Faith is passed on at home, pope tells parents at baptism

764 0
Pope Francis baptizes one of 27 babies during a Mass on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Jan. 13. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Faith isn’t something learned just by studying the catechism but rather is a gift passed on to children by the example of their parents, Pope Francis said.

Although children learn the tenets of the Catholic faith in catechism class, it is first transmitted in the home “because faith always must be transmitted in dialect: the dialect of the family, the dialect of the home, in the atmosphere of the home,” he said before baptizing 27 babies.

The pope celebrated the Mass and baptisms Jan. 13, the feast of the baptism of the Lord, in the Sistine Chapel.

“The important thing is to transmit the faith with your life of faith: that they see the love between spouses, that they see peace at home, that they see that Jesus is there,” Pope Francis said during his brief and unscripted homily.

As the lively sounds of babies’ squeals and cries filled the frescoed Sistine Chapel, the pope said babies often cry when they are “in an environment that is strange” or because they are hungry.

Repeating his usual advice to mothers of infants, the pope urged them to make their children comfortable, and “if they cry because they are hungry, breastfeed them.”

Children “also have a polyphonic vocation: One begins to cry, then another makes a counterpoint, then another and in the end, it is a chorus of cries,” he said.

Offering a piece of advice to parents, the pope called on them to pass on the faith by letting their children see their love and refrain from arguing in front of them.

“It is normal for couples to argue, it’s normal,” he said. “Do it, but don’t let them hear, don’t let them see. You don’t know the anguish a child has when he or she sees parents fighting. This, I may add, is advice that will help you transmit the faith.”

Later, after praying the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis asked those gathered to pray for the newly baptized babies and their families. He also asked them to “keep the memory of your own baptism alive.”

“There you will find the roots of our life in God; the roots of our eternal life that Jesus has given us through his incarnation, passion, death and resurrection,” he said. “Our roots are in baptism.”

Related Post

Archbishop Angelo De Donatis, papal vicar for the Diocese of Rome, holds a copy of Pope Francis' exhortation, "Gaudete et Exsultate" ("Rejoice and Be Glad"), during a news conference on the exhortation at the Vatican April 9. The document is on the "call to holiness in today's world." (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Holiness means being loving, not boring, pope says

Posted by - April 14, 2018 0
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — God calls all Christians to be saints — not plastic statues of saints, but real people…
The U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington Feb. 5, 2019. Five U.S. bishops, chairmen of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' committees or subcommittees, said May 17 they were "gravely disappointed" with the U.S. House of Representatives passage of the Equality Act. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

U.S. bishops ‘gravely disappointed’ with House passage of Equality Act

Posted by - May 25, 2019 0
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Five U.S. bishops, chairmen of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees or subcommittees, said May 17 they…
Demonstrators join the People's Climate March in Washington to protest President Donald Trump's stance on the environment April 29, 2017. The Catholic Climate Covenant has initiated the Catholic Climate Project, designed to shape a churchwide movement to respond to the challenges posed by climate change. (CNS photo/Mike Theiler, Reuters)

Pope Francis announces Laudato si’ Week to take place in May

Posted by - March 8, 2020 0
Vatican City, Mar 3, 2020 / 09:57 am (CNA).- Pope Francis is calling on Catholics to participate in “Laudato si’…