​Resurrection  of  the  Lord  Parish

​​​ Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

With the Reformation, some early Protestants, including the “Anabaptists,” rejected infant baptism in favor of “believer’s baptism.”  Against Orthodox and Catholic practice, which favored baptism as soon as possible for a new born, these movements desired that the candidate for baptism speak for him-or herself at a mature age, not through godparents as an infant.  Today, it is clear that they were rejecting a very ancient practice (even as early as the second century) of baptizing children of all ages.  Children came first in ancient baptismal ceremonies, and someone would speak for them.  Gregory of Nazianzen wanted to delay the baptism of children to three years of age, since at that age they could retain at least some impression of the liturgy.  He made an exception for the very ill, who were to be baptized ahead of the annual Easter baptism.  That means that infants and children were normally baptized together with adults, and that everyone received confirmation and the Eucharist.

The tone of the early bishops’  writings is generous and compassionate, and seeks to build up the eucharistic assembly by widely celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit.  If a priest celebrated baptism, then the gift of the Spirit was postponed for the bishop, but with no regard for the person’s age.  So, until the fifth century, confirmation was for infants, too.

— Rev. James Field

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