Tag Archives: baptism

Receiving the Cross

I am now a sponsor in the combined St. Paul’s/Oratory RCIA class. On
Sunday, our class participated in the Combined Rite of Acceptance and
Welcoming. It is one of my favorite ceremonies. For those who are
unfamiliar with this rite, in particular my Protestant readers, I
reproduce some of it here.

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Follow-up on Death Before Baptism

Annie Banno, co-blogger of After Abortion, sent me a link to an article she wrote for Catholic Exchange, entitled "All Souls In Purgatory, Or Not?".

One priest said, “For most of history, the Church taught that unbaptized babies go to ‘limbo.’ This was not hell, but a place of peace. They can not enjoy the eternal blessedness of the Lord because original sin was not wiped away.

“The Church’s understanding has been stated differently in the last thirty years. ‘Limbo’ is no longer used. We know that God is abundantly merciful, and desires that all children come to Him (Matt 19:14, 1 Tim 2:4). Therefore, our great hope is that they are in heaven, but we cannot say with certainty. You are encouraged to pray for your baby.”

Damned Until Baptism?

This ties in with the previous post. There’s an interesting post at Joe Missionary, with equally interesting comments, about the fate of infants that die prior to baptism. Since, when I just point to interesting stuff, most people don’t seem to bother to click through, I’ll post some excerpts to whet your appetites. I encourage you to head on over and join the conversation. This kind of dialogue is part of the New Evangelization John Paull II has called for.

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Saved Since Birth?

The following were posted to a Yahoo! group I belong to. Issues discussed include infant baptism and assurance of salvation, so I’m sure at least the Catholic apologists’ ears will be pricked. 😉

Please respond with comments. I’ll pass them along to the group.

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Signs, Symbols, and Reality

Yesterday's RCIA class was about baptism. An interesting question was raised by one of the students. He wondered when and why the Western Church switched from full immersion baptism to sprinkling. Going under water is supposed to symbolize death. We are baptized into Christ's death and rise with Him into life. How does sprinkling symbolize that?

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the sacrament, when performed in that manner, is void. It's just that the symbolism seems to be lacking. It reminded me of a 'Not So Quiet' Catholic corner post I've been meaning to comment on. It's about a priest who doesn't understand the point of ringing bells and washing hands.