HOMILY, FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD
with Baptism of Babies, Sistine Chapel, 1/11/09
Baptism of Jesus, Perugino/Pinturicchio, c. 1482. Fresco, 325x540 cm, Sistine Chapel.
At 10 a.m. today, the Holy Father presided at Holy Mass in the Sistine Chapel, at which he administered Baptism to 13 babies. Here is a translation of his homily:
Dear brothers and sisters:
The words used by the evangelist Mark at the start of his Gospel - "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased" - introduce us to the heart of today's Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, which concludes the Christmas season.
The cycle of the season's solemnities allowed us to meditate on the birth of Jesus announced by angels surrounded by the luminous splendor of God. Christmastide speaks to us of the star that led the Magi from the east to the house in Bethlehem, and invites us to look up to heaven which opened up on the Jordan while the voice of God resounded.
They are all signs through which the Lord does not tire of repeating to us: "Yes, I am here. I know you and I love you. There is a road from me that leads to you. And there is a road that leads from you to me."
The Creator took on in Jesus the dimensions of a baby, of a human being like us, so that we can see and touch him. At the same time, by making himself small, the Lord has let shine forth the light of his greatness. By humbling himself to the seemingly helpless impotence of love, he shows us what is true greatness - what it means to be God.
The meaning of Christmas, and more generally, the meaning of the liturgical year, is precisely to bring us closer to these divine signs, to recognize that they are impressed on the events of every day, so that our hearts may open up to the love of God.
If the Nativity and the Epiphany serve above all to make us capable of seeing, to open our eyes and heart to the mystery of a God who comes to be with us, the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus introduces us, we might say, to the quotidianity of a personal relationship with him.
In fact, through immersion in the waters of the Jordan, Jesus united himself to us. Baptism is, so to speak, the bridge that he built between himself and us, the road through which he makes himself accessible to us.
Baptism is the divine rainbow over our lives, the promise of God's great Yes, the gate of hope, and at the same time, the sign which shows us the path to follow actively and joyously in order to meet him and feel his love.
Dear friends, I am truly very glad that even this year, on this feast day, I have been given the opportunity to baptize babies. On them today rests God's 'pleasure'.
From the time the Son of God had himself baptized, Heaven truly opened up and continues to be open, so that we can entrust every new life that blossoms in the hands of him who is more powerful than the dark forces of evil.
In effect, that is what Baptism is: we return to God that which has come from him. The child is not the property of its parents, but is entrusted to their responsibility by the Creator, freely and always in a new way, so that they can help the child become a free child of God.
Only if the parents can ripen this awareness will they succeed in finding the right balance between the claim of being able to dispose of their children as if they were their private possession to be formed according to their personal ideas and desires, and the liberatory attitude of allowing them to grow up in full autonomy, satisfying their every desire and aspiration, considering this the right way to cultivate their individual personality.
If, with this sacrament, the newly baptized baby becomes an adopted child of God, the object of his infinite love which will protect and defend him from the dark forces of evil, one must teach him to recognize God as his father and to learn to relate to him as a son.
Thus, when, following Christian tradition as we do today, children are baptized, introducing them to the light of God and to his teachings, it is not to do them violence, but to give them the richness of divine life in which is rooted the true freedom proper to God's children - freedom that must be educated and formed over the years so that they may be able to make responsible personal choices.
Dear parents, dear godparents, I greet you all with affection and join in your joy over these small ones who today are born into eternal life. Be aware of the gift thus received and do not stop thanking the Lord who, with today's sacrament, introduces your children to a new family, larger and more established, more open and numerous, than the domestic family.
I refer to the the family of believers, to the Church, a family that has God for its Father, and in which all recognize each other as brothers in Jesus Christ.
So today you entrust your children to the goodness of God, who is the force of light and love - they will never feel abandoned if they remain united to Him.
Therefore, take care to educate them in the faith, to teach them to pray and to grow as Jesus did, with his help, "in wisdom, age and grace before God and men" (cfr Lk 2,52).
Turning now to the Gospel, let us try to understand further what is happening today. St. Mark narrates that, while John the Baptist was preaching along the banks of the Jordan, proclaiming the urgency of conversion in view of the imminent coming of the Messiah, Jesus came among the people, resenting himself to be baptized.
John's baptism was certainly one of penitence, but very different from what Jesus would institute. A that moment, the mission of the Redeemer was evident when, upon emerging from the river, a voice echoed from heaven andthe Holy Spirit descended upon him (cfr Mk 1,10).
The heavenly Father proclaimed him his beloved Son and publicly attested his universal mission of salvation which woud be fulfilled with his death of the Cross and his Resurrection.
Only then, with the Paschal sacrifice, is the remission of sins rendered universal and total. With Baptism, we do not simply immerse ourselves in the waters of the Jordan to proclaim our commitment to conversion, but the redeeming blood of Christ pours over us to purify us and to save us.
It is the beloved Son of the Father, in whom he was well pleased, who gives us back our dignity and the joy of calling ourselves truly 'children' of God.
In a while we will relive the mystery evoked by today's solemnity: the signs and symbols of the sacrament of Baptism will help us to understand what the Lord works in the hearts of these babies, making them 'his' for always, the chosen dwelling of his Spirit and 'living stones' for the construction of the spiritual edifice that the Church is.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, the beloved Son of God, watch over them and their families, and accompany them always in order to realize the plan of salvation which Baptism achieves in their lives.
And we, dear brothers and sisters, let us accompany them with our prayers. Let us pray for their parents, godparents and relatives so they may help them grow in the faith. Let us pray for all present here so that, participating devoutly in this celebration, we may renew the promises of our Baptism and give thanks to the Lord for his constant assistance. Amen.