Pope Francis: “God never disowns his children”

By Linda Bordoni

"God never disowns his children" Pope Francis said to the pilgrims gathered in a cloudy St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday: “He loves us so much - like a Father - and does not leave us alone”.

And explaining that this relationship is definitive, the Pope said that thanks to the rite of Baptism, it is sealed with an indelible mark on the soul: “an indelible spiritual seal that is not erased by any sin.”

And reiterating that the seal of Baptism in never lost “even if a person becoms a criminal who kills people, who perpetrates injustice,” Francis said that seal is not erased. But,  he warned,  “sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation.”

Living one’s life according to Jesus

Even when man, “out of his own shame”, the Pope said, commits serious sins and “goes against God”, he “continues to be a child of God” because “God never disowns his children”.

However, he added, as members of Christ’s body, we are committed to avoid sin and to conform our lives to Him by witnessing our faith and love. 

Following our rebirth in the waters of baptism, he said, we are anointed with sacred chrism as a sign of our sharing in Christ’s role as priest, prophet and king, and we, as members of God’s priestly people, are called to imitate Him in loving service to our brothers and sisters.

Baptism opens the door to a life of resurrection

Through Baptism, he said, we were buried together with Jesus in death so that “just as Christ was raised from the dead, so we too can walk in a new life”.

“Baptism, Francis concluded, opens the door for us to a life of resurrection, not a worldly life. A life according to Jesus.”