Please watch this video. Yes, Pope St John Paul II did say that we may entertain a "hope" that these children would be admitted into heaven. However, "hope" is not "certitude". This is a topic of concern for me, as I am in front of abortuaries most Saturday mornings to persuade the mothers to give life to their children - and a chance for them to be baptized.
I have seen pro-lifers commit serious errors along these lines. The first is the presumption that aborted babies will automatically participate in the Beatific Vision. Some have even opined that we on the sidewalks need not make these babies the primary objects of our concern, but to do that for those participating in the abortion. That is irresponsible hogwash. The adults who are participating in the abortion have the ability to repent. The unborn child is completely dependent on others for his/her entrance to heaven. The babies will get first dibs on my efforts.
The second error is one from an opposite perspective. Here the pro-lifers understand the need for the babes to be baptized, but also lament that they cannot perform the baptism themselves. So they have concocted a parody of baptism, believing or wishing it to be efficacious. That is, they kneel and pray in the direction of the mill. They perform the baptism ritual and sprinkle holy water in the direction of the slaughter house. Best wishes and motives aside, that is NOT a valid baptism. The water must come into physical contact with the child's body in order for the sacrament to be valid. Remember: matter, form, intention. All must be present and in good order for the sacrament to be valid.
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Excerpt From The Arlington Catholic Herald (http://www.catholicherald.com/Faith/Your_Faith/Straight_Answers/Straight_Answers__Do_Aborted_Children_Go_to_Heaven_/):
ReplyDeleteStraight Answers: Do Aborted Children Go to Heaven?
By Fr. William Saunders
4/10/17
. . . Because of our firm belief in God's infinite mercy and His universal salvific will that all should be saved, we have a genuine hope that there is indeed a way of salvation for children who have died without the benefit of Baptism through no fault of their own. After all, could we not rightly speculate that the desire of the parents, of the whole Church, of the child (who is made in God's image and likeness, and at least in the most simple way has a natural longing for God), and of God Himself is truly a desire for salvation? Just as those adults, who through no fault of their own know neither the Gospel of Christ or His Church but seek God with a sincere heart and live by the dictates of their conscience with the help of His grace, may attain eternal salvation (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, #16), we certainly trust that a helpless, innocent child who has died in the womb, been aborted, been miscarried, or died without the benefit of Baptism will not be abandoned by the Lord or denied His saving grace. This hope is evident in the "living faith" of our Church. Pope John Paul II in Evangelium Vitae, when compassionately addressing women who have had abortions, wrote, "...You will also be able to ask forgiveness from your child, who is now living in the Lord" (#99). Such a statement indicates the Holy Father's trust in the infinite mercy of God for these children and their place in Heaven. In the Opening Prayer for the funeral Mass of an unbaptized child, the priest offers one of the following prayers: "Lord, listen to the prayers of this family that has faith in you. In their sorrow at the death of this child, may they find hope in your infinite mercy," or, "Father of all consolation, from whom nothing is hidden, you know the faith of these parents who mourn the death of their child. May they find comfort in knowing that he is entrusted to your loving care." Interestingly, prior to the Second Vatican Council, a priest always offered the Mass of the Angels for the children who died without baptism, entrusting their care to the Guardian Angels who look upon the face of God in Heaven. The graces of atonement of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which flow from the death and resurrection of our Lord must surely give repose to these children and comfort to their grieving families. Moreover, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents on December 28, who are considered martyrs for the faith although they were neither technically baptized nor knew Christ. Surely, the victims of abortion must be considered modern martyrs, who have shed their blood just because they were created by God yet rejected by others. While we may still struggle with this issue and find tension due to the lack of definitive teaching, we place our trust in the Lord. While the Lord has revealed to the Church that Baptism is the means of salvation, He is not restricted in offering other graced means unknown to the Church to these helpless children, and for such means the Church has great hope. However, such a hope in the infinite mercy of God must not make us complacent and thereby negligent in having children baptized or in evangelizing others. Rather, we must conscientiously fulfill our duty and enable all people to come to the Lord through Baptism.
Again, the operative word is "hope", not "certitude". The "limbo of the innocents" is described as a place/state of perfect natural happiness.
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ReplyDeleteI memorized the Baltimore Catechism as a grade school child in the 1950's and accepted the Limbo 'solution' because I believed it to be a requirement for a faithful Catholic. I remain a firm believer in baptism of infants ASAP, however I have doubts re the solidity of the Limbo 'solution' for babies who die from abortion, natural or induced and for newborns who suddenly die before baptism. It does not seem that Jesus would call an unborn child from the womb, and at the same time make it impossible for him or her to obtain heaven. I do realize from the writings of Saints who were mystics that there is a big difference in the way one experiences heaven, depending on the holiness achieved in this life, so in most cases it is to a person's advantage to be granted birth, and a lifespan of years, but
ReplyDeleteJesus warned that for some individuals ,... "It would be better for 'that man' had he not been born". Does this mean that by not being born, 'that man' would have at least escaped hell even though he lacked the time to gain a high place in heaven? Does it mean 'that man' would have gone to heaven, having never lived on earth, or would he have gone to some place called "Limbo", which is not heaven but certainly much better than hell?