„Aby miały życie w obfitości”. Dlaczego chrzcimy dzieci?
“That They Might Have Life More Abundantly”. Why we Baptize the Children?

Summary/Abstract: The Article presents the issues regarding the sacrament of baptism as a gateway of faith, the source of Christian life and pledge of eternal salvation. Starting from considerations contained in the Document of the International Theological Commission “The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die without Being Baptised” (2007), author is trying to take a look on the practice of baptism of children and some elements of Catholic baptismal theology. The text is touching also the problem of limbo from the point of view of contemporary Magisterium of the Church. After presenting in synthetic form biblical fundaments of the baptismal theology, and the practice of the Church regarding the baptism of children, the text introduces to the traditional doctrine of the Catholic Church regarding the necessity of baptism of children. The paper presents then the elements of the contemporary teaching of the Magisterium regarding the sacrament of baptism with the particular attention to the statements of the Second Vatican Council, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Instruction on Infant Baptism Pastoralis actio), The Code of Canon Law, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the teaching of Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The texts of the Magisterium and the development of studies of contemporary theologians allow to look in a new perspective on the practice of the Church regarding baptism of children. Biblical, historical, and theological perspective of presentation of the problem leads to the conclusion that the question to be asked in relation to the baptism of children is not “whether or not baptize the children?” but “why should we baptize the children?”. The answer to that question is located in the dogma regarding salvation and in the dogma regarding sacraments as the tools necessary for salvation entrusted by Christ to the Church. The baptism is undoubtedly the sacrament of salvation. It is an instrument, which the Church has received from Jesus in order to transmit it to all the people.

• Details
• Contents