Posted on 01/16/2010 5:33:28 PM PST by delacoert
Pope Benedict XVI baptized 14 infants in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday, January 10, in a traditional ceremony marking the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Holy Father said that the 7 boys and 7 girls were beginning “the joyful and exciting adventure of being disciples.”
The Pope noted that St. John the Baptist encouraged a baptism of repentance. Such repentance is certainly an important aspect of Christian life, he said: “Indeed, we cannot aspire to a new world while wallowing in selfishness and in the habits of sin.” But the sacramental Baptism that the Church offers her children is a more profound thing, he said; it makes the baptized children of God.
Baptism also carries responsibilities, the Pope continued. Those who are baptized in Christ have a duty to convey the faith to others. Today, the Pontiff remarked, “the faith is a gift to be rediscovered, cultivated, and witnessed.”
The Sunday baptisms were performed during a Mass in the Sistine Chapel. As in previous years, the Holy Father celebrated the Eucharistic liturgy using the ad orientem posture.
By baptism, every Christian becomes a "new creation", and is called to believe and to grow "into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God...to the measure of the stature and fullness of Christ".
Baptism is the beginning of each believer's life in the Spirit, the implanting within each of the seed of the fullness of Christ - a life on earth which is at once the present reality and the continuing vocation of each Christian, as the temple of the Holy Spirit and the dwelling place of divine glory.
As if God Who gave the baby life might refuse to give that very baby faith.
Parents, hurry to baptise your children. Ask, and it shall be given you; if you "know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?". Don't be afraid, just believe.
True faith (as if there were any other kind in this context) compels a believer to follow the promise of God with the actions that commence the promise. Parental love compels a parent to take any and all actions to preserve the precious, God give life of their child.
Baptism is at once a death and a new birth, a washing-away of sin and the gift of the living water promised by Christ, the grace of forgiveness and regeneration in the Spirit, a stripping-off of our mortality and a clothing with the robe of incorruption. The baptismal font is the "tomb" from which the newborn Christian rises, and, as the place of our incorporation into the life of the Church, the "womb" and "mother" of the Christian, the pool of the divine light of the Spirit, the well-spring of immortality, the gate of heaven, entry into the kingdom of God, cleansing, seal, bath of regeneration and bridal chamber.
All these are meanings the Chhurch Fathers saw in the sacrament of Baptism, and we need to continue to affirm all of them.
Parents, hurry to baptize your children.
Amen!
I have three grandchildren that are NOT baptized. My heart aches when I think about it. So I just pray.
Celebrate Your Birthday in the Church
Infant Baptism
Baptismal Complexes- The Sacrament of Baptism, Part 2
The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas BAPTISM
Beginning Catholic: The Sacrament of Baptism: Gateway to New Life [Ecumenical]
Converted Muslim Tells Story Behind Papal Baptism
What You [Catholics] Need to Know: Baptism [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
A Brief Catechism for Adults - Lesson 20: The Sacrament of Baptism
Baptism and the Usus Antiquior (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
Justified by Baptism (fallout from the Beckwith conversion grows)
The Million-Dollar Infant Baptism
Mystical Baptism and Limbo
The Early Church Fathers on Baptism - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
A Critique of a Critique (On Baptism by Immersion)
Catholics, Reformed Christian Churches sign document recognizing common baptism
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.