Pope Francis says "Let us pray for peace, brothers and sisters - what do children have to do with war? Families? They are the first victims. Let us pray for peace."
.png)
POPE FRANCIS at the GENERAL AUDIENCE
in the Vatican's Saint Peter's Square on Wednesday, 30 October 2024
_______________________________________
The following text includes parts that were not read out loud, but should be considered as such.
Cycle of Catechesis. The Spirit and the Bride. The Holy Spirit guides the people of God towards Jesus our hope. 11. “He has anointed us and put His seal upon us”. Confirmation, Sacrament of the Holy Spirit
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today we will continue our reflection on the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church through the Sacraments.
The sanctifying action of the Holy Spirit reaches us primarily through two channels: the Word of God and the Sacraments. And among all the Sacraments, there is one that is quintessentially the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit, and it is on this that I would like to focus today. It is the Sacrament of Confirmation.
In the New Testament, beyond baptism with water, another rite is mentioned, that of the imposition of hands, which has the purpose of communicating the Holy Spirit visibly and in a charismatic way, with effects analogous to those produced by the Apostles at Pentecost. The Acts of the Apostles refer to a significant episode in this regard. Having heard that some in Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John there from Jerusalem. They “went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit” (8:14-17).
Added to this is what Saint Paul writes in the Second Letter to the Corinthians: “The one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; He has also put His seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first instalment” (1:21-22). The guarantee of the Spirit. The theme of the Holy Spirit as a “royal seal” with which Christ marks his sheep is at the basis of the doctrine of the “indelible character” conferred by this rite.
With the passing of time, the rite of anointing took shape as a Sacrament in itself, assuming diverse forms and content in the various ages and different rites of the Church. This is not the place to retrace this very complex history. What the Sacrament of Confirmation is in the understanding of the Church seems to me to be described in a very simple and clear way by the Catechism of adults of the Italian Episcopal Conference. It says: “Confirmation is for all the faithful what Pentecost was for the entire Church. … It reinforces the baptismal incorporation into Christ and the Church and the consecration to the prophetic, royal and priestly mission. It communicates the abundance of the gifts of the Spirit. … If, therefore, Baptism is the Sacrament of birth, Confirmation is the Sacrament of growth. For this very reason it is also the Sacrament of witness, because this is closely linked to the maturity of Christian existence”. [1] The Catechism up to this point.
The problem is how to ensure that the Sacrament of Confirmation is not reduced, in practice, to “last rites”, that is the Sacrament of “departure” from the Church. It is said that it is the farewell Sacrament, because once young people do it they go away and then return for marriage. This is what people say… but we must ensure that it is rather the Sacrament of participation, of active participation in the life of the Church. It is a milestone that can seem impossible, given the current situation throughout the Church, but this does not mean that we should stop pursuing it. It will not be so for all Confirmands, children or adults, but it is important that it is at least for some who will then go on to be the animators of the community.
It can be useful, for this purpose, to be helped in preparing for the Sacrament by lay faithful who have had a personal encounter with Christ and have had a true experience of the Spirit. Some people say that they have experienced it as a blossoming of the Sacrament of Confirmation received as children.
But this does not relate only to future Confirmands; it relates to all of us and at any time. Together with Confirmation and anointing, we have received, the Apostle assures us, also the bond of the Spirit, which elsewhere he calls “the first fruits of the Spirit” (Rm 8:23). We must “spend” this bond, savour these first fruits, not bury underground the charisms and talents received.
Saint Paul exhorted the disciple Timothy to “stir into flame the gift of God* that you have through the imposition of my hands” (2 Tim 1:6), and the verb used suggests the image of one who breathes on the fire to revive the flame. Here is a good goal for the Jubilee year! To remove the ashes of habit and disengagement, to become, like the torchbearers at the Olympics, bearers of the flame of the Spirit. May the Spirit help us to take a few steps in this direction!
_____________________________
Special greetings:
My thoughts go to the young people, the sick, the elderly and newlyweds. We are now close to the solemnity of All Saints: I invite you to live this anniversary of the liturgical year, in which the Church wants to remind us of an aspect of its reality: the celestial glory of the brothers who have preceded us on the path of life and who now, in the vision of the Father, want to be in communion with us to help us reach the goal that awaits us. And let us pray for peace. The war grows! Let us think of the countries that are suffering so much: the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, North Kivu and so many countries that are at war. Let us pray for peace! Peace is a gift of the Holy Spirit and war is always - always, always, always - a defeat. In war no one wins; everyone loses. Let us pray for peace, brothers and sisters. Yesterday I saw that 150 innocent people were machine-gunned: what do children have to do with war? Families? They are the first victims. Let us pray for peace.
And my blessing to everyone!
I extend a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims. In particular, I greet the parish of San Leone di Saraceno and the Caritas of Teramo-Atri with the Bishop Mons. Leuzzi, urging them to continue on the path of evangelical testimony. I then greet the Association of Women Jurists Italy and the Faita-Federcamping Federation: I encourage everyone in their respective daily commitment to serving the community.
[I cordially greet the French-speaking pilgrims, in particular the groups coming from La Guadeloupe and the dioceses of Paris, Belfort-Montbéliard and Laval. Let us rekindle within us the gift of the Spirit, which we received in Confirmation, to bear witness to our contemporaries, through our lives, of God's love for all men. God bless you.]
Liebe Gläubige deutscher Sprache, ich grüße euch alle, besonders die Jugendlichen aus den kroatischen Gemeinden Geislingen und Göppingen, die vor kurzem das Sakrament der Firmung empfangen haben. Der Heilige Geist, der Herr ist und lebendig macht, entflamme eure Herzen und mache euch zu freudigen Zeugen für Christus.
[Dear German-speaking faithful, I greet all of you, especially the young people of the Croatian communities of Geislingen and Göppingen, who recently received the Sacrament of Confirmation. May the Holy Spirit, who is the Lord and giver of life, inflame your hearts and make you joyful witnesses for Christ.]
Saludo cordialmente a los peregrinos de lengua española. Pidamos al Espíritu Santo que reavive el fuego del amor en nuestros corazones y nos impulse a dar un testimonio jubiloso de su presencia en nuestras vidas. Que Jesús los bendiga y la Virgen Santa los cuide. Muchas gracias.
Saúdo os fiéis de língua portuguesa, de modo especial, os peregrinos vindos da Diocese de Belém do Pará (Brasil). Que a vossa presença em Roma seja uma ocasião propícia para reavivar o dom de Deus que recebestes e para reacender o entusiasmo de ser missionários, portadores da chama do Espírito. Deus vos abençoe e Nossa Senhora vos proteja!
[I greet the Portuguese-speaking faithful, in a special way, the pilgrims coming from the Diocese of Belém do Pará (Brazil). May your presence in Rome be a favorable opportunity to rekindle the gift of God that you have received and to rekindle the enthusiasm of being missionaries, bearers of the flame of the Spirit. God bless you and may Our Lady keep you!]
أُحَيِّي المُؤمِنينَ النَّاطِقينَ باللغَةِ العربِيَّة. بسرِّ التَّثبيت، الرُّوحُ القُدُس يُقَدِّسُنا، ويُقوِّينا، ويَجعَلُ مشارَكَتَنا فعَّالة في رسالةِ الكنيسة. باركَكُم الرّبُّ جَميعًا وحَماكُم دائِمًا مِن كُلِّ شَرّ!
[I greet the Arabic-speaking faithful. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit consecrates us and strengthens us, making our participation in the mission of the Church active. May the Lord bless you all and protect you. always from every evil!]Serdecznie pozdrawiam pielgrzymów z Polski. Zachęcam was do poświęcenia jeszcze większej uwagi przygotowującym się do przyjęcia Sakramentu Bierzmowania. Niech zakończone właśnie obrady Synodu zaowocują w waszych wspólnotach nową otwartością na działanie Ducha Świętego i wrażliwością na styl synodalny. Wszystkich was błogosławię.
[I cordially greet the Polish pilgrims. I invite you to pay even more attention to those who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. May the work of the Synod, which has just concluded, inspire a new openness to the action of the Holy Spirit and a sensitivity to the synod style in your communities. I bless you all.]
_____________________________
[1] La verità vi farà liberi. Catechismo degli adulti. Vatican Publishing House 1995, p. 324.
[1] La verità vi farà liberi. Catechismo degli adulti. Vatican Publishing House 1995, p. 324.
Comments