Material element, human gestures and words in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.After the catechesis on the Holy Spirit on marriage and families last Wednesday, "today we continue our reflection on the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church through the Sacraments," Pope Francis began his catechesis on the General Audience on Wednesday, October 30, on a sunny morning in St. Peter's Square.
"The sanctifying action of the Holy Spirit comes to us first of all through two channels: the Word of God and the Sacraments. And among all the Sacraments, there is one that is, par excellence, the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit, and it is the one I would like to focus on today. It is, as you have understood, the Sacrament of Chrismation or Confirmation", he said.
Of the seven sacraments, "Confirmation is the sacrament of the Holy Spirit par excellence. In the New Testament we see some elements of the sacrament of confirmation. For example, when the "laying on of hands" is mentioned, which communicates in a visible and charismatic way the Holy Spirit. We also find the "anointing" and the "sealing" which manifest the indelible character of this sacrament".
Baptism, birth; confirmation, growth
"We can say that, if Baptism is the sacrament of birth to life in Christ, Confirmation is the sacrament of growth, the Roman Pontiff said. "This means the beginning of a stage of Christian maturity, which entails bearing witness to one's faith.
In order to carry out this mission, it is important not to stop cultivating the gifts of the Spirit that we have received".
What the sacrament of Confirmation is in the Church's understanding, it seems to me," the Pope added, "is described, simply and clearly, by the Catechism for Adults of the Italian Bishops' Conference. It says: "Confirmation is for each member of the faithful what Pentecost was for the whole Church. [It strengthens baptismal incorporation into Christ and the Church and 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."
Let Confirmation be "initiation", not "extreme unction".
The problem is how to ensure that the sacrament of Confirmation is not reduced, in practice, to an 'extreme unction', that is to say, to the sacrament of 'leaving' the Church, but that it is the sacrament of initiation of an active participation in his life, the Pontiff continued.
"It is a goal that may seem impossible, given the current situation in almost the entire Church, but that does not mean that we should stop pursuing it. It will not be so for all confirmands, whether children or adults, but it is important that it be so at least for some who will later be the animators of the community," he pointed out.
"Help from lay faithful".
To this end, "it may be useful to let oneself be helped, in preparation for the SacramentoThe Pope said that the mission was to be carried out by lay faithful who have had a personal encounter with Christ and have had a true experience of the Spirit," he pointed out.
In his greeting to the pilgrims of different languages, the Holy Father encouraged: "Let us ask the Holy Spirit to rekindle the fire of love in our hearts and impel us to give a joyful witness of his presence in our lives. May Jesus bless you and the Blessed Virgin Mary watch over you".
All Saints: those who have gone before us want to help us
In concluding his words in Italian, before the "Pater Noster" in Latin of the final Blessing, he referred to the fact that "we are already close to the Solemnity of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament". All SaintsI invite you to live this feast of the liturgical year in which the Church wants to remind us of an essential aspect of her reality: the heavenly glory of the brothers and sisters who have preceded us on the path of this present 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".
"What do children have to do with a war?"
And finally, as usual, the Pope asked us to "pray for peace, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Peace In the tormented Ukraine, in Palestine, in Israel, in Myanmar, and in so many countries that live in a time of war. "Yesterday I saw 150 innocent people machine-gunned. What do children have to do in a war? They are the first victims. Let us pray for peace. And to all my Blessing".
