Pope at General Audience:
'without the Holy Spirit we are nothing'
During the General Audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope
Francis prayed for war ravaged eastern Ukraine and reflected on the Sacrament
of Confirmation.
By Linda Bordoni
"Only the Spirit of Christ can make us "salt that
gives taste" and "light that illuminates the world" said Pope
Francis during his catechesis on Wednesday morning.
He was speaking to the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s
Square for the weekly General Audience during which he
continued in his series of reflections dedicated to the Sacraments.
Without the Holy Spirit we can do nothing
Pointing out that without the Holy Spirit we can do nothing,
the Pope focused on the Sacrament of Confirmation, which he said, owes its name
to the fact that it “confirms” the grace of our Baptism.
He explained that during Confirmation we are anointed with
the “chrism” – the oil mixed with perfume that has been consecrated by the
bishop - so that we can bear witness to Christ before the world.
That’s why, he said, we speak of being “Anointed by the Holy
Spirit”.
Pope Francis went on to explain that with Baptism one is
reborn to new life while with Confirmation we are given the strength to go
forward as Christians.
"Without the strength of the Holy Spirit we can do
nothing: it is the Spirit that gives us the strength to move forward" he
said.
Becoming salt and light
The Pope recalled Pentecost as a central moment in the life
of a Christian. It’s when “the 'Breath' of the Risen Christ fills the lungs of
the Church with life” he said explaining that just as Christ was anointed by
the Spirit at his baptism in the Jordan, so at Pentecost the Church received
the Spirit in order to carry out her mission of preaching the Gospel to the
ends of the earth.
He said that in Confirmation, we are given the great gift of
the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis noted that whilst the bishop anoints the person
receiving Confirmation he says: “Receive the Holy Spirit who was given to you
as a gift”. The Holy Spirit, he continued is God’s great gift to us. It is in
our heart and in our soul, he said, and it guides us in life so that we may
become salt and light for the world.
Christian witness is doing what the Spirit asks of us
The Pope highlighted that during Confirmation it is Christ
who fills us with his Spirit and makes us sharers of his own life and mission,
in accordance to God’s saving plan.
He said that to be a true Christian we must let ourselves be
guided by the Spirit and strive to live the new life received in Baptism and
take an active role in fulfilling the Church’s mission in the world.
Prayer for Ukraine
Pope Francis had words of special greeting for a group of
pilgrims from Ukraine who were present in the square.
“I pray the Lord continuously to heal the wounds inflicted
by war in Ukraine and to give his peace to the beloved Ukrainian land” he said.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét