VATICAN CITY, JAN 12, 2003 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. today, feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, the Pope presided at a Eucharistic celebration in the Sistine Chapel during which he administered the sacrament of Baptism to 22 newborns from Italy, Poland and Lebanon.
In the homily, the Holy Father said that "with Baptism Christians encounter Christ in a personal way: they participate in the mystery of His death and resurrection and they receive new life which is the same life of God. What a great gift and great responsibility!"
Addressing the parents and godparents of the children, John Paul II said: "The Lord entrusts their lives, so precious in His eyes, to you as responsible guardians. Dedicate yourselves lovingly so that they grow 'in wisdom, age and grace'; help them to be faithful to their vocation. Shortly you will renew, also in their name, the promise to fight against evil and to adhere fully to Christ. May your lives always be marked by this generous commitment!"
"Be conscious," he concluded, "that the Lord asks of you new and deeper collaboration: He entrusts you with the daily task of guiding your children in the way of holiness. Make an effort to be saints yourselves in order to guide them toward this high goal of Christian life. Do not forget that to be saints what is needed is 'a christianity that is marked above all by the art of prayer'."
In the homily, the Holy Father said that "with Baptism Christians encounter Christ in a personal way: they participate in the mystery of His death and resurrection and they receive new life which is the same life of God. What a great gift and great responsibility!"
Addressing the parents and godparents of the children, John Paul II said: "The Lord entrusts their lives, so precious in His eyes, to you as responsible guardians. Dedicate yourselves lovingly so that they grow 'in wisdom, age and grace'; help them to be faithful to their vocation. Shortly you will renew, also in their name, the promise to fight against evil and to adhere fully to Christ. May your lives always be marked by this generous commitment!"
"Be conscious," he concluded, "that the Lord asks of you new and deeper collaboration: He entrusts you with the daily task of guiding your children in the way of holiness. Make an effort to be saints yourselves in order to guide them toward this high goal of Christian life. Do not forget that to be saints what is needed is 'a christianity that is marked above all by the art of prayer'."
HML;BAPTISM CHILDREN;...;SISTINE CHAPEL;VIS;20030113;Word: 250;
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