Folia Canonica 11. (2008)

PROCEEDINGS OF TENTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. "Questioni attuali intorno al Battesimo" Budapest, 4th February 2008 - Michael Carragher: Intention of the Minister as Substantive Element of Baptism

INTENTION OF THE MINISTER AND BAPTISM

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ism of the matter and gives it its specifically Christian and sacramental signification. A sacrament is perfected only when it is actually being received by a subject, candidate or recipient, (except for the Eucharist). There can be no possibility of sacramental causality without a subject. This is reflected on the level of signification. The adequate sign of causality must include the application of the material elements to a subject: not water but washing is required for baptism. Mere physical submission to the sacraments on the part of one who has the use of reason is not however enough. St. Thomas in his Summa Theologiae states.4

Bodily exercise, as such, is not very profitable: but exercise taken in the use of the sacraments is not merely bodily, but to a certain extent spiritual, viz. in its signification and in its causality.

St. Thomas considers the act of reception of the sacrament as a sign of faith of a candidate in the proper dispositions. The faith of the minister, of the subject and of the church operates towards the effect of baptism. He states accordingly:5

In baptism something is required on the part of the minister, namely, that he pour the water and utter the words, and something is required on the part of the subject, namely that he form an intention and that he be washed.

Thus intention is required of both the minister and the subject in baptism.

B. Intention

There is intention only when and insofar as one settles on something as a means of achieving an end.6

the form and the person of the minister who confers the sacrament with the intention of doing what the church does. If any of these are lacking, the sarament is not effected”. Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, G. Alberigo-N. Tanner (eds.)., London 1990, I, 542.

4 Summa Theologiae 111, q. 61, art.l ad 1 Ad primum ergo dicendum quod corporalis exercitatio, inquantum est corporalis, non multum utilis Est. Sed exercitatio per usum sacramentorum non est pure corporalis, sed quodammodo est spiritualis, scilicet per significationem et causalitatem.

5 1 Quodlibet, q. 6 a.l. Sicut enim in baptismo requiritur aliquid ex parte ministri, scilicet ut abluat et proferat, et aliquid ex parte suscipientis sacramentum, ut scilicet intendat et abluatur;

6 Summa Theologiae 1-11, q. 12, a. 1 ad 4. Ad quartum dicendum quod intentio est actus voluntatis respectu finis. Sed voluntas respicit finem tripliciter. Uno modo, absolute, et sic dicitur voluntas, prout absolute volumus vel sanitatem, vel si quid aliud est huiusmodi. Alio modo consideratur finis secundum quod in eo quiescitur, et hoc modo fruitio respicit finem. Tertio modo consideratur finis secundum quod est terminus alicuius quod in ipsum ordinatur, et sic intentio respicit finem. Non enim solum ex hoc intendere dicimur sanitatem, quia volumus eam, sed quia volumus ad eam per aliquid aliud pervenire, (italics added)