Let us consider first the baptism of adults. It is clear that before being baptized, adult candidates should be converted to the Lord, to living the Christian life, and to Christian morality, and they should be formed in Christian attitudes. The few adults who are seeking baptism today in the Catholic Church are frequently not led to a point of conversion before being baptized. Many Christians from other denominations are becoming Catholics to resolve a mixed marriage. Often they were unconverted members of their previous churches-and their instructions in the particulars of the Catholic faith do nothing to lead them to a conversion experience. They often are not led to a personal relationship with the Lord, a life of prayer:, life in the Holy Spirit, love of the brethren, and Christian service. Jesus may not be any more the center of their life after they become a Catholic than before. "Instructions" and the use of appropriate liturgical rites in the various stages of the adult catechumenate don't necessarily produce converts. With the baptism of infants, which is the predominant way the Catholic Church is maintaining itself today, we have an even more difficult situation. The Catholic Church has rightly defended the validity of infant baptism, citing its ancient and continuous practice and enunciating its theological justification. It has pointed out that infant baptism depends, for its ultimate effectiveness, on the baptized infant's being raised in an environment in which the infant can become a mature, committed Christian. The effective catechumenate required in conjunction with infant baptism, then, is provided after the sacrament is administered, as the child grows up in a family environment and parish environment that function as a training ground of Christian life and faith. According to the sacramental theology of the Catholic Church, infant baptism is supposed to be administered in the context of a community of faith that w...
