When Maureen from Lake Forest, Illinois, called The Patrick Madrid Show, she had two questions: Why does the Catholic Church baptize infants, and does the Church recognize Protestant marriages?

Patrick explained that marriage is a natural institution established by God. The Church presumes a marriage between one man and one woman who are free to marry is valid unless proven otherwise. When two baptized people validly marry, their marriage is sacramental.

Turning to infant Baptism, Patrick compared it to circumcision under the Old Covenant. Parents entered their children into that covenant even though the children could not understand what was happening.

But Baptism goes further. “It’s not merely an outward sign,” Patrick explained. “It actually does what it symbolizes.”

Through Baptism, Christ truly gives grace and new life. That is why infants can receive the sacrament even before they are capable of personally repenting or understanding it.

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