The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM.31 Storments of the damned, but such as merit diviiievengeance by their personal sins.All that the Church holds on this point, is thatunregenerate children are deprived of the beatificvision, or the possession of God, which constitutesthe essential happiness of the blessed.Now, between the supremebliss of heaven andthe torments of the reprobate, there is a very widemargin.All admit that the condition of unbaptized infantsis better than non-existence. There are some Catholic writers of distinction who even assert that unbaptized infants enjoy a certain degree of naturalbeatitude, that is, a happiness which is based on thenatural knowledge and love of God.From what has been said, you may well judgehow reprehensible is the conduct of Catholic parentswho neglect to have their children baptized at theearliest possible moment, thereby risking their ownsouls, as well as the souls of their innocent offspring.How different was the practice of the early Christians, who, as St. Augustine testifies, hastened withtheir new-born babes to the baptismal font, that theymight not be deprived of the grace of regeneration.If an infant is sick, no expenseisspared that itslifemay be preserved. The physicianis called in ;medicine isgiven to it and the mother will; spendsleepless nights watching every movement of theinfant ;she will sacrifice her repose, her health ;nay, she will expose even her own life, that the life27