I totally agree DL. That right there is the entire problem, incredible as it is.
Being a de fide teaching of the Church, the meaning of Trent's teaching that justification:
"cannot be effected without the laver of regeneration,"
does not change by the adding of the words:
"or the desire thereof",
because:
"unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God."
You are of course entitled to your opinion, but it's merely an opinion, and St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Alphonsus, and even Father Feeney felt otherwise. You can't confuse your interpretation of the text with dogma itself ... which is something you have a tendency to do.
Even if you read it that way, it's simply untrue that the meaning doesn't change by adding the words "or the desire thereof". Fathers of Trent didn't add that for no reason. Even read the way you propose, the phrase certainly does add something, and means that the Sacrament of Baptism cannot justify someone who's not willing to receive it. In other words, even if a person is baptized, if they do not have the proper dispositions, let's say it's a forced Baptism or a feigned conversion without any real intention to receive the Sacrament, while the Sacrament would be valid, no justification would take place.
Topic: John 3:5 defined as Dogma at Trent, Theologian admits (video) (Read 42090 times)