Does Council of Trent teach desire apart from baptism?

Why do so many Catholics keep on stressing the extraordinary ways of joining the Church instead of concentrating on the beautiful teaching on the gift of Catholic faith that our merciful God is willing to give to all those who sincerely desire it. Some claim that the 'doctrine' of baptism of desire has been proclaimed in the Sixth Session of the Council of Trent, where in Chapter IV the clause 'or the desire thereof' appears in the discussion on the manner of justification. Here I will argue that Chapter IV supports the literal reading of the necessity of membership in the Church and full unity in the Catholic faith when seen in the context of the entire Decree on Justification.

The text of the Session is available at: http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct06.html

I will try to discuss the context of the statement by referring to the declarations that precede and follow that phrase. As a lay Catholic, I may blunder, and will welcome any correction if I misinterpret particular passages or the entire Session altogether.

The Purpose of the Decree on Justification

The Decree on Justification clearly addresses the erroneous Protestant doctrines which on the one hand separate the believer's justification from his or her sanctification and on the other hand twist the dogma of application of Christ's merits to our salvation. Chapter III explains that while Christ died for all, not everyone applies His sacrifice for their salvation: "though He died for all, yet do not all receive the benefit of His death, but those only unto whom the merit of His passion is communicated". So this is the context in which the Council talks of the "translation ... to the state of grace" in Chapter IV--it thus does not refer to the entire humanity (for whom Christ died) but only to those who apply the merits of His death.

Who are those that the Council terms as "us" in the sentence from Chapter III--"hath translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love, in whom we have redemption, and remission of sins." Obviously, the faithful and not the entire world!

Notice the expression "remission of sins"--this is what the sacrament of baptism does--not only with regard to the original sin but also all the personal sins.

The Manner of Justification

Chapter IV opens up with the transitional phrase "By which words, a description of the Justification of the impious is indicated,-as being a translation...". So Chapter IV no longer defines what justification is (which was discussed in Chapter III), but goes on to specify the necessary condition for obtaining it. "And this translation, since the promulgation of the Gospel, cannot be effected, without the laver of regeneration, or the desire thereof, as it is written; unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God."

It is important to notice that the text clearly distinguishes the time "since the promulgation of the Gospel" from the period before. In the pre-Gospel period, following the natural law was accepted by God, but the Gospel introduced a new requirement--baptism.

Desire for Baptism As A Disposition Necessary for Justification

Chapter VI specifically enumerates the dispositions of the soul that those who would like to be justified need to demonstrate. Interestingly the list does not end with the desire for baptism alone but with the resolution to 'begin a new life, and to keep the commandments of God'. Here is the entire sequence of required dispositions:

"Now they (adults) are disposed unto the said justice, when, excited and assisted by divine grace, conceiving faith by hearing, they are freely moved towards God, believing those things to be true which God has revealed and promised,-and this especially, that God justifies the impious by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; and when, understanding themselves to be sinners, they, by turning themselves, from the fear of divine justice whereby they are profitably agitated, to consider the mercy of God, are raised unto hope, confiding that God will be propitious to them for Christ's sake; and they begin to love Him as the fountain of all justice; and are therefore moved against sins by a certain hatred and detestation, to wit, by that penitence which must be performed before baptism: lastly, when they purpose to receive baptism, to begin a new life, and to keep the commandments of God."

It is worth noting that the Council of Trent has nowhere indicated that it contemplated the cases in which catechumens died before receiving baptism. Instead, this Chapter shows a natural course of events in the life of a catechumen, requiring that even at an early stage the future member of the faithful resolves to undertake all the Christian's obligations.

It is moreover striking that Chapter VI continues the 'as it is written' emphasis on the requirement to receive the sacrament of baptism from Chapter IV by citing two Scriptural references in a row:

"Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; and, Going, therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"

The fact that Chapter IV ought to be seen as part of the usual process of catechumenate rather than open the way for 'extraordinary ways of salvation' can be confirmed in Chapter VII, which repeats Chapter VI's sequence on the dispositions in the context of the catechumen's reception of the sacrament of baptism:

"For which reason it is most truly said, that Faith without works is dead and profitless; and, In Christ Jesus neither circumcision, availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by charity. This faith, Catechumen's beg of the Church-agreeably to a tradition of the apostles-previously to the sacrament of Baptism; when they beg for the faith which bestows life everlasting, which, without hope and charity, faith cannot bestow: whence also do they immediately hear that word of Christ; If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

The Council uses the ancient liturgical tradition to illustrate its declaration that faith does not originate in man and is not credited for salvation (as the Protestants wrongly believe), but is a gift conferred by the Church at the sacrament of baptism.

Does the text of the Session indicate anywhere that God would not reward the desire for baptism with actual baptism and its effects (remission of sins and granting sanctifying grace)? No, on the contrary as we can read throughout the Session indications that sacraments are to be administered to all who desire them by necessity of means and that they are efficacious:

"Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost"

"no pious person ought to doubt of the mercy of God, of the merit of Christ, and of the virtue and efficacy of the sacraments" (Chapter IX)

"Of this Justification the causes are these: the final cause indeed is the glory of God and of Jesus Christ, and life everlasting; while the efficient cause is a merciful God who washes and sanctifies gratuitously, signing, and anointing with the holy Spirit of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance; but the meritorious cause is His most beloved only-begotten, our Lord Jesus Christ, who, when we were enemies, for the exceeding charity wherewith he loved us, merited Justification for us by His most holy Passion on the wood of the cross, and made satisfaction for us unto God the Father; the instrumental cause is the sacrament of baptism, which is the sacrament of faith, without which (faith) no man was ever justified; lastly, the alone formal cause is the justice of God, not that whereby He Himself is just, but that whereby He maketh us just, that, to wit, with which we being endowed by Him, are renewed in the spirit of our mind, and we are not only reputed, but are truly called, and are, just, receiving justice within us, each one according to his own measure, which the Holy Ghost distributes to every one as He wills, and according to each one's proper disposition and co-operation. For, although no one can be just, but he to whom the merits of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ are communicated, yet is this done in the said justification of the impious, when by the merit of that same most holy Passion, the charity of God is poured forth, by the Holy Spirit, in the hearts of those that are justified, and is inherent therein: whence, man, through Jesus Christ, in whom he is ingrafted, receives, in the said justification, together with the remission of sins, all these (gifts) infused at once, faith, hope, and charity." (Chapter VII)

Concluding, there is no reason to doubt God's will for us to be saved; the only obstacle is our resistance to the Holy Ghost. For that reason, the Council of Trent opposes the Calvinist doctrine of perseverance of the saints and assurance of personal salvation, warning that "each one, when he regards himself, and his own weakness and indisposition, may have fear and apprehension touching his own grace; seeing that no one can know with a certainty of faith, which cannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God."

Thus, on this reading of Session VI in its entirety, we certainly must not judge on either anyone else's or even our own salvation. The reason being that we cannot read our own (let alone others') hearts to know if we have removed all the obstacles to the infusion of God's sanctifying grace.