ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS 10 JANUARY 2016 FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
ANGELUS POPE
FRANCIS
FEAST
OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 10 January 2016
Sunday, 10 January 2016
Dear
Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
On this Sunday after the
Epiphany, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, and we gratefully recall our
Baptism. In this context, this morning I
baptized 26 infants: let us pray for them!
The Gospel presents Jesus, in
the waters of the River Jordan, at the centre of a wondrous divine revelation.
St Luke writes: “when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven
was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove,
and a voice came from heaven, ‘Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well
pleased’” (Lk 3:21-22). In this way Jesus is consecrated and manifested by the
Father as the Saviour Messiah and liberator.
In this event — attested by
all four Gospels — is the passing from the baptism of John the Baptist,
symbolized by water, to the Baptism of Jesus “with the Holy Spirit and with
fire” (Lk 3:16). Indeed, the Holy Spirit is the principal artisan in Christian
Baptism: it is he who burns and destroys original sin, restoring to the
baptized the beauty of divine grace; it is he who frees us from the dominion of
darkness, namely sin, and transfers us to the kingdom of light, namely love,
truth and peace: this is the kingdom of light. Let us think about the dignity
to which Baptism elevates us! “See what love the Father has given us, that we
should be called children of God, and so we are” (1 Jn 3:1), the Apostle John
exclaims. This splendid reality of being Children of God entails the
responsibility of following Jesus, the obedient Servant, and reproduces his
lineaments in our very selves: namely docility, humility, tenderness. This is
not easy, especially when there is so much intolerance, arrogance, harshness
around us. But with the strength we receive from the Holy Spirit it is
possible!
The Holy Spirit, received for
the first time on the day of our Baptism, opens our heart to the Truth, to all
Truth. The Spirit impels our life on the challenging but joyful path of charity
and solidarity toward our brothers and sisters. The Spirit gives us the
tenderness of divine forgiveness and permeates us with the invincible power of
the Father’s mercy. Let us not forget that the Holy Spirit is a living and vivifying
presence in those who welcome him, he prays in us and fills us with spiritual
joy.
Today, the Feast of the
Baptism of Jesus, let us ponder the day of our Baptism. All of us were
baptized, let us give thanks for this gift. I ask you a question: which of you
knows the date of your Baptism? Surely not everyone. Therefore, I encourage you
to find out the date, by asking, for example, your parents, your grandparents,
your godparents, or going to the parish. It is very important to know it,
because it is a date to be celebrated: it is the date of our rebirth as
Children of God. For this reason, homework for this week: go and find out the
date of your Baptism. Celebrating that day means and reaffirms our adherence to
Jesus, with the commitment to live as Christians, members of the Church and of
a new humanity, in which all are brothers and sisters.
May the Virgin Mary, first
Disciple of her Son Jesus, help us to live our Baptism with joy and apostolic
zeal, welcoming each day the gift of the Holy Spirit, which makes us Children
of God.
After
the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, I
greet all of you, faithful of Rome and pilgrims from Italy and other countries.
As I said, on this Feast of
the Baptism of Jesus, according to tradition I baptized many children. Now I
would like to convey a special blessing to all children who were recently
baptized, but also to young people and adults who have recently received the sacraments
of Christian initiation or are preparing for them. May the grace of Christ
always accompany them!
I wish a happy Sunday to all.
Do not forget the homework: find out the date of your Baptism. And please, do
not forget to pray for me too. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!
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