"Nobody can baptise himself," because "only Christ can establish the Church." This is what the Pope said during his catechesis at today’s general audience in Paul VI hall before 5,000 people. Focusing on the Pauline theme of Christ as "the new beginning of history" and on the "new man," "new creature" concepts in St Paul, Benedict XVI who spoke almost entirely extempore recalled that the term "baptised" is "a passive voice: nobody can baptise himself, we need another person." Nobody can become a Christian by himself. Becoming a Christian is a passive: we can be made Christians only by another person who gives us the gift of faith and this person is namely the Church." "It is from the Church" said the Holy Father "that we receive the faith, the baptism: without letting us be formed by the Church, we cannot become Christians." "A ‘self-made’ Christianity is a contradiction in itself," said the Pope. "But even this community," he added referring to the Church "is not acting by itself , following its own ideas and wishes: only Christ can establish the Church, the true giver of sacraments." This is because "faith originates from listening: it is not something new, that we can make up, we can only receive it as a gift," he explained. (continued)
