At 9.30 this morning, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Holy Father Francis presided over the Holy Mass in the Sistine Chapel during which he administered the Sacrament of Baptism to some children.
Below is the transcription of the homily that the Pope delivered off the cuff after the reading of the Holy Gospel and his words before the final blessing:
Homily of the Holy Father
Dear brothers and sisters,
we are here to baptize, to give the gift of faith to our children. And they are the protagonists in this ceremony: they can speak, go, shout… They command because it is their celebration: they will receive the most beautiful gift, the gift of faith, the gift of the Lord.
If they cry – for the moment they are silent, but it is enough for one to give the note and the concert begins – let them cry; if they are hungry, breastfeed them, calmly, here. If they are hot, take off your clothes, as sometimes the heat hurts.
They are the protagonists, because today they will also give us the testimony of how faith is received: with innocence, with openness of heart.
And to you, parents and godparents, I hope that your life will be of help to these children, of help for their growth. I hope you accompany them in their growth, because this is a way of helping, so that faith grows in them. Thank you so much for your testimony, for bringing them here to receive the faith.
And now, let’s continue with the rite of Baptism.
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Words off the cuff before the final blessing
Before giving you the blessing, I thank you for having begun this life of your children with Baptism. And I recommend that they know the date of Baptism, because it is the date of birth. And each of us, too. If I ask you: “What is the date of your birth?”, I don’t know if everyone will be able to know. But think carefully: the date of birth is like a birthday, the date on which I received the grace of the Lord I became a Christian. Teach children this, to celebrate it every year.
