At 9:25am today (local time), the Holy Father, Pope Francis presided over the celebration of a Mass in the Sistine Chapel to celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During the eucharistic celebration, the Pope baptized 34 newborns, 16 young boys and 18 young girls.
Dear parents,
You are bringing your children for Baptism, and this is the first step of the task that is yours, the task of passing on the faith.
But we need the Holy Spirit in order to pass on the faith, we can't do it on our own. The ability to pass on the faith is a grace of the Holy Spirit, to be able to do this; and it is for this reason tat you are bringing your children here, so that they can receive the Holy Spirit, receive the Trinity - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - who will live in their hearts.
I only want to tell you one thing: the transmission of the faith can only be done through dialect, in the dialect of a family, in the dialect shared between a daddy and a mommy, between a grandpa and a grandma. Afterwards, the catechists will come along to develop this first transmission, with ideas and explanations ... But don't forget this: it is done in dialect, and if this dialect is missing, if you don't talk to your own parents in the dialect of love, passing on faith won't be so easy, it can't be done. Don't forget this. Your task is to pass on the faith but do it the dialect of love within your home, within your family.
They too (the children) have their own dialect which is good to hear! Now, they are all quiet, but it is enough for one of them to set the tone and then the orchestra will follow! The dialect of children! Jesus teaches us to be like them, to speak like them. We should never forget the language of children; they speak as they are able, but theirs is a language that Jesus likes very much. In your prayers, be simple like them, tell Jesus what is in your heart as you would say such things to your children. Today, they will say it with tears: yes, like children do. The dialect of parents which is a love for passing on faith, and the dialect of children that must be welcomed by parents in order to grow in faith.
Now we will continue with the ceremony; and if they begin the concert because they are not comfortable, or they are too hot, or they do not feel at ease, or they are hungry ... If they are hungry, feed them, don't be afraid, give them something to eat, because this too is a language of love.
Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Dear parents,
You are bringing your children for Baptism, and this is the first step of the task that is yours, the task of passing on the faith.
But we need the Holy Spirit in order to pass on the faith, we can't do it on our own. The ability to pass on the faith is a grace of the Holy Spirit, to be able to do this; and it is for this reason tat you are bringing your children here, so that they can receive the Holy Spirit, receive the Trinity - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - who will live in their hearts.
I only want to tell you one thing: the transmission of the faith can only be done through dialect, in the dialect of a family, in the dialect shared between a daddy and a mommy, between a grandpa and a grandma. Afterwards, the catechists will come along to develop this first transmission, with ideas and explanations ... But don't forget this: it is done in dialect, and if this dialect is missing, if you don't talk to your own parents in the dialect of love, passing on faith won't be so easy, it can't be done. Don't forget this. Your task is to pass on the faith but do it the dialect of love within your home, within your family.
They too (the children) have their own dialect which is good to hear! Now, they are all quiet, but it is enough for one of them to set the tone and then the orchestra will follow! The dialect of children! Jesus teaches us to be like them, to speak like them. We should never forget the language of children; they speak as they are able, but theirs is a language that Jesus likes very much. In your prayers, be simple like them, tell Jesus what is in your heart as you would say such things to your children. Today, they will say it with tears: yes, like children do. The dialect of parents which is a love for passing on faith, and the dialect of children that must be welcomed by parents in order to grow in faith.
Now we will continue with the ceremony; and if they begin the concert because they are not comfortable, or they are too hot, or they do not feel at ease, or they are hungry ... If they are hungry, feed them, don't be afraid, give them something to eat, because this too is a language of love.
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