THE MATTER OF "BAPTISM OF DESIRE" - Fr. James Wathen
.............The purpose of this writing is to deal seriously with the idea of "baptism of desire," which, in the mind of many "conservative-minded" Catholics, means that non-Catholics will be saved who, for want of a priest: (a) make a perfect act of contrition at the time of their death; and/or:
(b) make an act of faith, wherein they profess belief in the Catholic religion and express to almighty God, implicitly or explicitly, the desire for Baptism.
In support of this position, those who adhere to it refer to the many catechisms which contain it, and to numerous saints who held it, and, the most forceful argument of all: to the fact that the consensus of theologians, living and dead, was that this view should be accepted as proxima fidei, which means that it is "nearly a doctrine."
The problem with this position is that (a) several de fide definitions of the Church condemn it. (b) two canons of the Council of Trent contradict and censure it;
(c) there is no foundation in the Scriptures for the idea of "baptism of desire;"
(d) none of those who promote the idea, which they want to call the "doctrine of baptism of desire," explain how it can have the same effect in the soul as the Sacrament has, that is, how it can dispose one for Heaven.
(e) there is no solid evidence that anyone has been saved by "baptism of desire."
(f) if one can baptize oneself by "desire," why can one not baptize oneself with water?
When all is said and done, the undeniable fact is that "baptism of desisre," which has been spoken of and written about favorably for many centuries, is a product of human creation. It was created "for sentimental reasons" and nothing else. It is an escape from, and a circuмvention of, the hard teaching of Christ. His teaching is that, in order to be saved,
(a) a person must truly and firmly believe the teaching of the Catholic Church, which is the teaching of His Gospel,
(b) he must enter the Church by receiving Baptism, and
(c) having entered the Church, he must keep the Commandments of God and the Precepts of the Church,
d) and attain a certain degree of the love of God., and persevere in this state till the end of his life. ..........