Church. Babies have it lucky because they will hopefully be brought up in the Church or will at least will attend classes to teach them. I have found that most of the time people that go through RCIA are actually better Catholics because they have searched out the faith. But this is not always the case. Also, a fellow Christian does not have to be re-baptized in the Church because he/she has already been baptized in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. This is unlike many protestant "faiths" because you have to be re-baptized into their faith to be "saved."

-- Scott (papasquat10@hotmail.com), June 20, 2003.

Dear Sharon,

Although baptism does bring about a special outpouring of grace and a special indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that does not mean that the Holy Spirit cannot work in the lives of unbaptized persons. In the early years of the Church, membership grew primarily as a result of adult converts. It was the Holy Spirit who drew these people to God's Church, allowing them to respond to the inspired teaching of the Apostles, while they were still unbaptized. The Bible tells us that "no one can say 'Jesus is Lord', except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3). In other words, the same Holy Spirit who comes to reside in the heart and soul of a person through the sacrament of baptism is also the source of the grace and guidance which direct that person to a place where he wants to be baptized, and to be a follower of Christ. The same idea is expressed in Philippians 2:13 - "For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will". Both the desire to do what is godly, and the eventual response to that desire in direct action, are both the work of God; and the Holy Spirit is the active manifestation of God in us.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), June 20, 2003.

"Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (NKJV)." John 3:

How much more plainly can it be said? Why do you complicate a direct statement? Be as little children.

-- Carlos De Angelo (Caarlos@appleand eve .com), June 20, 2003.

Sharon,

Did you know that there was a period in our Church's history that people were putting off baptism as long as possible? The reason is that baptism removes all sin and the temporal punishment of that sin. Therefore, people were not baptizing until they felt death was near. To discourage this, a council stated that infant baptism was the norm and should not be delayed. Of course, the Church always taught that infant baptism was correct, but in this council it simply reiterated this belief.

So in reality, those adults that get baptized later are actually fortunate.

-- Glenn (Glenn@nospam.com), June 20, 2003.

Thank you for your answers. I agree that an adult persuing Baptism probably will have a closer relationship with God, because it was his/her choice. But based on the quote from John 3, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God," it would make sense to me to baptize now and evangelize later. At least the person would be guaranteed of not losing salvation due to not being baptized.

Sharon

-- Sharon (delipasta@hotmail.com), June 21, 2003.