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?

Confessor. No. The grace-filled power that gives birth to a person anew, according to the teaching of the Church, can be given only once, as only once can a person be physically born. This power was given to him in the sacrament of baptism. He's dead, but he's a member of the Church. And if he believes, repents of his deception, then the grace that he received from the Church will become effective in him, and he will come to life again, as it were.

Unknown. Let's say so. And what about the baptism of infants? After all, this is just some kind of forcible joining the Church. If an unbeliever is baptized, he still participates in it somehow, even if hypocritically. And what about babies? After all, this is like baptizing a person who is unconscious, and then claiming that he has become a "member of the Church".

Духовник. Младенцы не имеют личных грехов, и это условие считается достаточным для действенного принятия таинства. Что же касается личной веры, то Церковь здесь являет себя как нечто единое и целое: личная вера, которой не может быть у младенцев и которая необходима для действительности таинства, -- исповедуется перед Господом его восприемниками.

Неизвестный. Опять отвлечённое богословие. Разве в действительности это так? Разве восприемники думают о том, что они должны исповедовать свою веру перед Богом? Разве для них это не пустой обряд и разве участие их определяется религиозными мотивами, а не житейскими отношениями?

Духовник. Возможно. И за это они дадут ответ Богу. Благодать -- не безразличная сила, и прикасающийся к ней недостойно не может воспрепятствовать её действию своим недостоинством, но сам тяжко согрешает. Таинство всегда свято само по себе. И совершается всегда, когда его совершает Церковь. А то, о чём говоришь ты, -- это грехи людей, а вовсе не замена Церковью благодатного таинства внешним обрядом.

Неизвестный. Я готов принять твои слова. Возможно, что здесь действительно нет погрешности в учении Церкви. Но иногда действительность так сплетается с учением, что не знаешь, где кончается одно и начинается другое. Может быть, мне труднее всего принять таинство брака.

Духовник. Я понимаю тебя. Здесь церковное учение действительно чрезвычайно затемнено. Но постараемся в нём разобраться.