Pope Leo XIV baptized 20 infants, the children of Vatican employees, during Mass in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

In his homily, the pope urged parents to see faith as essential for their children’s lives, comparing it to the basic care no newborn can do without.

“When we know that something good is essential, we immediately seek it for those we love,” he said. “Who among us, in fact, would leave newborns without clothes or without nourishment, waiting for them to choose when they are grown how to dress and what to eat?”

“Dear friends, if food and clothing are necessary to live, faith is more than necessary, because with God life finds salvation,” the pope said.

Baptism as God’s closeness

Reflecting on the Gospel account of Jesus’ baptism, Leo said the Lord chooses to be found where people least expect him — “the Holy One among sinners” — drawing near without keeping distance. He pointed to Jesus’ reply to John the Baptist: “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness,” explaining that God’s “righteousness” is his saving action, by which the Father makes humanity righteous through Christ.

The pope described Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan as a sign renewed with deeper meaning — “death and resurrection, forgiveness and communion” — and said the sacrament celebrated for the infants is rooted in God’s love.

“The children you now hold in your arms are transformed into new creatures,” Leo told parents. “Just as from you, their parents, they have received life, so now they receive the meaning for living it: faith.”

A word to mothers and fathers

Leo emphasized the role of parents as the first witnesses and educators of faith, saying God’s provident love becomes visible on earth through mothers and fathers who ask for faith for their children.

He also noted the changing seasons of family life: “Certainly, the day will come when they will become heavy to hold in your arms; and the day will also come when they will be the ones to support you.”

The pope prayed that the sacrament would strengthen families in lasting love: “May baptism, which unites us in the one family of the Church, sanctify all your families at all times, giving strength and constancy to the affection that unites you.”

The signs of baptism

Turning to the rites themselves, Leo explained the meaning of baptism’s symbols: “The water of the font is the washing in the Spirit, which purifies from every sin; the white garment is the new robe that God the Father gives us for the eternal feast of his Kingdom; the candle lit from the paschal candle is the light of the risen Christ, which illumines our path.”

“I wish you to continue it with joy throughout the year that has just begun and for your whole life, certain that the Lord will always accompany your steps,” he said.

The baptism of children of Vatican employees is a tradition begun in 1981 by St. John Paul II. The first ceremonies were held in the Pauline Chapel, and since 1983 the annual celebration has taken place in the Sistine Chapel.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.