On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful to rediscover the profound grace of their own baptism, reminding Christians that God does not remain distant from human suffering, but enters directly into it.
Speaking during the Angelus from the Apostolic Palace overlooking St Peter’s Square, the Holy Father reflected on Christ’s baptism in the Jordan as the moment when God fully reveals His closeness to humanity. According to Vatican News, Pope Leo emphasized that “God does not look at the world from afar, without touching our lives, our wounds and our hopes,” but instead draws near through the Incarnation and the saving work of Christ.
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The Pope explained that Jesus’ decision to be baptized alongside sinners reveals the depth of divine mercy. Though sinless, Christ willingly entered the waters, astonishing John the Baptist and demonstrating God’s desire to meet humanity where it is. In this event, Pope Leo noted, “the whole Godhead is made present in history,” as the Son descends into the Jordan and the Holy Spirit is poured out as “a force of salvation.”
For Catholics, the Holy Father stressed, this mystery is not confined to the past. Baptism is the sacrament that unites believers to Christ, frees them from sin, and makes them children of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. According to Vatican News, Pope Leo described baptism as the sacrament that “introduces each of us into the life of the Church,” forming the People of God drawn from every nation and culture.
The Pope urged the faithful to remember the day of their baptism and to live its promises daily, committing themselves “to bear witness to it with joy and authenticity.” He reminded pilgrims that baptism is not merely a rite of passage, but a lifelong reality that shapes every stage of Christian life. As he explained, baptism remains a source of light in moments of darkness, reconciliation amid conflict, and hope at the hour of death, when it becomes “the gateway to heaven.”
Earlier that same morning, Pope Leo baptized twenty newborn children in the Sistine Chapel, calling them “our new brothers and sisters in the faith.” The celebration served as a living sign that the Church continues to be renewed through the sacrament that first joins believers to Christ.
As the Christmas season gives way to Ordinary Time, the Holy Father encouraged Catholics to walk forward together, listening to the Word of God and imitating Christ’s gestures of love. Rooted in baptism, Pope Leo reminded the faithful, Christians are called not only to remember God’s nearness, but to make it visible in the world through lives shaped by mercy, faith, and joyful witness, according to Vatican News.
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