Under a bright winter sun, Pope Leo greeted the thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square on Sunday to celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Observed on the Sunday following Epiphany, the feast marks the conclusion of the Christmas season and ushers the Church into Ordinary Time and the beginning of a new liturgical year.
This is a time, the Pope said in his address from the window of the Apostolic Palace, that “invites us to follow the Lord together, to listen to his word and to imitate his gestures of love toward our neighbour.”
Jesus’ baptism in the waters of the Jordan, the Pope continued, is an invitation to each of us to renew the promises of the sacrament, “which makes us Christians, frees us from sin and transforms us into children of God through the power of his life-giving Spirit.”
Commenting on the Gospel of Matthew, Pope Leo explained that, in this event, “the whole Godhead is made present in history: just as the Son descends into the waters of the Jordan, so the Holy Spirit descends upon him and, through him, is given to us as a force of salvation.”
Baptism brings each of us into the Church
“God does not look at the world from afar, without touching our lives, our wounds and our hopes,” the Bishop of Rome continued. “He comes among us with the wisdom of his Word made flesh, drawing us into a surprising plan of love for all humanity.”
To the great astonishment of John the Baptist, the Lord himself chooses to be baptized “like all sinners, in order to reveal the infinite mercy of God.”
The sacrament of baptism, Pope Leo said, introduces each of us into the life of the Church, “the People of God, made up of men and women of every nation and culture, reborn by his Spirit.”
The Pope encouraged the faithful to remember “this great gift we have received,” committing themselves “to bear witness to it with joy and authenticity.” He also recalled the service earlier that morning in the Sistine Chapel, during which he baptized twenty newborns, now “our new brothers and sisters in the faith.”
“This first of the sacraments is a sacred sign that accompanies us forever. In moments of darkness, Baptism is light; in life’s conflicts, it is reconciliation; at the hour of death, it is the gateway to heaven.”
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