Vatican City, 11 January 2014 (VIS) - This morning in the Sistine Chapel the
Holy Father presided at a Eucharistic celebration during which he baptised
thirty-three children of Vatican employees. In his homily, citing the first
reading, the Pope remarked that the Lord is concerned for his children, like a
parent, and therefore ensures they receive substantial nourishment. "God, like
a good father or a good mother, wishes to give good things to his children.
And what is this nourishment that God gives us? It is His Word".
 The Word "enables us to grow and to be fruitful in life, like the rain and
the snow are good for the earth and make it fecund. Therefore you, parents and
godparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, will help these children to grow
well if you give them the Word of God, te Gospel of Jesus. And also offer this
to them by example! Every day, get used to reading a passage from the Gospel,
a short one, and always carry a copy of the Gospel in your pocket, in your
bag, so you can read it. And this will be an example for your children -
seeing their father, mother, godparents, grandfather, grandmother, aunts and
uncles all reading the Word of God".
 "You, mothers, give you children milk - and even now, if they cry with
hunger, feel free to feed them. Let us give thanks to the Lord for the gift of
milk and pray for those mothers - there are many, unfortunately - who are not
able to give their children food to eat. Let us pray and try to help these
mothers. So, what the milk does for the body, the Word of God does for the
spirit: the Word of God enables faith to grow. As we heard in the words of the
apostle John: 'Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by
God". Your children are baptised in this faith. Today it is your faith, dear
parents and godparents. It is the faith of the Church, in which these little
ones will receive Baptism. But tomorrow, but the grace of God, it will be
their faith, their personal 'yes' to Jesus Christ, who gives us the love of
the Father".
 He continued, "Baptism brings us within the body of the Church, as part of
God's holy people. And in this body, in this journeying people, faith is
transmitted from generation to generation: it is the faith of the Church. It
is the faith of Mary, our mother, the faith of St. Joseph, of St. Peter, of
St. Andrew, of St. John, of the apostles and the martyrs, that has arrived
with us through Baptism: a chain that transmits faith".
 "The candle of faith is passed from one hand to another", explained the Pope,
alluding to the Paschal candle that is lit during Baptismal rites and which
represents Christ, resurrected and living in our midst. You, families, take
from Him this light of faith to transmit to your children. You take this light
from the Church, the body of Christ, the people of God that journeys through
every time and every place. Teach your children that it is not possible to be
Christian outside the Church, and it is not possible to follow Christ outside
the Church, as the Church is our mother, and lets us grow in the love of Jesus
Christ".
 Francis then turned to the final aspect to emerge from today's biblical
readings: that in Baptism we are consecrated in the Holy Spirit. "The word
'Christian' means consecrated like Jesus, in the same Spirit in which Jesus
was immersed in all his earthly existence. He is the 'Christ', the anointed,
the consecrated, and the baptised are Christians, that is, consecrated,
anointed. And therefore, dear parents and godparents, if you want your
children to become true Christians, help them to grow 'immersed' in the Holy
Spirit, that is, in the warmth of God's love, in the light of His Word".

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 Angelus: deafness to the voice of the Holy Spirit leads to muteness in
evangelisation
 Vatican City, 11 January 2014 (VIS) - The feast of the Baptism of the Lord
concludes the season of the Nativity and the Pope, during the Angelus at
midday today, commenting on the passage in the Gospel of St. Mark - when the
heavens open at the moment at which John the Baptist baptises Jesus in the
Jordan - affirmed that this event marks the end of "the time of the closed
heavens, which indicated the separation of God and man as a consequence of
sin".
 Sin "alienates us from God and ruptures the bond between earth and heaven,
causing misery and failure in our lives. The open heavens indicate that God
has given His grace so that the earth may bear His fruit. Thus the world
transforms into God's dwelling amid humanity, and each one of us has the
opportunity to meet the Son of God, experiencing all of His love and infinite
mercy. We find Him truly present in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
We are able to recognise Him in the face of our brothers, especially the poor,
the sick, the imprisoned, and refugees; they are the living flesh of the
suffering Christ and the visible image of the invisible God".
 With the Baptism of Jesus, not only did the heavens open, but also "God
speaks, making his voice resound anew: 'You are my beloved Son: with you I am
well pleased'. ... And then the Holy Spirit descends, in the form of a dove:
this enables Christ, the consecrated of the Lord, to inaugurate His mission,
which is our salvation". The Holy Father remarked that the Holy Spirit is
forgotten in our prayers: "We need to ask for His help, His strength, His
inspiration. The Holy Spirit, that fully inspired the life and ministry of
Jesus, is the same Spirit that today guides Christian existence, the existence
of a man and a woman who say they wish to be Christians. Placing under the
action of the Holy Spirit our life as Christians and the mission that we have
all received by virtue of our Baptism means rediscovering the apostolic
courage necessary to overcome easy worldly comforts. ... A Christian or a
community that is deaf to the voice of the Holy Spirit, Who urges us to take
the Gospel to the outermost limits of the world and of society, also becomes a
mute Christian or community, unable to speak or to evangelise".
 "Remember to pray often that the Holy Spirit might help us and give us
strength and inspiration, leading us forward", concluded Pope Francis who,
following the Angelus prayer, asked the faithful gathered in St. Peter's
Square, especially those from Sri Lanka and the Philippines, to pray for him
during his apostolic trip to these two countries, to commence tomorrow.

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 Rebuilding the country means rebuilding the person: the Pope at the
conference on Haiti
 Vatican City, 10 January 2014 (VIS) - This morning Pope Francis received in
audience the participants in the conference "The communion of the Church:
memory and hope for Haiti five years after the earthquake", organised by the
Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America
in collaboration with the bishops of Haiti. He began by thanking those who "in
numerous ways came to the aid of the Haitian people following that tragedy
which left in its wake so much death, destruction and desperation". He
emphasised that, "through the help given to our brothers and sisters in Haiti,
we have shown that the Church is a great body, one in which the various
members care for one another. It is in this communion, prompted by the Holy
Spirit, that our charitable service finds its deepest motivation".
 "How much has been done toward rebuilding the country in these five years!
Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the fact that much remains to be done. All that
has been done, and all that, with God's help, will yet be done, rests on three
solid pillars: the human person, ecclesial communion, and the local Church",
added the Pope, who went on to further explain these three pillars.
 Firstly, "the person is at the centre of the Church's activity. We have just
celebrated Christmas, and it is precisely the Incarnation which tells us how
important man is to God, who wished to assume our human nature. Our first
concern must thus be that of helping everyone, each man and woman, to live
fully as persons. There can be no true rebuilding of a country without also
rebuilding each person in his or her totality. This means ensuring that the
material needs of every person in Haiti be met, and that they be able to be
free, to assume their responsibilities and to further their own spiritual and
religious lives. The human person has a transcendent dimension, and the Church
first of all cannot neglect this dimension, which finds its fulfilment in the
encounter with God. Consequently, in this phase of reconstruction,
humanitarian and pastoral activities are not in competition with one another,
but rather are complementary: each needs the other, and together they help
Haitians to be mature persons and Christians capable of devoting themselves to
the good of their brothers and sisters".
 With regard to the second fundamental aspect, ecclesial communion, the Holy
Father remarked that Haiti has seen "effective cooperation between many
ecclesial institutions - dioceses, religious institutes, charitable
organisations" alongside many laypersons, all of whom have carried out
important charitable works. "This variety of agencies, and thus of ways of
offering assistance and development, is a positive factor, since it is a sign
of the vitality of the Church and of the generosity of so many. ... But
charity is even yet more authentic and more incisive when it is lived in
communion. Communion shows that charity is not merely about helping others,
but is a dimension that permeates the whole of life and breaks down all those
barriers of individualism which prevent us from encountering one another.
Charity is the inner life of the Church and is manifested in ecclesial
communion. Communion between bishops and with bishops, who are the first ones
responsible for the service of charity. Communion among the various charisms
and charitable institutions, since none of us works for or by themselves, but
rather in the name of Christ who has shown us the way of service. It would be
a contradiction to live charity apart from one another! I invite you therefore
to strengthen every possible means of working together. Ecclesial communion is
reflected as well in collaboration with the civil authorities and
international organisations, so that all may strive for authentic progress for
the Haitian people, in the spirit of the common good".
 Finally, Pope Francis underlined the importance of the local Church, "because
it is here that the Christian experience is made tangible. The Church in Haiti
must become always more alive and fruitful, to witness to Christ and to make
its contribution to the development of the nation". In this regard, he
encouraged the bishops of Haiti, all the priests and those engaged in pastoral
work on the island to "inspire in the faithful renewed efforts in Christian
formation and in joyful and fruitful evangelisation. The witness of
evangelical charity is effective when it is sustained by a personal
relationship with Jesus in prayer, in listening to the word of God, and in
receiving the Sacraments. This is the true 'strength' of the local Church".
 The Pope concluded by reiterating his heartfelt gratitude, and urging those
present to continue along their path, assuring them of his prayers and his
blessing.

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 Meeting of the presidents of the European Episcopal Conferences
 Vatican City, 10 January 2014 (VIS) - The presidents of the European
Episcopal Conferences and the superiors of the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith will meet from 13 to 15 January in Esztergom, Hungary.

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