Archbishop Braulio Rodriguez of Toledo, Spain is defending baptism's “yes to life” in the face of the culture of death.
In a Jan. 9 homily, Archbishop Rodriguez spoke of the culture of
death, explaining that it manifests itself in: Drug use, lies, fraud,
injustice, contempt for others, and contempt for showing solidarity
“with the poor and those who suffer.”
The culture of death is also seen in sexuality when it is understood
as sheer fun without responsibility, he said.
He added that this leads
people to see each other as objects rather than as persons.
Archbishop Rodriguez then remarked that man is being turned into “merchandise and pure objects.”
“To this apparent happiness we must say ‘no,’ in order to cultivate
the culture of life,” he added. The “yes” of Christians at baptism,
from apostolic times until today, is a great “yes to life,” the
archbishop continued.
“This is our ‘yes’ to Christ, our ‘yes’ to the victor over death and our ‘yes’ to life in time and in eternity.”
For this reason, he explained, the “yes” in the rite of baptism
expresses three beliefs—in God the creator, in Christ, and in the
communion of the Church.
The “no” is also three-fold—no to temptation,
to sin and to the devil, the archbishop said.
Archbishop Rodriguez made his comments after three children received baptism at the Cathedral of Toledo.
SIC: CNA/INT'L