Baptism of Blood and Desire

Today there is a misguided notion that millions upon millions of people receive baptism of desire and therefore are saved. This erroneous idea has caused evangelization to suffer and lefts countless souls unarmed in their battle against the devil. It must be first stated that our Lord Jesus Christ DID NOT say to His Apostles: "Sit here I will give baptism of desire to all nations!" He rather said: "Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world". (Matt 21:18-20). Second, baptism of blood and desire are miracles from God and one would have to say they are quite rare. The Catholic Church has always recognized that water baptism is a normative rather than an absolute, and teaches that God has bound salvation to the sacrament of baptism, but He Himself is not bound by His sacraments. Individuals who do not deny the necessity of baptism, repent sincerely for their sins, but are prevented by circumstances beyond their control from asking or receiving this sacrament can be saved by God’s grace through "baptism of blood" (martyrdom for the one true faith) or "baptism of desire" (one who has accepted the Catholic faith and a waits baptism). It must be noted that baptism of blood and desire bring about the fruits of baptism without being sacraments.

*St. Thomas in his Summa stated, “This is the reason why I wrote that baptism of desire is like a miracle: its proper cause is God, and such it does not exceed the proper of its proper cause; but it bypasses the ordinary means set by God to produce the effect of the supernatural birth, and as such it is like a miracle.” ST 1-11 Q114 A 10.

*The correct definition of "Baptism of desire": "In its proper meaning, this consists of an act of perfect contrition or perfect love [that is Charity, which necessarily implies that one has the True Faith], and the simultaneous desire for Baptism. It does not imprint an indelible character on the soul and the obligation to receive Baptism by water remains." [Page 126 of "The Catholic Concise Encyclopedia", by Robert Broderick, M.A., copyright 1957, Imprimatur by Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, August 31, 1956]

Anyone that declares water baptism is not necessary for salvation is espousing heresy! People have been saved by baptism of desire and blood, but they remain the exception and not the rule. Needless to say, one should NEVER intentionally forgo baptism in hopes of being saved by these extraordinary means.

* Our Lord Jesus Christ DID NOT say to His Apostles: "Sit here I will give baptism of desire to all nations!" He rather said: "Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world". (Matt 21:18-20)

Council of Trent: "If any one saith, that baptism is free, that is, not necessary unto salvation; let him be anathema." (The Sixth Session Canon 5)

Vatican II: "Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.(LG14)

Council of Trent: "Justification of the impious is indicated,-as being a translation, from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace, and of the adoption of the sons of God, through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. And this translation, since the promulgation of the Gospel, cannot be effected, without the laver of regeneration, OR THE DESIRE THEREOF, as it is written; unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." (Session 6, Chapter 4)

Council of Trent: "If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation, but superfluous; and that, without them, OR WITHOUT THE DESIRE THEREOF, men obtain of God, through faith alone, the grace of justification;-though all (the sacraments) are not indeed necessary for every individual; let him be anathema."(Session 7, Canon 4)

Vatican II:"A Catechumen, moved by the Holy Spirit, seek with explicit intention to be incorporated into the Church are by that very intention joined with her. With love and solicitude Mother Church already embraces them as her own. (LG14)

Catechism of the Council of Trent: "On adults, however, the Church... has ordained that Baptism be deferred for a certain time. ... should any unforeseen accident make it impossible for adults to be washed in the salutary waters, their intention and determination to receive Baptism and their repentance for past sins, will avail them grace and righteousness."

(Luke 9:23-24) "Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps. Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it"

(Luke 23:43) Christ taught baptism of desire, saying to the penitent thief who was not baptized, "Amen I say to thee: this day thou shall be with me in paradise!"

(Acts 10:44-48) "While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 'Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?' And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days."

(Mark 11:24) "Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

(1 Kgs. 16:7) "man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart."

(Rm. 2:29) "the circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not of men but of God."

St. Alphonsus "it is de fide – that is, it belongs to the Catholic Faith – that there are some men saved also by the baptism of the Spirit."

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) The City of God: “For whatever unbaptized persons die confessing Christ, this confession is of the same efficacy for the remission of sins as if they were washed in the sacred font of baptism. For He who said, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God," made also an exception in their favor, in that other sentence where He no less absolutely said, "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven;" and in another place, "Whosoever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it." And this explains the verse, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." For what is more precious than a death by which a man's sins are all forgiven, and his merits increased an hundred fold?”

St. Cyprian of Carthage, 252 AD "The catechumens who suffer martyrdom receive the glorious and most sublime blood-baptism".

St. John Chrysostom , 391 AD "Do not be surprised that I call MARTYRDOM A BAPTISM; FOR HERE TOO THE SPIRIT COMES IN GREAT HASTE AND THERE IS A TAKING AWAY OF SINS AND A WONDERFUL AND MARVELOUS CLEANSING OF THE SOUL; and just as those being baptized are washed in water, so too those being martyred."

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) -Summa Theologica: Third Part Question 68 Article 2

Objection 1. It seems that no man can be saved without Baptism. For our Lord said (John 3:5): "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." But those alone are saved who enter God's kingdom. Therefore none can be saved without Baptism, by which a man is born again of water and the Holy Ghost.

Objection 2. Further, in the book De Eccl. Dogma. xli, it is written: "We believe that no catechumen, though he die in his good works, will have eternal life, except he suffer martyrdom, which contains all the sacramental virtue of Baptism." But if it were possible for anyone to be saved without Baptism, this would be the case specially with catechumens who are credited with good works, for they seem to have the "faith that worketh by charity" (Gal. 5:6). Therefore it seems that none can be saved without Baptism.

Objection 3. Further, as stated above (1; 65, 4), the sacrament of Baptism is necessary for salvation. Now that is necessary "without which something cannot be" (Metaph. v). Therefore it seems that none can obtain salvation without Baptism.

On the contrary, Augustine says (Super Levit. lxxxiv) that "some have received the invisible sanctification without visible sacraments, and to their profit; but though it is possible to have the visible sanctification, consisting in a visible sacrament, without the invisible sanctification, it will be to no profit." Since, therefore, the sacrament of Baptism pertains to the visible sanctification, it seems that a man can obtain salvation without the sacrament of Baptism, by means of the invisible sanctification.

I answer that, The sacrament or Baptism may be wanting to someone in two ways.First, both in reality and in desire; as is the case with those who neither are baptized, nor wished to be baptized: which clearly indicates contempt of the sacrament, in regard to those who have the use of the free-will. Consequently those to whom Baptism is wanting thus, cannot obtain salvation: since neither sacramentally nor mentally are they incorporated in Christ, through Whom alone can salvation be obtained. Secondly, the sacrament of Baptism may be wanting to anyone in reality but not in desire: for instance, when a man wishes to be baptized, but by some ill-chance he is forestalled by death before receiving Baptism. And such a man can obtain salvation without being actually baptized, on account of his desire for Baptism, which desire is the outcome of "faith that worketh by charity," whereby God, Whose power is not tied to visible sacraments, sanctifies man inwardly. Hence Ambrose says of Valentinian, who died while yet a catechumen: "I lost him whom I was to regenerate: but he did not lose the grace he prayed for."

Reply to Objection 1. As it is written (1 Kgs. 16:7), "man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart." Now a man who desires to be "born again of water and the Holy Ghost" by Baptism, is regenerated in heart though not in body. thus the Apostle says (Rm. 2:29) that "the circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not of men but of God."

Reply to Objection 2. No man obtains eternal life unless he be free from all guilt and debt of punishment. Now this plenary absolution is given when a man receives Baptism, or suffers martyrdom: for which reason is it stated that martyrdom "contains all the sacramental virtue of Baptism," i.e. as to the full deliverance from guilt and punishment. Suppose, therefore, a catechumen to have the desire for Baptism (else he could not be said to die in his good works, which cannot be without "faith that worketh by charity"), such a one, were he to die, would not forthwith come to eternal life, but would suffer punishment for his past sins, "but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire" as is stated 1 Cor. 3:15.

Reply to Objection 3. The sacrament of Baptism is said to be necessary for salvation in so far as man cannot be saved without, at least, Baptism of desire; "which, with God, counts for the deed" (Augustine, Enarr. in Ps. 57).