FROM HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI ON THE FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD - Sunday, 10 January 2009 - The Baptism of the Lord Jesus suggests very well the global sense of the Christmas festivities, in which the theme of becoming children of God, thanks to the coming of the only Son in our humanity, constitutes a dominant element...

...He was made man so that we can become children of God.  He was born so that we can be reborn. These concepts are a great motive of reflection and hope, as they come up repeatedly in the liturgical texts of Christmas.  Rebirth is thus realized in the sacramental sign of Baptism, as it manifests the mystery of making men the adopted children of God. Through this sacrament man becomes truly son, son of God.

From the point of Baptism onward the life of the Baptized becomes one of achieving freely and knowingly that which from the beginning (was) received as gift.

In this light the phrase "become what you are” represents “the basic educative principal of the human person redeemed by grace." To illustrate this achievement, let us compare Christian growth to human growth to adulthood.  Just as a person grows from complete dependence to maturity he or she does the same in their faith from Baptism to the realization of being able to "invoke God knowingly as 'Abba - Father' to turn to Him with gratitude and to live the joy of being his child."

In Baptism "a model of society" in brotherhood is also derived, and this sense of brotherhood comes from the "humble but profound knowledge of being children of the only heavenly Father." As Christians, thanks to the Holy Spirit received at Baptism, we have a kind of gift and commitment to living as children of God and brothers, to be like "yeast" of a new humanity, united and rich in peace and hope."