1. Who Goes To Hell?
All those persons who commit an actual mortal sin, and who fail to repent from that sin through the last moment of their life, go to Hell forever.
To know and choose an evil deed
and never to repent
the only everlasting sin
to Hell forever sent.
God loves all that He created, therefore, nothing He created can be sent to everlasting torment, except those who, through their own free will, chose to turn entirely away from God (by means of any actual mortal sin) and who never turned back to God (by repenting from that sin). It is not possible that God would send any person to Hell for any other reason, because God's love is infinite.
In His infinite wisdom, He wills that the persons He created have the ability to freely choose how they live their lives and who they each become. Those only go to Hell who choose to become evil persons, by deliberately and knowingly turning entirely away from all that is good, by means of any kind of actual mortal sin. No other path to Hell exists, because all other paths are paved with the Mercy and Love of God, and with the prayers and sacrifices of Christ and His Church.
“Therefore I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven. (Mt 12:31).”
Jesus taught that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in an unforgivable sin; however, this sin is not any words or thoughts against the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is nothing other than final impenitence, i.e. the failure to repent from actual mortal sin through the last moment of life. Therefore, no one is sent to Hell unless they both commit an actual mortal sin and fail to repent through the last moment of life. If you are still alive, then you have not committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and you are still able to be saved, even up to and including the very last moment of life.
2. Who Goes To Heaven?
All those persons, without any exception whatsoever, who do not go to Hell, eventually will go to Heaven. This truth is certain because it is based on the Infinite Mercy and Love of God, and on the graces that God pours out, through Christ and His Holy Church, to all Creation. There are no exceptions to the Mercy and Love of God.
3. Who Goes To Heaven by way of Purgatory?
Many persons, perhaps the vast majority, go to Heaven by means of Purgatory. Some persons must spend a very long time in Purgatory because they have many sins for which they must atone (this atonement is called purification), and because they need to change a great deal in order to be ready for Heaven (this necessary change is called sanctification). Other persons spend only a brief time in Purgatory, because they have few sins for which they have not already atoned on earth, and because they need only a modest amount of change in order to be ready for Heaven.
Some few persons go directly to Heaven, but this is rare because even devout persons often have unatoned sins and persistent faults, which require the blessed assistance of Purgatory, a holy and joyful place, in order to be completely ready for Heaven.
Some persons who are not Saints will nevertheless go directly to Heaven because they atoned for their sins through penance on earth and because they changed to become enough like Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary to be able to enter Heaven upon their death. Now after the moment of death, but before actually entering into Heaven (or Purgatory, or Hell), each person is judged by God (this is called the particular judgment). Yet even a holy person who is able to avoid Purgatory and to enter into Heaven directly is not entirely ready. For the least in Heaven are greater even than John the Baptist (about whom Christ said that none born of women are greater than he; Lk 7:28). So then, how do those less worthy than John the Baptist become ready for Heaven without going through Purgatory? They must experience the modest amount of change that is needed after the moment of death but before entering into Heaven. When they experience the particular judgment, in which God reviews a deceased soul's life and judges their soul, they are also given the change of soul needed to become greater than John the Baptist and entirely ready for Heaven. Thereafter, they join the elect in Heaven and receive the Beatific Vision of God.
This is also the path that Saints take when they go directly to Heaven. Although a Saint may be very holy, some change is still needed to be entirely ready for Heaven, and that change occurs during the particular judgment of that soul by God. Thereafter, such holy souls immediately enter into Heaven, without the need to pass through Purgatory.
However, some persons who are canonized Saints might not go directly to Heaven, but rather they might pass through a brief stay in Purgatory. This occurs because Saints do the will of God. Suppose that one Saint finds a high degree of holiness in the contemplative life. God may send that Saint into the active life, in order to meet the needs of God's people. Being in a difficult and new situation, with less time for prayer and contemplation, such a Saint might not be able to attain to the same high degree of holiness. Being surrounded by sinners in the world may reduce the degree of sanctity of that individual, because some Saints are naturally inclined more to the active life, and some more to the contemplative life. Yet the Saint must do the will of God. So such a Saint may require a brief stay in Purgatory.
In another example, a Saint might attain to a high degree of sanctity by working in the active life, but then in quiet retirement, during the latter stage of life, that Saint's degree of sanctity may decrease due to a decreased opportunity to do good works and the natural inclination of that Saint toward the active life.
In general, any person's degree of sanctity may increase and decrease at various times in their life. And there is no guarantee from God, even for Saints, that each person will die during the time in their life when they are most holy. Therefore, not all canonized Saints go directly to Heaven; some require a brief stay in Purgatory in order to be fully purified and sanctified for life in Heaven.
4. The Necessity of Baptism
Due to original sin, human persons are conceived and born in a fallen state:
1) their souls do not have sanctifying grace,
2) they are subject to eventual death (the separation of body and soul),
3) their bodies are impaired and weakened, influencing the person toward sin.
The latter two effects of original sin on the human person do not necessarily preclude the person from entering Heaven. Death is a punishment for sin, so that a person who dies in a state of grace has their death as a way to partially atone for venial sins and as a way to connect them to the sanctifying death of Christ on the Cross. The tendency to sin that we all experience as a result of the fallen state need not result in our condemnation to Hell, because in and of itself, this tendency is not personally culpable. Many Saints, and many persons far short of Sainthood, have lived holy lives despite the tendency toward sin found in the fallen state.
However, the first effect of original sin, which is that human persons are conceived without sanctifying grace, must be rectified before a person can enter into Heaven. Sanctifying grace is salvific grace; it proceeds from Christ on the Cross. Without salvific grace, no one is saved.
The ordinary means for receiving sanctifying grace is through the formal Sacrament of Baptism, wherein a priest (or other baptized person) pours water on the body of the person being baptized and says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (or whatever other formula of words and water is prescribed by the Church, which has the authority to bind in Heaven and on earth). By this Sacrament, a person receives sanctifying grace, wiping away the fundamental obstacle that original sin puts in the path of each one's salvation.
5. Mystical Baptism: classical examples
Without sanctifying grace, no one is saved. Any person who is conceived in original sin lacks sanctifying grace. Therefore, the Church has always taught that anyone who dies in a state of original sin cannot enter into the eternal joy of Heaven. However, the Church has also always taught that it is possible to receive sanctifying grace apart from the formal Sacrament of Baptism (i.e. without the water and words form of Baptism). This other form of Baptism, which lacks the external ritual of water and words, is properly called a mystical Baptism.
One clear example of mystical Baptism is found in the events of the early Church. Some persons, when they were still preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, were martyred for being Christian. These persons received sanctifying grace at their martyrdom; this is called a Baptism of Blood. Their death for Christ unites them in a mystical manner to Christ, whose salvific death on the Cross is the source of all sanctifying grace. Christ then imparts to them salvific grace, equivalent to that received in the Sacrament of Baptism, during their martyrdom. Thus, that effect of original sin which causes the soul to lack sanctifying grace is entirely removed.
Another type of mystical Baptism is seen in cases where someone desires Baptism, and then dies (but not by martyrdom) before being able to receive the Sacrament. Christ imparts to them salvific grace at their death. Now it is also possible that these persons receive sanctifying grace sometime after they desire it, yet well in advance of the hour of death. God is merciful and wise, and in His wisdom and mercy, He may see fit, knowing the one person's future, to grant that person a mystical Baptism well before their death, while perhaps waiting for formal Baptism for other persons. Either way, such a one receives sanctifying grace, equivalent to the formal Sacrament of Baptism, at some point sooner or later, and prior to death.
6. Mystical Baptism: new examples
In addition to the classical, often-cited examples of mystical Baptism (Baptism of blood, Baptism of desire), there are some other situations in which it is clear that God, in His Infinite Mercy and Love, does grant a mystical Baptism.
An heroic act of virtue, even apart from martyrdom, is capable of obtaining sanctifying grace for a person who was not already baptized. For example, a non-Christian who risked loss of employment, or a severe conflict with family, or the harsh rebuke of friends, or public humiliation, or possible imprisonment, in order to assist someone in great need. Any heroic act of virtue unites that person with Christ in His own heroic act of virtue, when He died for our salvation.
Merciful acts of selfless love toward those in need are also a type of act capable of obtaining sanctifying grace for a person not already baptized. Even though the deed may not be heroic, if it is either one substantial act, or a series of lesser acts, which also require the person to give selflessly in a similar manner to Christ on the Cross, then the act, or series of acts, are capable of obtaining sanctifying grace from Christ on the Cross, who died selflessly out of merciful love for all.
Some passages from Scripture which support these examples of mystical Baptism are as follows. First, that Baptism can occur outside the formal Sacrament:
[1 Corinthians]
{10:1} For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud: and all passed through the sea.
{10:2} And all in Moses were baptized, in the cloud and in the sea:
{10:3} And did all eat the same spiritual food:
{10:4} And all drank the same spiritual drink: (And they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ.)
The ancient Israelites did not have a formal Baptism, yet Sacred Scripture says that they were baptized, and even that they drank of the spiritual rock that was Christ. Then in the Gospels, we have an example of a type of mystical baptism conferred on those who are merciful to their neighbor:
[Matthew]
{25:34} Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, you blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
{25:35} For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in:
{25:36} Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.
{25:37} Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see you hungry and fed you: thirsty and gave you drink?
{25:38} Or when did we see you a stranger and took you in? Or naked and covered you?
{25:39} Or when did we see you sick or in prison and came to you?
{25:40} And the king answering shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.
Notice that those who did these acts of mercy did not know that being merciful to others counted as love toward Christ. Some of these persons are, therefore, non-Christians, yet they are given salvific grace because they performed merciful acts of love toward those in need. This salvific grace must have been given to them when they were carrying out these merciful acts of selfless love, because Scripture cites those acts as the reason that they received salvation and clearly some are non-Christians (and so were not given formal Baptisms).
Someone who seeks the truth selflessly and sincerely, but who fails to find the Truth of Christianity, might still receive a mystical Baptism, because Christ is Truth and He revealed to all the Truths of the moral law and of salvation through His death on the Cross. The entire moral law and all fundamental truths about salvation are implicit in the one act of Christ's merciful and loving death on the Cross for our salvation. Even if someone's failure to find the Truth of Christianity is culpable, he or she could still obtain a mystical Baptism from their search for truth, as long as the search is selfless and the culpability is not to the degree of an actual mortal sin.
Someone might obtain a mystical Baptism by seeking God through a non-Christian religion, in a manner similar to a seeker of truth. Again, the failure to find the Truth of Christianity may be culpable, yet he or she could still obtain a mystical Baptism from their search for God, as long as the search is selfless and the culpability is not to the degree of an actual mortal sin. This type of mystical Baptism is supported by the words of the Virgin Mary at Guadalupe, who initially identified herself by the name of one of the pagan goddesses revered by the native people. It is also supported by the words of Saint Paul in the Acts of the Apostles:
{17:23} “For passing by and seeing your idols, I found an altar also, on which was written: To the Unknown God. What therefore you worship without knowing it, that I preach to you....”
Paul notes that the people of this city were worshipping the true God, but without knowing as many truths about him as Jews and Christians know. Yet still their worship is called true worship by the Apostle and by Sacred Scripture. Therefore, some may attain to a mystical Baptism, conferred upon them by God, who is mostly unknown to them, because they sought God with a sincere soul. (In truth, God is never completely known to any created thing; for God is infinite and all created things are finite.)
Some persons might obtain a mystical Baptism by seeking true justice for other persons, not merely for themselves or their own family, provided that the justice that they seek is full of mercy and compassion, not a harsh or cruel justice. In Christ, the virtues of mercy and justice are one; His justice is merciful and his mercy is just. His salvific act on the Cross was a just mercy and a merciful justice. Therefore, someone may receive a mystical Baptism through acts which seek true merciful justice for other persons, in a selfless manner.
Injustice can also be an occasion for an individual to obtain a mystical Baptism. Christ was unjustly condemned to death, though He was innocent, and sinless, and the Son of God. Therefore, anyone who humbly accepts a grievous injustice against himself or herself, or against his or her own family, may obtain a mystical Baptism by being united in their patient perseverance, despite injustice, with Christ, who persevered against injustice.
Great suffering can also be an occasion for an individual to obtain a mystical Baptism. Christ suffered and died on the Cross for our salvation. Anyone who humbly accepts great suffering, even if it does not lead to death, becomes united with Christ on the Cross and is therefore capable of receiving a mystical Baptism from Christ.
There are other type of acts which also connect an individual to Christ on the Cross in such a manner as to be capable of obtaining a mystical Baptism from Christ. These paths to mystical Baptism are many, because God's grace seeks any and all fitting paths to salvation for each individual.
7. Paths to Mystical Baptism
Baptism is necessary for salvation, but there are two types of Baptism:
1. formal Baptism - confers sanctifying grace, through the ritual of Baptism, using water and words
2. mystical Baptism - confers sanctifying grace, in the absence of the ritual of Baptism, through an act of the soul responding to the grace of God
There are numerous ways that a sincere soul, in responding to God's grace, might obtain a mystical Baptism, including, but not limited to:
a. Martyrdom for the Faith in the absence of formal Baptism; this is called a Baptism of blood.
b. A sincere desire for the Sacrament of Baptism, which is not received due to circumstances beyond the control of the individual (typically an untimely death); this is called a Baptism of desire.
c. An heroic act of virtue
d. Merciful acts of selfless love (typically toward those in need)
e. The selfless search for truth
f. The sincere search for merciful justice for others
g. The sincere search for God, even outside the Christian faith
h. Patient perseverance through grievous injustice
i. acceptance of great suffering
Many persons who are non-Christians are able to enter into Heaven because they accepted great suffering in their lives, just as Christ accepted His great suffering: “Father, if you will, remove this chalice from me; but let not my will, but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42).
j. Substantial acts of self-denial for the benefit of others
Acts such as these are practiced by many devout Catholics (e.g. fasting), but also by some non-Christians who are seeking selflessness and truth in their lives.
k. Sincere prayer to God, even by a non-Christian
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalts himself shall be humbled: and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Lk 18:13-14)
l. A substantial act of sincere humility
m. Selfless obedience for the sake of truth, justice, or the benefit of others
One example is found in Simone Weil, who refused the formal Sacrament of Baptism in obedience to God's will; she was obedient to God, even though others said it might result in her eternal damnation.
Another example is found in the centurion of Luke 7:1-9, who understood and accepted the value of true obedience; therefore, Christ said about him, “I have not found so great a faith, not even in Israel.”
n. A sincere and substantial act of faith or trust in God:
“Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.” (Genesis 15:6).
o. A sincere act of the forgiveness of someone who has grievously harmed you.
{7:47} Therefore, I say to you: “Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loves less.” {7:48} And he said to her: “Your sins are forgiven you.”
p. The sincere fulfillment of any one or more of the beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12), even by someone who is not a Christian and is not aware of the text of the beatitudes.
q. The loss of life at a very early stage in life; this applies to prenatals, infants, and young children.
There may be other ways that someone might obtain sanctifying grace from Christ on the Cross. The above list is not exhaustive.
8. Mystical Baptism: Fundamental Principles
Any sincere act of the soul which fundamentally resembles the salvific act of Christ dying for our salvation on the Cross is capable of obtaining salvific grace for that soul in a mystical Baptism through the Holy Spirit.
A mystical Baptism is a true Baptism because all Baptism unites the person being baptized with Christ on the Cross. That is why it is aptly said that in Baptism we die with Christ. It is Christ's salvific suffering and death on the Cross which effects all true Baptisms, both the formal Sacrament of Baptism and the mystical Sacrament of Baptism.
Although mystical Baptism is often connected to external acts (acts of heroic virtue, acts of mercy toward others, enduring severe suffering, etc.), such external acts do not, in and of themselves, obtain salvific grace. Internal acts in response to grace are capable of opening the soul to salvific grace from God in a mystical Baptism. These internal acts of the soul are often accompanied by external acts of mercy or virtue, but (unlike formal Baptism) these external acts guarantee nothing.
External acts, in and of themselves, no matter what these acts may be (even martyrdom itself), do not confer salvific grace, except for the external acts which constitute a formal Baptism, namely the water and words of the Sacrament. Only an internal act of the soul can obtain a mystical Baptism, and no individual can be certain that they have received such a mystical Baptism (unless it is revealed by God), regardless of their external acts. Therefore, anyone who has the opportunity and the proper disposition to receive the formal Sacrament of Baptism should certainly do so. Otherwise, they cannot be certain that they will receive the graces needed for salvation. Mystical Baptism cannot be ascertained from external acts, but formal Baptism is certain when the proper external acts are performed (in the form prescribed by the Church).
9. Mystical Baptism: Prenatals, Infants, and Young Children
Many Catholics know in their hearts that God, who is Mercy and Love, takes all the souls of prenatals, infants, and young children to Heaven, when they die at such a young age, even if they have not been formally baptized. However, the full explanation as to how they could enter Heaven without having received the Sacrament of Baptism eludes them. Some devout persons have suggested that the very fact that these young souls die so soon after conception makes them eligible for a Baptism of Blood. And many have also compared their young deaths to those of the Holy Innocents, who themselves certainly are in Heaven, since they died for Christ and therefore received a Baptism of blood.
[Matthew]
{2:16} Then Herod, perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceeding angry: and sending, he killed all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
{2:17} Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
{2:18} A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are not.
But there are theological problems with any attempt to apply the concept of a Baptism of blood to all prenatals, infants, and young children who die at such an early stage of life. First, a Baptism of blood involves a martyrdom for the faith, not merely any death whatsoever. The Holy Innocents died for Christ, so theirs was a true martyrdom and a true Baptism of blood. But when prenatals die from miscarriage or abortion, their deaths are not a martyrdom in the strict sense of the word. And even though abortion is a grave injustice, it does not qualify as suffering death for the Faith (martyrdom). Similarly, an infant or young child who dies from an injury, or accident, or even as the result of a deliberate crime, cannot be said to have suffered a true martyrdom. Therefore, strictly speaking, most prenatals, infants, and young children, who die at that early stage of life, have not received a Baptism of blood.
The concept of Baptism of desire also does not apply to this situation. To receive a Baptism of desire, one must first desire the Sacrament of Baptism, at least implicitly. A prenatal or infant will not have the cognitive ability to understand what Baptism is, so as to desire it; and it would be very rare that a young child could do so. Even though adults who receive a Baptism of desire might die from almost any cause, they have the desire for the Sacrament of Baptism, which these very young souls lack. Therefore, strictly speaking, prenatals, infants, and nearly all young children, who die at that early stage of life, have not received a Baptism of desire.
Even so, the broader concept of mystical Baptism can be aptly applied to all prenatals, infants, and young children who die at such an early stage of life. These young souls, not having reached the age of reason, can have no actual mortal sin on their conscience, and so they certainly cannot go to Hell. They are united to Christ on the Cross through the severe suffering of the loss of a full life on earth (regardless of whether they suffered at their deaths). Christ Himself died after a relatively brief life, for though He is the Eternal Word, Who exists beyond endless ages, yet He had only just over 33 years of life from His conception and Incarnation until His salvific death. The very act of His death on the Cross is the same act which is the culmination of all that Christ does for our salvation. Therefore, such young souls, who have few if any personal sins, and who experience the great loss of nearly all their normal lifespan, are particularly closely united with Christ on the Cross. Their souls humbly and silently accept their untimely deaths, just as Christ humbly accepted His timely death for our salvation. Therefore, all such souls certainly receive a mystical Baptism from God Almighty.
But there is one additional theological obstacle to be overcome. Until this point, the concept of a mystical Baptism was based on the idea that a soul receives sanctifying grace some length of time before death, due to an act in response to God's grace. But a prenatal, infant, or young child has not done any act in advance of death which might obtain a mystical Baptism. So how can a prenatal, infant, or young child receive sanctifying grace without such an act in advance of death? The only act that these young souls have, which resembles the salvific act of Christ on the Cross (and is therefore capable of obtaining sanctifying grace), is their death itself
There are four possible solutions:
1. God foresees the impending death of the prenatal, infant, or child, and so He confers sanctifying grace in advance of death.
2. God grants sanctifying grace at the moment of death, that is, in the very last moment of life
3. God grants sanctifying grace after death, during the particular judgment of each soul
4. God grants sanctifying grace after death during a brief stay in Purgatory
Concerning the first possibility, this seems less fitting because the source of salvation is Christ's death on the Cross, and the death of the individual, which is the cause of their unity with Christ on the Cross, has not yet occurred. But Time is no obstacle to God, so this possibility cannot be ruled out. And it certainly is true that some adults and some children receive a mystical Baptism well in advance of death.
Concerning the second possibility, this is most fitting, because the individual's death at a young age, when they suffer the loss of the greater part of a normal lifespan, is what unites them to Christ on the Cross, the very source of sanctifying grace for all persons.
But this second approach has the problem of granting sanctifying grace to a soul, for example a prenatal soul, who has very little spiritual development. Being given sanctifying grace at the moment of death would mean that they had no original or personal sin on their soul at the particular judgment, so that they should go straight to Heaven. But they would then enter into Eternity in Heaven with the disadvantage of being very immature in spiritual development.
Concerning the third possibility, the particular judgment does not grant salvation, but rather judges the soul, revealing whether or not that soul obtained salvation during their lifetime. Also, the particular judgment takes place after death, whereas the Church teaches that salvation must be obtained during one's lifetime and prior to the particular judgment.
Concerning the fourth possibility, again, it is not possible for salvific grace to be received after death, nor after the particular judgment which reveals one's eternal destiny. Salvation must be obtained in this life.
However, a brief stay in Purgatory would be fitting for such young souls, not to obtain sanctifying grace, and not so much to be punished for personal sins (of which a prenatal would have none, and a little child would have little), but to receive the spiritual growth needed for a greater appreciation of the joys of Heaven. For each person experiences the blessings of Heaven according to the ability of their soul. All in Heaven are completely happy, but, like a thimble compared to a bucket, the fullness of happiness is different for each one. The grave injustice of inflicted on these souls by an early death must be corrected by the great mercy and justice of God. Therefore, God mercifully grants such young souls an opportunity, in what is metaphorically called an upper level of Purgatory (a place more for growth in holiness, than for punishment for sin), to continue to develop their souls, so as to be able to receive a greater degree of happiness in Heaven. This brief stay in Purgatory solves the problem of the second possibility, namely that a very young soul would benefit so much less from Heaven, being able to experience less because of a lack of spiritual development before death.
10. Mystical Baptism at the Moment of Death
Therefore, the following solution is proposed. All prenatals, infants, and young children, who die at that early stage in life, are given the sanctifying grace of a mystical Baptism, either prior to, or at the moment of death (i.e. in the last moment of life), by virtue of being united, through their own deaths, with the Source of all salvation: Christ dying on the Cross. However, if substantial suffering occurs prior to death, then sanctifying grace may be given to these young souls at the time of their suffering, rather than later, at the moment of death.
After death, these young souls experience the particular judgment, in which God judges them worthy of eternal salvation in Heaven, because they have no mortal sins on their conscience and because they became united with Christ on the Cross through their death, when they received sanctifying grace in a mystical Baptism. For in Baptism, we all die with Christ, so that we may be with Christ in Heaven forever. So much the more do these young souls die with Christ, both literally and figuratively, at the time of their mystical Baptism. Therefore, their final resting place cannot possibly be Hell or Limbo, but only Heaven itself.
After the particular judgment, these immature but pure souls go to the uppermost level of Purgatory. There, they experience the love of the communion of the saints, who, as it were, raise them as if they were their own children. These young souls are given an opportunity to mature in soul, so that they can better experience the blessings of eternal life in Heaven. Their stay in Purgatory is relatively brief and sweet. Perhaps also, some of these children, having died at an age when they could sin at least semi-deliberately and yet only venially, may experience some minor sufferings to purify them from these minor faults. But the very youngest of these souls have no personal sins at all, and so their stay in Purgatory is for the purpose of receiving the spiritual development that they were denied on earth.
After a brief stay in Purgatory, these pure and holy young souls are ready for the blessings of everlasting life in Heaven. They enter eternal life to the joy of the Trinity and the holy Angels and all the Blessed in Heaven.
Now some may object to this solution, on the grounds that salvation must be obtained prior to death, not at the very instant of death. But I answer that salvation must be obtained during this lifetime and prior to the particular judgment, but not, strictly speaking, prior to the moment of death (that is, the last moment of life). For it is only after death that the salvation of a soul is irreversible, and it is at the particular judgment that this final destiny of the soul is revealed.
Just as the Blessed Virgin Mary was given salvific grace in the very first moment of her life, through the suffering and death of Christ on the Cross, so also are these young souls saved in the very last moment of their lives, by the same suffering and death of Christ on the Cross. For the salvific death of Christ on the Cross pours forth salvation to every Place and Time, so that any who are united to Christ on the Cross, in whatever way they may be united, and even up to and including the very moment of death, can receive eternal salvation from Jesus Christ. The Church has always taught that the opportunity for salvation persists through the very last moment of life. That is why She gives the Sacrament of Last Rites to even an unconscious person on the brink of death. Whoever claims that the last moment of life is too late for salvation to be granted by Christ is also thereby opposing a constant teaching of the Church in Her infallible Tradition.
The Blessed Virgin Mary was saved in the very first moment of her life, even though at that point in time she had done nothing at all herself. Similarly, these young souls can be saved at the very last moment of their life, even if at that point in time (having died very young, even in the womb) they may have done nothing good in their lives, other than accepting salvific grace at that last moment. For salvation is not merited by anyone, not even by the Virgin Mary; eternal salvation is a free and undeserved gift from the Infinite Mercy of God. Therefore, having committed no mortal sins, and having been permitted by the Providence of God to suffer the great loss of the greater part of a normal lifespan, these young souls, pure and humble, receive eternal salvation as late as the moment of death, that is, in the very last moment of life, from Christ, Who poured forth saving grace from the Cross even through the last moment of His human life, and at the very moment of His death.
Is it possible that some of these young souls receive the spiritual development that they lack when they experience the particular judgment, rather than in an upper level of Purgatory? This is possible, but it is much more likely with older souls, who have received substantial opportunity for the development of body and soul in this life. The injustice of the loss of this time for the fundamental development of the human person must be corrected by the mercy and justice of God. And since the particular judgment is relatively brief, and not primarily for the purpose of such fundamental development, it is more fitting for this development to occur in an upper level of Purgatory, in the communion of the saints. Those adults who receive, during the particular judgment, that final change of soul needed to become entirely ready for Heaven, are not in need of the same type of fundamental development of the soul that these very young souls need to understand and worship God.
11. Does Limbo Exist?
The term Limbo is used variously to describe different ideas about life after death.
a. Limbo of the fathers ('limbus patrum')
This term describes a temporary place where the Patriarchs of Israel, and other persons who died before Christ, would wait for Christ's salvific death on the Cross to occur, so that they could, thereafter, enter into Heaven. It is based on the idea that all are saved by Christ. And it addresses the problem as to how persons who lived and died before Christ can be saved by Him. It is sometimes described as an upper level of Purgatory. Alternately, is it conceived as separate from Purgatory, since it is not a place for temporal punishment of sins.
b. Limbo of the children ('limbus infantium' or 'limbus puerorum')
This term describes a permanent place of perfect natural happiness, but lacking the Beatific Vision and separate from Heaven and the Blessed in Heaven. Alternately, it is described as an upper level of Hell. Persons are said to go there if they both die without any actual mortal sins on their conscience and lack sanctifying grace due to original sin. Such persons would therefore be unbaptized, since baptism restores the sanctifying grace lost due to original sin.
c. Problems with Limbo
Notice that the fathers have received salvific grace without a formal baptism, so that the Limbo of the fathers is only temporary; they eventually enter Heaven. They must have received a mystical Baptism. Yet the Limbo of the infants is permanent. The fathers sinned more than any infants (if infants can even be said to sin at all). So then, this is a contradiction, to claim that the unbaptized fathers pass through a temporary Limbo, but that the Limbo of unbaptized infants is permanent.
The problem which the Limbo of the fathers addresses is related to the ideas of Time and Eternity. There is no need for the fathers, or anyone else saved prior to Christ's death on the Cross, to wait in Limbo for the event of Christ's death to open Heaven. God is Eternal; He is beyond Place and Time. Heaven is in eternity with God, so that Heaven is beyond Time. Christ's salvific death did open the gates of Heaven for all, and no one can be saved except through Christ, but Christ is God and so He can and does pour forth the grace of salvation from the Cross without limitation due to Place or Time. The Virgin Mary was very thoroughly saved at her Immaculate Conception, prior to even the Incarnation of Christ. And the fathers could enter Heaven after their particular judgment, and perhaps after a time in Purgatory for purification and the completion of their sanctification, but without waiting centuries for Christ to die for them, because Christ opened the gates of Heaven in Eternity, which is beyond Time. However, there may still have been a Limbo of the fathers. This was not for the purpose of waiting for the necessary time to pass on earth, for even Purgatory is beyond the limits of earthly Time. But rather it was so that these fathers and others, after having passed through any necessary pains of Purgatory, would have a time of preparation for Heaven, since in their life they had little or no knowledge of the Messiah. In this view, the limbo of the fathers would be an upper level of Purgatory for the additional preparation for Heaven needed by many persons.
The Limbo of infants (as a separate place of perfect natural happiness) presents a problematic claim: that these souls lack the Beatific Vision, and are forever separated from the Blessed in Heaven, including Christ and the Virgin Mary and all the Saints and Angels, yet these souls are supposedly perfectly happy. The idea that happiness can be obtained apart from God is a false idea, sometimes implicit in secular society, but nowhere to be found in Tradition or Scripture. The explanation is usually given that this happiness is natural happiness, but not a supernatural happiness. But my reply is that God created all that is natural in such a manner that nothing natural can reach true fulfillment apart from its Creator. Without the ability to know and worship God, no created soul can be happy, even at a natural level. Nowhere is there any happiness apart from God. Therefore, there is no limbo in the sense of a place of permanent natural happiness.
[Matthew]
{25:31} And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.
{25:32} And all nations shall be gathered together before him: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats:
{25:33} And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.
For Christ divides all nations into only two groups: the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the one group is sent to Heaven and the other group is sent to Hell. There is no third group and no third final place. Now Purgatory is a third place, but one's stay there is only temporary, not final. Therefore, Scripture teaches that there are only two final resting places: Heaven and Hell. And so no other final resting place can exist, not even one of perfect natural happiness.
The Limbo of infants (as an upper level of Hell) presents a different problem. This idea suggests that prenatals and unbaptized infants go to a place in Hell, because they die without Baptism and with original sin, even though they have no actual mortal sins on their conscience. The Mercy of God, as many have observed, would never send the innocent to even an upper level of Hell. The solution to this problem is simple: all prenatals, infants, and young children who die at such a young age receive a mystical Baptism in the last moment of their life, by virtue of the great suffering of Christ on the Cross and their own great suffering (with or without pain) in the loss of their life.
d. Advantages of Formal Baptism for Infants and Children
It might seem that the surety of mystical Baptism for prenatals, infants, and young children makes a formal Baptism useless. Such is not the case. Formal Baptism has significant advantages for those infants and young children who receive it, compared to mystical Baptism. Mystical Baptism is only certain upon the death of a prenatal, infant, or young child. With a formal Baptism, the parents and other family members have a guarantee, not dependant upon the death of the individual, that the individual has received sanctifying grace. Also, when the individual lives and does not die in childhood, the individual's soul benefits greatly from having possessed sanctifying grace from a very early age. If a child would happen to die after a formal Baptism, even the benefit of receiving sanctifying grace years, months, days, or even minutes or seconds before death should not be underestimated. The reception of sanctifying grace at the very moment of death provides no opportunity for the one receiving this mystical Baptism to live in this life, even briefly, while in a state of grace. The infant or child with a formal Baptism has a higher degree and type of holiness and joy in Heaven due to the earlier reception of sanctifying grace. (Adults also, who received a formal Baptism in infancy, have a higher degree and type of holiness and joy, due to their early reception of sanctifying grace, than adults who wait until adulthood to be formally baptized, or who do not receive a mystical Baptism until their adult years.)
The infant or child who dies after receiving a formal Baptism has a significant benefit that remains for all eternity. But the prenatal, infant, or child is not short-changed, because these ones, by a special act of the Mercy of God uniting them with Christ on the Cross, were able to receive sanctifying grace despite the great loss of most of their normal lifespan. Having received eternal salvation even without a formal Baptism, they are completely filled with joy and happiness once they enter into Heaven.
12. The Interpretation of Past Teachings
The Council of Trent
“If any one says that true and natural water is not necessary for baptism, and, on that account, twists into some sort of metaphor those words of our Lord Jesus Christ, 'Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit,' let him be anathema.” (Trent, On Baptism, Canon II).
Therefore, a formal Baptism does require both true and natural water and the proper formula of words determined by the Church. However, this does not preclude the possibility of a mystical Baptism. This Canon of Trent refers only to formal Baptism. This is clear because the Council says 'and, on that account,' and then refers to our Lord's words on formal Baptism. The teaching on mystical Baptism does not turn Christ's words, or the Church's teaching, on formal Baptism into a metaphor.
The Council of Florence
“Also, the souls of those who have incurred no stain of sin whatsoever after baptism, as well as souls who after incurring the stain of sin have been cleansed whether in their bodies or outside their bodies, as was stated above, are straightaway received into heaven and clearly behold the triune God as he is, yet one person more perfectly than another according to the difference of their merits. But the souls of those who depart this life in actual mortal sin, or in original sin alone, go down straightaway to hell to be punished, but with unequal pains.” (Florence, Session 6, July 6th, 1439).
The Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council, convened by Pope Eugene IV, attended by Bishops in communion with him. Note that the expression 'straightaway received into heaven' does not preclude the possibility of purification in Purgatory, which is indicated by the phrasing 'cleansed...outside their bodies'. This decree affirms the effectiveness of Baptism and the danger of actual mortal sin. The second sentence applies to those who die with an unrepented actual mortal sin on their soul, including the actual mortal sin of omission of not obtaining sanctifying grace (so that the stain of original sin remains) during their lifetime. Those who obtain a mystical Baptism during life, even if only in the last moment of life, do not die in original sin alone, and so they do not go to Hell. Those who die with a mortal sin of omission on their conscience are punished differently than those who die with an actual mortal sin on their conscience because the latter actively did evil. The former are like servant who buried his talent in the ground, for they culpably return to God only what He first gave to them, a human soul without sanctifying grace.
Pope Paul VI
“The doctrine which rejects as a Pelagian fable, that place of the lower regions (which the faithful generally designate by the name of the limbo of children) in which the souls of those departing with the sole guilt of original sin are punished with the punishment of the condemned, exclusive of the punishment of fire ... [is] false, rash, injurious to Catholic schools.” (Pope Paul VI, Auctorem Fidei, n. 26).
Pope Paul VI here says that those who die with original sin, but no other sins, are condemned to a place of the lower regions (sometimes called limbo of the children). But this declaration is not infallible. Furthermore, the idea of punishment for a culpable failure to find sanctifying grace (so that one dies in original sin) is entirely correct. Such persons are punished in Hell, but to a different degree and manner than those who commit a sin of commission, rather than this particular sin of omission. Pope Paul VI here generally expresses correct doctrine, but he lacked the further development of doctrine which contains the understanding that young children, infants, and prenatals do not die with the guilt of original sin because they receive a mystical Baptism, at least in the last moment of their lives. Note that the Pope does not himself use the term Limbo, but he merely notes that some of the faithful use the term.
13. Reply to Questions and Objections
Question: When was the formal Sacrament of Baptism instituted by Christ?
Answer: When Christ was baptized by John, who in and of himself could not give the formal Sacrament of Baptism, the Father nevertheless sent the Holy Spirit upon the human nature of Christ, turning John's baptism into the first true formal Baptism by water and the Spirit of God.
Question: Do unbaptized older children and teenagers receive a mystical Baptism, if they die at that age?
Answer: As the child approaches and surpasses the age of reason, that is, an age when they can understand right from wrong, there is a gradual increase in moral responsibility and in culpability for sin. Anyone who approaches death while lacking sanctifying grace, but also while lacking full culpability for the sin of omission of not obtaining sanctifying grace before death, will receive a mystical Baptism at their death. (This includes adults who have a substantial degree of mental disability, reducing their culpability below the level of an actual mortal sin.) So whether or not one's lack of sanctifying grace is culpable to the full extent of an actual mortal sin will depend upon the age and level of development of that child or teen, and on whether there were any other factors which might significantly decrease culpability. However, all persons should very preferably be baptized in infancy or, failing that, as early as possible. Formal Baptism provide certitude that saving grace has been received, correcting the loss of grace that occurs due to original sin.
Objection: The Church teaches that that all who depart this life without baptism (of water, or blood, or desire) are perpetually excluded from the vision of God and from Heaven. (cf. Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm).
Reply: This objection is not entirely true. The Church has never specifically taught that the only possible types of Baptism, other than a formal Baptism, are those of blood and of desire. Furthermore, the term 'mystical Baptism,' both includes the Baptisms of blood and of desire, and it completes the development of doctrine which began with the concepts of Baptism of blood and Baptism of desire.
Objection: The Church teaches “that those who die in original sin, without ever having contracted any actual sin, are deprived of the happiness of heaven.” (cf. Catholic Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm).
Reply: Those who receive a mystical Baptism in the very last moment of their life do not die in original sin. Also, actual mortal sin, for those who have surpassed the age of reason, includes sins of omission, such as in the case of an adult who, with full culpability, fails to find sanctifying grace in this life. Such adults go to Hell for this mortal sin of omission, not merely for having been conceived and born with original sin.
Objection: The reception of sanctifying grace at the very moment of death provides no opportunity for the one receiving this mystical Baptism to live in this life, even briefly, while in a state of grace.
Reply: A similar objection was raised against the idea of the Immaculate Conception, namely, that Mary could not be saved in the very first moment of her existence, at her conception, because she was not provided with an opportunity to first be a sinner in need of salvation. The solution is also similar. Christ pours forth salvific grace from His Cross, to every moment of every lifetime, even from the very first moment to the very last moment. Just as God can save Mary in the very first moment of her life, so also can God save prenatals, infants, and young children, up to and including the very last moment of their lives.
Objection: The only souls who go to Purgatory are those in need of punishment for their sins. Since these young souls have sanctifying grace, and no personal sins, they must go directly to Heaven.
Reply: Purgatory is not only for purification (punishment for sin), but it is also for the sanctification (growth in holiness) needed to fully enjoy the blessings of Heaven.
Objection: This is all highly speculative and we cannot really know what is and is not the truth until the Magisterium decides the question infallibly, so the faithful should just ignore all such ideas.
Reply: This proposed solution has not been taught infallibly by the Church, and it is theological speculation.
But it is also based on infallible Sacred Tradition and infallible Sacred Scripture and on infallible Teachings of the Sacred Magisterium about Baptism and original sin and salvation. It is not true at all, and it is in fact a heresy, to say that the faithful should believe solely what the Magisterium teaches. The faithful are obligated by the moral law and by the teaching of the Magisterium itself to seek the truth continually. The faithful are also obligated to learn directly from the Bible and from the living Tradition of the Church. Whoever rejects the teachings of Scripture and of Tradition, except for those teachings explicitly taught by the Magisterium, is a heretic who has rejected the Divine Revelation of God.
Furthermore, we can know various truths about the Faith in addition to magisterial teachings. Our knowledge is fallible, but it is none the less required of us by God to devoutly seek to understand the teachings of Christ, as best we can, without waiting for a magisterial decision on each question. When Augustine debated Pelagius about original sin, the matter was settled infallibly by the Church at the Council of Orange - about a hundred years later. Not a single Saint or Blessed or Doctor or Father of the Church ever refrained from seeking truths about the Faith based on the idea that we must wait for the Magisterium to decide a question. Such truth seeking by the faithful assists the Magisterium in understanding and deciding questions of doctrine. We cannot be certain in our proposed answers to such questions, but to abandon the search for these truths is a sin against Christ who is Truth.
14. Outside the Church, There Is No Salvation
If the concept of Church is defined narrowly, such that the Church includes only Catholics who are formal members of the Church, then this statement would not be true. But if the definition of the Church includes all those who receive either a formal Baptism or a mystical Baptism, then it is certainly true that those baptized into the Church at some point during their lives, even in the very last moment of their life, are the only souls who are able to enter into eternal salvation in Heaven. No one is saved without being baptized, either formally or mystically. No one is saved outside of the Church, because membership in the Church is obtained by Baptism, and because the salvific grace of Baptism comes from Christ, the head of the Church. Baptism is entirely necessary for salvation; there are no exceptions at all.
15. Do these very young souls go directly to Heaven, or first to Purgatory?
There are two possible paths that very young souls (including prenatal souls who have lived for only a few hours or days after conception, and infants, and very young children) might take after their mystical Baptism, after their death, and after their particular judgment.
a. In the first possibility, they would go straight to Heaven. However, this course presents several theological problems.
1) Their souls, which may have had only a few hours or days of development after conception but before death, have little or no ability to comprehend anything.
2) They would experience exceedingly little of the blessings and joys of Heaven, because of the lack of development of their souls.
3) They could not worship God with their freewill, because they could not know Him sufficiently to worship Him.
4) No significant spiritual development can overcome these problems during the last moment of life, when they receive sanctifying grace, because it is only one moment in time. Neither can the substantial amount of spiritual development needed take place at that very young soul's particular judgment, because the particular judgment is brief and is not for the purpose of substantial spiritual development.
5) The loss of their spiritual development prior to any ability to know and love God is a great injustice which is not corrected by having these souls enter Heaven without the substantial development needed.
6) At the general Resurrection, what kind of bodies would be fitting for souls who die only a few hours or days after conception? The glorified body of an adult or a child would not be fitting for one who has not developed to the point of being able to understand.
7) The Doctors, Saints, and Fathers of the Church have talked about a place for such young souls apart from Heaven. The idea that they go straight to Heaven discards all that these holy persons have said on the subject.
b. In the second possibility, these young souls go to an upper level of Purgatory, where they receive the spiritual development that they need in order to know and love God with their free will and in order to fully experience the joys of Heaven. They are nurtured and raised there, as if in a nursery, by the communion of the saints. When mature, they can then enter into Heaven. This approach solves all seven of the previously-mentioned problems.
1) Through spiritual development in an upper level of Purgatory, these very young souls can, at last, know and love God with their free will.
2) They can then enjoy the blessings and joys of Heaven in a full manner, as befits the uniqueness of each one.
3) They can finally worship God, in a full manner, now that they are able to know and love Him.
4) The event of their mystical Baptism and their brief particular judgment by God are now completed in this third step toward Heaven, namely, their spiritual nurturing by the communion of saints.
5) The great injustice of the loss of their spiritual development is entirely corrected because God mercifully gives them a way to develop in Purgatory.
6) At the general Resurrection, they can have the resurrected bodies of children, bodies which will be fitting to these souls who have now developed the ability to understand and to love.
7) Rather than discarding all the ideas on this subject by the Saints, Doctors, and Fathers of the Church, this idea modifies and completes their initial work. They proposed a place for children who die at such a young age, but without mortal sin; they did not realize that mystical Baptism could extend beyond Baptisms of blood and of desire; they thought that the place for such children in the afterlife was permanent, but they also thought that a similar limbo for the fathers was temporary. In this development of doctrine, there is still a such place in the afterlife for such children, but it is temporary and it is a part of Purgatory, not a permanent and separate place. And all the teachings of the these holy persons on the necessity of Baptism, and on the condemnation of those who die without any kind of Baptism and with original sin, are still valid, even though these are now understood with greater depth.
Therefore, such young souls receive a mystical Baptism, experience death, are judged by God in the particular judgment, and then go to an upper level of Purgatory for further spiritual development, before entering into the eternal blessing and joy of Heaven.
by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
June 4, 2006
Pentecost Sunday
