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Pope Benedict XVI- Homilies |
 "We Restore to God That Which Has Come From Him"
Homily
on Feast of Christ's Baptism
H.H. Benedict XVI
January 11, 2009
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The words that the Evangelist Mark recounts at the beginning of
his Gospel: "You are my Son, my beloved: in you I am well
pleased" (1:11) bring us to the heart of today's feast of the
baptism of the Lord, with which the Christmas season concludes.
The cycle of Christmas solemnities brings us to meditate on the
birth of Jesus announced by the angels suffused with the
luminous splendor of God; Christmas time speaks to us of the
star that guided the magi from the east to the house of
Bethlehem, and it invites us to look to the heavens opened above
the Jordan as the voice of God resounds.
They are all signs through which the Lord does not tire of
repeating to us: "Yes, I am here. I know you. I love you. There
is a road that leads from me to you. And there is a road that
leads from you to me." In Jesus, the Creator assumed the
dimensions of a Child, of a human being like us, who we may see
and touch. At the same time, in making himself small, God made
the light of his greatness shine -- because, by lowering himself
to the defenseless impotence of love, he shows the nature of
true greatness, indeed, what it means to be God.
The meaning of Christmas, and more generally the meaning of the
liturgical year, is precisely that of us drawing near to these
divine signs, to recognize in them the events of every day, so
that our hearts will open to the love of God. And if Christmas
and Epiphany serve above all to make us capable of seeing, to
opening our eyes and hearts to the mystery of a God who comes to
be with us, the feast of the baptism of Jesus introduces us, we
could say, to the everydayness of a personal relationship with
him. In fact, through the immersion in the waters of the Jordan,
Jesus united himself to us.
Baptism is, so to speak, the bridge that he has built between
him and us, the road by which he is accessible to us; it is the
divine rainbow over our life, the promise of the great yes of
God, the gateway to hope and, at the same time, the sign that
indicates the road we must take in an active and joyous way to
meet him and feel loved by him.
Dear friends, I am truly happy that this year too, on this feast
day, I have been given the opportunity to baptize children.
Today God's pleasure is upon them. From the time that the
only-begotten Son of the Father was baptized, heaven has truly
opened and continues to open itself, and we can entrust every
new life that blossoms to the hands of God, who is stronger than
the dark powers of evil. This in effect leads to baptism: We
restore to God that which has come from him. The child is not
the parents' property, but is rather entrusted by the Creator to
their responsibility, freely and in an ever new way, so that
they help him to be a free child of God.
Only if the parents cultivate such an awareness will they
succeed in finding the right balance between the pretence of
being able to dispose of their own children as if they were a
private possession, forming them according to their own ideas
and desires, and the liberal attitude that expresses itself in
giving them total freedom, satisfying all their desires and
aspirations, seeing that as the right way to develop their
personality.
If, with this sacrament, the newly baptized infant becomes an
adoptive child of God, object of his infinite love that
safeguards and defends him, then he must be taught to recognize
God as his Father and to know how to relate to him with a filial
attitude. For this reason, when, following the Christian
tradition, as we do today, we baptize children, bringing them
into God's light and his teachings, we are not doing violence to
them; rather we are giving them the wealth of divine life in
which true freedom is rooted, which is that of being children of
God; a freedom that must be educated and formed with the passing
of years, so that it become capable of responsible personal
choices.
Dear parents, dear godfathers and godmothers, I greet you with
affection and I share your joy over these little ones that today
are reborn into eternal life. You are conscious of the gift that
has been received and you do not cease to thank the Lord who,
with today's sacrament, introduces your children into a new
family, greater and more stable, more open and numerous than
your own: I am talking about the family of believers, the
Church, a family that has God for Father and in which all gather
as brothers in Jesus Christ.
Today, therefore, you entrust your children to the goodness of
God, who is power of light and love; and they, though they will
face difficulties in life, will never feel abandoned if they
remain united with him. Concern yourselves with educating them
in the faith, with teaching them to pray and to grow as Jesus
did and with his help, "in wisdom, age and grace before God and
men" (cf. Luke 2:52).
Turning now to the Gospel passage, we will try to understand
still further that which is happening today. St. Mark says that,
while John the Baptist preached on the shores of the Jordan,
proclaiming the urgency of conversion in view of the coming of
the Messiah who is now drawing near, Jesus, mixed in with the
crowds, presents himself to be baptized.
John's baptism of repentance is certainly quite different from
the one Jesus will institute. Nevertheless, at that moment, the
mission of the Redeemer is glimpsed, for, when he comes out of
the water, a voice from heaven resounds and the Holy Spirit
descends upon him (cf. Mark 1:10). The heavenly Father proclaims
him his beloved Son and publicly bears witness to his universal
mission of salvation, which he will fully accomplish with his
death on the cross and his resurrection. Only then, with the
Paschal sacrifice, will the remission of sins be made universal
and total.
With baptism we do not merely immerse ourselves in the waters of
the Jordan to proclaim our commitment to conversion, but there
is poured out upon us the redemptive blood of Christ that
purifies us and saves us. It is the beloved Son of the Father,
in whom he is well pleased, which reacquires for us the dignity
and the joy of calling ourselves and truly being "children" of
God.
Soon we will relive this mystery evoked by today's solemnity;
the signs and symbols of the sacrament of baptism will help us
to understand that which the Lord works in the hearts of these
little ones of ours, making them "his" forever, a dwelling place
chosen by his Spirit and "living stones" for the building up of
the spiritual edifice which is the Church.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, beloved Son of God, keep
watch over them and their families, always be with them, so that
they may realize the project of salvation that baptism
accomplishes in their lives.
And we, dear brothers and sisters, let us accompany them with
our prayer; let us pray for the parents, godfathers and
godmothers and for their relatives, that they help them to grow
in the faith; let us pray for all of us here present that,
devotedly participating in this celebration, we will renew the
promises of our baptism and give thanks to the Lord for his
constant help. Amen!
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]
Look
at the One they Pierced!
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
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