Pope baptizes 20 children: Now they have the meaning of life
By Kielce Gussie
Carrying on a 45-year-old tradition, Pope Leo XIV baptized 20 children of Vatican employees in the Sistine Chapel. Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, the administration of the Sacrament took place during a Mass on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
A new sign of forgiveness
In his homily, the Pope reflected on God entering history by coming down to earth to “meet each of us with an open and humble heart.” He wants to meet our gaze and reveal the Word of salvation to us, that is Jesus Christ.
By taking on human flesh, the Holy Father argued, “the Son of God offers to all a surprising possibility, inaugurating a new and unexpected time, even for the prophets.” John the Baptist recognizes this immediately and asks: “I need to be baptized by You, and You come to me?”
In this way, Jesus puts Himself in a place we would not imagine: “He is the Holy One among sinners, who desires to dwell among us without keeping distance, indeed, assuming fully all that is human.”
Jesus explained He is to be baptized by John to “fulfill all righteousness”. But Pope Leo begs the question: what is righteousness? We are made righteous through Christ who is baptized in the Jordan, making a “new sign of death and resurrection, of forgiveness and communion.”
“With God, life finds salvation”
This sacrament is the same sign these 20 children received because, as the Pope explained, “God loves them, they become Christians, our brothers and sisters.” Through their baptism, these children are made new.
“Just as they received life from you, their parents, so now they receive the meaning with which to live it: faith”, the Holy Father noted. He further stressed that when we know something is essential, we seek to give it to the people we love. For example, clothes and food for children.
Yet, even greater than food or clothes—which are necessary for life—faith is even more essential. “For with God, life finds salvation”, Pope Leo said, and God’s love for his children is made visible and tangible through parents, who ask for faith for their children.
In the future, he highlighted, the day will come when the children “will be heavy to hold in your arms; and the day will also come when they will be the ones to support you.” At this time, the Pope encouraged the families, offering his prayers that the Baptism that unites us will give families strength and perseverance.
The sacramental gestures of Baptism are a testament to this. The holy water symbolizes being washed in the Spirit and purified of sin; the white clothing is the new garment God gives us in Heaven; and the lit candle comes from the Easter candle and is the light of the risen Lord.
Pope Leo concluded, praying that they will continue on “this journey with joy throughout the year ahead and for all your life, confident that the Lord will always accompany your steps.”
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