re the doctrine of original sin regarding the consequences of the original sin catholics believe that what adam primarily lost by his sin for himself and the human race was sanctifying grace this is basically a share in the divine life take a rock and make it able to talk what god does to a human being through sanctifying grace is similar it makes such a one able to live on a plane that is above the powers of any possible creature this is the everlasting life that the new testament speaks of what christ did when he came was to restore this life of sanctifying grace to the human race he instituted the sacraments as the means by which this life is given to people and its increase fostered the absence of sanctifying grace at death means automatic exclusion from heaven the nature of heaven is such that it s impossible for a human being to have any part in it without the gift of sanctifying grace to use my example it would be like taking that rock and attempting to hold a conversation with it rocks cannot talk neither can human beings live in heaven without sanctifying grace this all obviously applies equally well to infants or adults since both have souls infants must be baptized therefore or they cannot enter into heaven they too need this form of life in them or they cannot enter into heaven turning it around infant baptism is good supporting evidence for the catholic belief in sanctifying grace unless baptism causes some change in an infant s soul there is no particular reason to insist on the practice yet infant baptism was probably practiced by the apostles themselves and was certainly part of the church shortly thereafter there is evidence for infant baptism in the new testament itself cor acts also acts it is known for sure that at least one disciple of the apostle john was baptized as an infant st polycarp because of a remark he makes in the acts of his martyrdom st justin martyr mentions men and women baptized as infants there is direct evidence in st irenaeus s against heresies and in tertullian s on baptism all these so far mentioned are in the first years after our lord s death after that there starts to be tons of evidence for the practice
