Confessor. Yes, so.

Unknown. Suppose you are right that this grace which regenerates the whole man necessarily requires an external form: immersion in water, the utterance of certain words, that is, what you call the "corporeality of the sacrament." But the question arises: is it possible that only this external form, only this corporeality, is required?

Confessor. Of course not.

Unknown. But that's exactly what you do! As if nothing but this external form is needed.

Confessor. Why do you think so?

Unknown. Very simple. After all, "being born again" and joining the Church through certain external actions presupposes one indispensable condition: faith. Remember how Acts speaks of the baptism of a eunuch. Philip preached to him about Jesus on the way and apparently convinced him. We drove up to the water. The eunuch, pointing to the water, said: "... behold, water; What hinders me from being baptized?" Philip answered him: "... If you believe with all your heart, you can. He answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." And he commanded the chariot to be stopped, and both Philip and the eunuch descended into the water; and baptized him" (Acts 8:36-38).

Thus, the possibility of the sacrament depended on faith. Without faith, there would be no sacrament. Is it like that with you? Will you not consider the sacrament to have been performed if the person being baptized is indifferent or even hostile to the faith? And according to the Church's teaching, will not your formula work without his faith, and will he be subject to a second baptism? But the denial of faith as a necessary internal condition for the celebration of the sacrament can be seen most clearly in the baptism of infants. You immerse them in water and assure them that they are already "members of the Church," that is, they are also "born again." But what kind of faith can a suckling infant have? Under such conditions, does not your baptism turn into some kind of magic spell, where words and actions have a self-sufficient meaning? And is it not clear that the Church has here replaced the inner meaning of the sacrament with an external rite? And therefore, even if it is possible to recognize as truth the abstract teaching about the "corporeality of grace," it is absolutely impossible to accept what has come out of it in practice.

Confessor. You are quite right when you say that faith is a necessary condition for the celebration of the sacrament. But consider this matter in more detail, and you will see that all your troubles are in vain.

In the sacrament of baptism, a person receives a new birth, which makes him a member of the Church. The physical birth of a person bears within itself the beginning of original sin, without overcoming which it is impossible to become a member of the Church, a particle of the Body of Christ. Man himself cannot do this because he himself cannot destroy in his nature the principle of original sin. This can only be done through the new birth by the power of divine grace and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed the world. This regenerating power is contained in the Church, and the Church contains the moment of faith necessary for this. A person who is baptized receives what the Church gives him and what does not depend on him: his soul is placed in a new condition of existence, he is born again, he becomes a member of the Church – and through this it becomes possible for him to receive those sacraments in which the grace of God can be given only to members of the Church.

Unknown. Is personal faith really not needed here?

Confessor. No, you do. And the Church will not perform baptism on a person who is known to be unbelievers. Just as Philip asked the eunuch, she would ask him if he believed in Christ. But personal faith is needed in order for grace to become an effective principle in the soul of a person.

Unknown. And if he accepts the sacrament for some external reasons, without actually believing, will the sacrament still be performed?

Confessor. Yes, it will. In the sense that the Church will give what is contained in the sacrament. But it will be as if a person who has received life immediately cuts it short by suicide: because of his disbelief in the received sacrament, the person will be a dead member of the Church.

Unknown. So, if he truly believes afterwards, he must be baptized again?