We know from the scriptures that a person must be baptized if they are to enter into Heaven. Jesus tells us: Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). The early Church tells us that in this passage Jesus is speaking of Baptism and nearly all present day Christians agree. In addition, Jesus’ last instructions to the disciples is to baptize all of the nations. Thus, we know that Baptism is an act of faith that is the key to entering into Jesus’ eternal life.
But what does this mean for those who do not have the opportunity to be baptized? Can they too be saved? Yes, but only through Baptism. The Church informs us of two other forms of Baptism besides the traditional occurrence of a willing person having water poured over them in the Trinitarian Formula (in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)
Baptism of Blood occurs when a person who is not baptized dies for their faith in Jesus because they were able to drink from the same cup that our Lord drank. Their faith is expressed in the greatest act of love, laying down one’s life for a friend.
Baptism of Desire occurs when someone has initiated the preparation for Baptism, but died before they could complete the sacrament. We believe that God honors the intention of the heart, and His mercy provides for the physical action that did not have a chance to take place.
But what about those who lived before Jesus? Or those who lived after but never heard of the Gospel? St. Peter answers the first question by letting us know that when Jesus descended into Hell after his death, He preached the Good News to the souls there. And the righteous who responded to His preaching were brought with Him to heaven when He broke through the iron gates. For those who live after but had never heard of Jesus, it is believed that God will search their hearts at their judgment to see if they lived a life striving for love. It is believed that the proper loving disposition would naturally have drawn these individuals to Baptism had they known its necessity. Essentially, they are saved through a Baptism of Desire that only God can judge.
So as the Church Fathers and the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, there is no salvation outside of the Church, the Body of Christ. Yet, we know that Baptism is an act of faith that engages both the body and soul. So whenever the soul is willing to make the act of faith, but there are physical deterrents to Baptism’s completion, God’s mercy provides because he desires all men to be saved.