Pope Francis highlighted the presence of the Holy Spirit and his work in the Church in his catechetical sermon on Wednesday.
vatican city
On the occasion of his general audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis addressed the faithful and pilgrims from different countries around the world and said: Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
In today’s catechesis we will continue our reflection on the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church through the sacraments.
The words and rituals of God.
The work of sanctification by the Holy Spirit occurs for us primarily in two forms: the Word of God and the sacrament. And of all the sacraments, one that is the sacrament par excellence of the Holy Spirit, the sacrament of Confirmation, is the one I would like to focus on today.
The Pope said that in the New Testament, beyond water baptism, there is another rite of passage – the laying on of hands – whose objective is to communicate the Holy Spirit in a direct and charismatic way, the effect of which we find produced by the apostles at the time Pentecostal. In this context, the inspired gospel analyzes a very specific event. Hearing that some people in Samaria had accepted the word of God, the apostles sent Peter and John there from Jerusalem. “They went there and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit, because it had not yet come upon them, they had just been baptized in the name of Jesus. He laid his hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
royal seal of the holy spirit
Along with this, Saint Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians: “God keeps us strong with you in Christ and he anointed us. “He has sealed us and given our hearts the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is the “royal seal” with which Christ marks His sheep, which is the basis of the doctrine of the “indelible mark” provided by this sacrament.
Strengthening for all Christians
Pope Francis said that over time the ritual of anointing became a sacrament in its own right and took various forms and contents in different liturgies and periods of the Church. We cannot explore its complex history here. I can summarize in a simple and clear way the understanding of the sacrament of Confirmation in the Church, which is defined in the Catechism for Adults of the Italian Episcopal Conference: “The sacrament of Confirmation is for all believers what Pentecost was for all. the Church… It is Christ’s and strengthens our baptism in the Church and deepens our prophetic, royal and priestly apostolate.
development culture
It brings us the gifts of the Holy Spirit in abundance. Therefore, if baptism is a sacrament of birth, confirmation is a sacrament of growth. For this reason, it is also considered a sacramental form of testimony because it is deeply linked to the maturity of Christian existence.
The Pope asked how we can guarantee that the sacrament of confirmation is not limited to the “last sacraments”, that is, a sacrament of departure from the Church, because once young people receive it, they distance themselves from the Church and the Church. marriage. return not only to receive the sacrament, but so that it becomes a sacrament of active participation in the work of the life of the church. This is a milestone that seems impossible given the current state of the church, but that does not mean we should be indifferent to it. This does not happen with all children or adults who receive confirmation, it is important that there are some who share their work so that the ecclesial community grows.
Strengthening, flourishing of values.
It may be helpful for this purpose if those who have experienced a personal union with Christ and the Holy Spirit can help lay people prepare for initiation into this sacrament. Some people say that receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation as a child provides a sense of flourishing in a sacramental life.
The Pope said this does not concern only those who will receive ordination in the future, but applies to all of us at every moment. Through both confirmation and anointing we have received our union with the Holy Spirit, as Paul calls it and declares elsewhere, “the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit.” We need to develop it, we need to enjoy its fruits and not suppress those graces and qualities.
Saint Paul calls his disciple Timothy to ignite the gift he received from God through the laying on of hands. The verb used here expresses the form of the Holy Spirit breathing into us and lighting His fire. This would be a good goal for us in the jubilee year. Let us remove the ashes of our habits and indifferences and, like the bearers of the Olympic torch, let us be bearers of the flame of the Holy Spirit. May the Spirit help us take some steps in this direction!
