January 15, 2014 - Pope Francis held his weekly general audience on Wednesday, where
he continued his catechesis on the Sacrament of Baptism. The public meeting is an
opportunity for pilgrims and tourists visiting Rome to be able to see and hear the
Pope and also receive his blessing. The general audience of Jan. 15 was held in
the open, in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square. It began with aides reading a passage from
the Gospel of St. Matthew, in several languages. Listen:
Basing himself on the scripture passage, Pope Francis delivered his
main discourse in Italian - summaries of which were read out by aides in various languages,
including in English. But first, the aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English-speaking
pilgrims. Listen:
…
Dear Brothers and Sisters: today we continue our catechesis on the sacrament of baptism
by reflecting on how, through baptism, we become members of Christ’s mystical body,
the Church. In every generation, through baptism, we are reborn to the new life of
grace and called to be witnesses of the Gospel before the world. Baptism makes us
“missionary disciples” within the communion of the Church. There is a close bond,
then, between our rebirth in water and the Holy Spirit, our responsibility to live
this new life within the Church, in our families and our parishes, and our mission
to bring the Gospel to others as channels of God’s grace. We can look to the remarkable
history of the Church in Japan, where small communities of the faithful survived clandestinely
for over two centuries thanks to the grace of baptism. May this example help us to
appreciate more fully the profound mystical, communitarian and missionary dimensions
of our baptism.
Pope Francis then greeted the English-speaking pilgrims
in Italian. Listen:
…
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience. Upon you and
your families I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace! (BLESSING)