Expert: Fr. Michael - 11/3/2010

Question
Hi Father, I sent you a question about a co-worker of mine who had a baby who died before being baptized, & the mother wanted to know how they could possibly be happy in Heaven knowing their child could not enter.  Of course this assumes that the mother will one day, if she has not already, made a honest confession, is free of Mortal sin at the moment of death, and is truely sorry for what happened that prevented the child from being baptized before the child died. Your reply was pretty clear in stating that the child/infant will NOT enter into Heaven, & that the mother should understnad this is a consequence for her actions (or inactions). I am not sure I know the best way to deliver such an answer for the following reason: Since I know that God is just, that to deny an individual(the infant) what is due them(the opportunity to spend eternity in Heaven with God) because of the actions of another (the mother) would seem to be unjust.  I know that all those who died after Adam & Eve were not allowed to enter Heaven until Jesus came and got them after He was crucified.  Following this understading, would it not be the same for infants, young children, & anyone else who could not be baptized for reason's not their fault before they die?

Answer
Such infants, as we all before Baptism, are guilty of Original Sin.  Thus, it would not be just for one laboring under sin to enter Heaven.  The Apocalypse of St. John in the New Testament makes this clear:  "there shall enter into it [Heaven] nothing defiled."