Pope Benedict XVI: Baptism Calls us to become 'Who we Are'

'With this sacrament, man becomes really son, the son of God. From this point on, the purpose of his existence is to reach, in a free and conscious way, that which from the outset has received as a gift.'

CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - On Saturday I had the privilege as a Deacon of the Church of conferring the Sacrament of Baptism on five children. Under the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church, Deacons, along with Bishops and Priests, are ordinary ministers of that gateway Sacrament. (CCL #861)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that "Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments." (CCC #1213)It is one of the highlights of my Diaconal Service. Over my years of ordained service the wonder of God's free gift of Himself has become even more evident to me as I administer this gateway Sacrament.

The beginning of the Rite offers an opportunity for a Liturgy of the Word. Particularly when there is a large crowd I find that this exposes the many guests to the power of the Living Word of God. The homily becomes a catechetical and evangelistic moment to break open the meaning of the Sacrament and its implications. The Celebration of the Rite of Baptism brings people to Church who have not stepped inside for a long time. Saturday I used the readings from the lectionary for the Mass of the day. It was the day before the Great feast of the Baptism of the Lord. They were filled with power.

The first reading was taken from the first letter of the beloved disciple John. (1 John 5: 14 -21) It contained these words "We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." I explained that in Baptism we enter into Christ by becoming members of his Risen Body the Church. That is what the Beloved disciple meant when he wrote "we are in the one who is true." By the end of the Baptismal ceremony not only were those children made wonderfully new through the Grace of the Sacrament but many in the assembly were deeply moved. It was a moment of encountering Jesus Christ; an invitation to affirm or reaffirm their own Baptismal faith.

The next day, the successor of the Apostle Peter, the Vicar of Christ, Pope Benedict XVI, baptized fourteen children in the Sistine Chapel. The children, seven girls and seven boys, were all children of Vatican employees. He gave a wonderful instruction on the Sacrament. Here are some excerpts: "With this sacrament, man becomes really son, the son of God. From this point on, the purpose of his existence is to reach, in a free and conscious way, that which from the outset has received as a gift. 'Be who you are' is the basic educational principle of the human person redeemed by grace.

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"This principle has many similarities to human growth, where the relationship of parents with children passes through detachments and crises, from total dependence to the awareness of being children, from gratitude for the gift of life to maturity and the ability to communicate life. Generated from Baptism to new life, even the Christian begins his journey of growth in the faith that will lead them to consciously invoke God as 'Abba - Father' to turn to Him with gratitude and live the joy of being his son.

"A model for society is also derived from baptism: that of brotherhood. Fraternity can not be determined by ideology, much less by decree of any constituted power. We recognize our brothers from the humble but profound awareness of their being children of the Heavenly Father. As Christians, through the Holy Spirit received in Baptism, we have the gifts of faith and commitment to live as children of God and as brothers, to be the "leaven" of a new humanity, in solidarity and full of peace and hope."

As we enter into what our Liturgical year calls "Ordinary Time", it has, because of the great mysteries which we just celebrated, become Extra-ordinary. We who have been baptized into Jesus Christ are called to live in Him by living in his Body, the Church. Heeding the admonition and invitation of the successor of Peter, we are to "be who we are" and become a "leaven" of the new humanity. We who are baptized into Christ now live our lives in the Church. We continue the redemptive mission of the Lord until he returns by going into the entire world and inviting all men and women to join us in the life of communion in His Body through those waters of New Birth.

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