At the general audience, Francis continues his catechesis on Baptism, a sacrament that “imprints an indelible spiritual seal that no sin can erase”. A greeting to the “small farmers” and an invitation to pray the rosary for Syria.
You can become "the worst brigand", but "God never denies his children". Never. Because "God loves us so much" and no sin can undermine this love. Once again Pope Francis returns to speak of the mercy that imbues the relationship of God with his children at today's general audience in St. Peter's Square, during which the cycle of reflections on the sacrament of Baptism continues. The Pope points out that this sacrament "opens the door to a life of resurrection, not to a worldly life, a life in accordance with Jesus".
Baptism "impresses an indelible spiritual seal" that is "never lost" and is not "repeated", Bergoglio affirms. "But if a person becomes a brigand who kills people, who commits injustice, does the seal go away? No! It is a shame when a person does these things, to go against God, but God never denies his children". And "During all our life the Father says to us: you are my beloved son, my beloved daughter. God loves us so much and does not leave us alone...".
"No sin can erase this mark", the Pope points out, quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church to the letter, "even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation". Those fruits that arose from the new life generated by Baptism: "The baptismal font - the Pope underlines - is the place in which one experiences the Pasch with Christ! The old person is buried, with their deceitful passions so that a new creature can be reborn; truly the old things are past, and the new ones are born".
"The rebirth of the new person demands that the one corrupted by sin be reduced to dust," he adds. And he recalls "the inscription in the ancient Lateran Roman Baptistery, which reads this Latin expression attributed to Sixtus III: " The Mother Church virginally gives birth by water the children conceived by the breath of God. Those of you reborn by this font, hope in the Kingdom of Heaven". "Beautiful - Francis adds off the cuff. The Church gives us birth. The Church who is womb and mother through Baptism. If our parents have generated us to earthly life, the Church has regenerated us to eternal life in Baptism. We have become children in her Son Jesus".
"Upon each one of us too, reborn from the water and from the Holy Spirit, the heavenly Father makes resound with infinite love His voice that says: "You are my beloved child", the Pope affirms. "This paternal voice, imperceptible to the ear but easily audible to the heart of those who believe, accompanies us for all our life, without ever abandoning us”.
Therefore "Reborn as children of God, we are thus for ever!": here is the "indelible seal" of Baptism, the Bishop of Rome emphasizes. "Christian vocation is all here: living joined with Christ in the holy Church, participants in the same consecration to carry out the same mission, in this world, bearing fruits that last for ever, following the example of the Lord Jesus", he adds.
And he concludes by reiterating that: "God never denies his children". "Shall we all repeat this together? A bit louder because I'm deaf...".
At the time of the greetings in the various languages the Pope, addressing the Arabic-speaking pilgrims, launched a new appeal for Syria asking them to pray, in this Marian month of May, the rosary "for peace in Syria and around the world". Finally, in English, he thanked "the small farmers" present in the square, "who came to Italy from various countries, with gratitude for their contribution to feeding our world".
