At 9:30am this morning (3:30am EST), the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis presided over the celebration of Mass during which he celebrated the Sacrament of Baptism for 27 newborns, including 12 little boys and 15 little girls.
At the beginning of this liturgy, the question was asked: What are you asking for your children? And you all said: Faith. You are asking the Church for faith for your children, and today they will receive the Holy Spirit, and the gift of faith each in their own heart, in their own soul. But this faith must then develop, it must grow. Yes, someone can tell me: Yes, yes, they must study it .... Yes, when they go to catechism classes they will study faith, they will learn catechesis. But before being studied, faith must be transmitted, and this is a job that is up to you. It is a task that you receive today: to transmit the faith, the transmission of faith. And this is done at home. Because faith must always be transmitted in dialect: the dialect of the family, the dialect of the house, in the atmosphere of the home.
This is your task: to transmit faith by example, by words, by teaching them to make the sign of the Cross. This is important. See, there are children who can not make the sign of the Cross. Someone asks them: Make the sign of the Cross: and they do something like this, something that you do not understand what it is. First of all, teach them this.
But the important thing is to transmit the faith through your own life of faith: they see the love of the spouses, they see peace in the house, they see that Jesus is there. And I would like to share some advice - sorry, but I recommend this - never fight in front of your children, never. It is normal for spouses to quarrel, it is normal. The opposite would be strange. Do it, but so that they do not hear, so that they do not see you quarrelling. You cannot imagine the anguish a child receives when he sees his parents quarrelling. This is a piece of advice that will help you pass on the faith. Is it bad to argue? Not always; it's normal, it's normal. But make sure that children do not see it, do not feel it, so that they are not anguished because of it.
And now we will continue the ceremony of baptism, but keep this in mind: your task is to pass on their faith. Pass it on at home because faith is learned there; then one studies in catechesis, but it is at home that we first receive faith.
And before we continue, I would like to tell you something else: you know that children feel that today they are in an environment that is strange: a bit too hot. They are covered up ... and they feel the sultry air ... then they cry because they are hungry, they are hungry . And a third reason for crying is a preventive cry. It's a strange thing: they do not know what will happen, and they think: I'll cry first, then we'll see .... Crying is a defence. I tell you: that they are comfortable. Be careful not to cover them up too much. And if they cry for hunger, breast-feed them. To the mothers, I say: Breastfeed the children, be calm, the Lord wants this. What's the danger?, ... that they also have a polyphonic vocation: one begins to cry - one -, and another one adds the counterpoint, and then another one, and in the end there is a chorus of tears!
And so we can go on with the ceremony, in peace, and knowing that it is your turn to pass on the faith.
(Original transcription in Italian)
Unscripted Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
during the celebration of the Mass
for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
At the beginning of this liturgy, the question was asked: What are you asking for your children? And you all said: Faith. You are asking the Church for faith for your children, and today they will receive the Holy Spirit, and the gift of faith each in their own heart, in their own soul. But this faith must then develop, it must grow. Yes, someone can tell me: Yes, yes, they must study it .... Yes, when they go to catechism classes they will study faith, they will learn catechesis. But before being studied, faith must be transmitted, and this is a job that is up to you. It is a task that you receive today: to transmit the faith, the transmission of faith. And this is done at home. Because faith must always be transmitted in dialect: the dialect of the family, the dialect of the house, in the atmosphere of the home.
This is your task: to transmit faith by example, by words, by teaching them to make the sign of the Cross. This is important. See, there are children who can not make the sign of the Cross. Someone asks them: Make the sign of the Cross: and they do something like this, something that you do not understand what it is. First of all, teach them this.
But the important thing is to transmit the faith through your own life of faith: they see the love of the spouses, they see peace in the house, they see that Jesus is there. And I would like to share some advice - sorry, but I recommend this - never fight in front of your children, never. It is normal for spouses to quarrel, it is normal. The opposite would be strange. Do it, but so that they do not hear, so that they do not see you quarrelling. You cannot imagine the anguish a child receives when he sees his parents quarrelling. This is a piece of advice that will help you pass on the faith. Is it bad to argue? Not always; it's normal, it's normal. But make sure that children do not see it, do not feel it, so that they are not anguished because of it.
And now we will continue the ceremony of baptism, but keep this in mind: your task is to pass on their faith. Pass it on at home because faith is learned there; then one studies in catechesis, but it is at home that we first receive faith.
And before we continue, I would like to tell you something else: you know that children feel that today they are in an environment that is strange: a bit too hot. They are covered up ... and they feel the sultry air ... then they cry because they are hungry, they are hungry . And a third reason for crying is a preventive cry. It's a strange thing: they do not know what will happen, and they think: I'll cry first, then we'll see .... Crying is a defence. I tell you: that they are comfortable. Be careful not to cover them up too much. And if they cry for hunger, breast-feed them. To the mothers, I say: Breastfeed the children, be calm, the Lord wants this. What's the danger?, ... that they also have a polyphonic vocation: one begins to cry - one -, and another one adds the counterpoint, and then another one, and in the end there is a chorus of tears!
And so we can go on with the ceremony, in peace, and knowing that it is your turn to pass on the faith.
(Original transcription in Italian)
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