Fr. Mike Schmitz

Shoot, it's been 353 days, 354 days, crying out loud.

But here is Geppetto, right?

He's the marionette maker.

He's the creator and he loves Pinocchio.

He makes Pinocchio in his image and likeness.

He

Gives him arms and legs like Geppetto.

He can talk like Geppetto and walk like Geppetto, but he's not Geppetto's son.

He's Geppetto's beloved creature.

He's Geppetto's beloved creation.

Now, Geppetto loves him, of course, but in order for Pinocchio to be able to look at Geppetto and say, not just my maker, but my father, what has to happen?

In order for Geppetto to look at Pinocchio and not just say my creation, but my son, what has to happen is that Pinocchio has to have the same nature as Geppetto.

And so what happens?

He becomes a real boy, right, in the course of the story.

And this is the same thing with us.

Any unbaptized person can look at God and say, that's my creator who loves me.

I'm a beloved creation of the incredible creator.

But only when you're baptized do you become a partaker in the divine nature that you're, in some ways, what you are changes, right?

So that God can truly look at you and say, this is my son.

This is my daughter.