John is baptising when Jesus draws near. Perhaps he comes to sanctify his baptiser; certainly he comes to bury sinful humanity in the waters. He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake and in readiness for us; he who is spirit and flesh comes to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water.
The Pope’s Sunday Angelus, after Mass in St. Peter’s at which he had baptized several babies:
The Pope then talked about the celebration of the children’s baptism, which “John Paul II used to administer”. He said: “For this first time, this morning, I too had the joy of baptizing 10 newborn children in the Sistine Chapel. The Baptism of children expresses and realizes the mystery of the new birth in divine life in Christ: parents who are believers take their children to the baptismal font, which represents the ‘womb’ of the Church; the children of God are generated from its blessed waters. The gift received by the newborns begs to be received by them, once they become adults, in a free and responsible manner: this process of maturation will lead them to receive the sacrament of Confirmation, which, precisely, confirms Baptism and confers on each one the ‘seal’ of the Holy Spirit”. The memory of baptism, in the words of Benedict XVI, “is an appropriate occasion for all Christians to rediscover with joy the beauty of their Baptism, which, if lived with faith, is an ever present reality: it renews us continually in the image of the new man, in holiness of thought and action. Baptism, besides, unites Christians of all denominations. In as much as they are baptized, all are children of God in Jesus Christ, our Teacher and Lord. May the Virgin Mary obtain for us the ever deeper understanding of the value of our Baptism and to testify to it with worthy life conduct.”
The AP story on the baptisms – no photos yet, but I’ll post one as soon as it pops up.
Babies in white lace gowns squirmed in their parents’ arms, slept or cried as Benedict poured holy water over their heads to administer the sacrament — his first public baptisms since becoming pope.
"Dear children, with great joy the Christian community welcomes you," Benedict said as he made the sign of the cross on each of the 10 infants’ heads.
Benedict disregarded his prepared homily and spoke off-the-cuff to the small gathering of parents, children, godparents and other relatives in the frescoed chapel, telling them that by baptizing the babies, they were ensuring them eternal life with Christ.
He urged the parents to renounce for their children the "anti-culture of death" dominating the world today, which he said was filled with drugs, lies and fraud and an idea of "sexuality that becomes purely diversion without responsibility."
He called on them to accept instead for their children a culture of "true life" that he said was found in Christ.
Speaking of things papal, you might want to check out this post of Rocco’s, commenting at length on what he says in an excellent piece in America on the pallium, its history and significance, and its recent resurgence.
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