Denver Catholic

DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2026 The Testimony of Scripture and Tradition While Sacred Scripture never explicitly describes the Baptism of infants, it certainly points to the expectation that children are to receive this sacrament. In Colossians 2:11-12, St. Paul shows that Baptism has replaced circumcision in God's plan for humanity. Before Jesus, circumcision marked a man's entrance into the covenant relationship between God and his people. Adult men rarely received circumcision, as it was normally given to infant boys shortly after their birth. If St. Paul intended to exclude babies from Baptism, he would not have used circumcision as a met- aphor to understand Baptism. Just as Jewish infants were brought into relationship with God through circumcision, Christian infants are brought into relationship with the Trinity through Baptism. The Gospel of Luke tells us of parents bring- ing their babies to Jesus for his blessing (Luke 18:15-17). Even though they are infants and cannot approach Jesus on their own, Jesus says, "Let the children come to me … The Kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Some Christians insist that children must make a conscious decision to be baptized, but this passage shows that the Lord is happy to bless the children pre- sented to him by their parents. Throughout the New Testament, we learn of entire households being baptized (i.e., Acts 16:15, 33; 1 Corinthians 1:16). It is reasonable to assume that such events would have included the Baptism of young children. The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms this interpretation when it says that in the time of the apostles, "when whole 'households' received Baptism, infants may also have been baptized" (CCC 1252). While there have been groups and individ- uals throughout history who have questioned the practice of baptizing infants, there is clear evidence that infants received Baptism as early as the second century (CCC 1252). This practice has been repeatedly encouraged by the Church throughout history, including by Early Church Fathers and multiple Councils. ⊲ 15

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