This morning's General Audience began at 9:35am (3:35am EDT) in Saint Peter's Square where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his speech, the Pope continued the new cycle of catechesis on the Sacrament of Confirmation, adding his meditation on the seal of the Holy Spirit (Biblical passage: from the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Galatians 5:22-23).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Continuing the explanation of Confirmation, I decided to shed some light today on the intimate connection this sacrament has with the whole of Christian initiation (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 71).
Before receiving the spiritual anointing that confirms and strengthens the grace of Baptism, those who are to be confirmed are called and they renew the promises that were made on the day of their baptism by their parents and godparents. Now, it is they themselves who profess the faith of the Church, now that they are ready to respond I believe to the questions that are asked by the Bishop; ready, in particular, to believe in the Holy Spirit, who is Lord and who gives life, and who today, through the Sacrament of Confirmation, is conferred upon them in a special way, as it was to te Apostles on the day of Pentecost (Rite of Confirmation, 26).
Since the coming of the Holy Spirit requires hearts to be gathered in prayer (cf Acts 1:14), after the silent prayer of the community, the Bishop, holding his own hands out over the confirmandi, implores God to infuse them with his Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. The Spirit is one (cf 1 Cor 12:4), but this Spirit comes to us, bringing a richness of gifts: wisdom, intellect, counsel, fortitude, understanding, piety and a holy fear of God (cf Rite of Confirmation, 28-29). We have heard the Biblical passage that explains these gifts that the Holy Spirit brings. According to the prophet Isaiah (Is 11:2), these are the seven virtues of that the Spirit poured out upon the Messiah so that he could fulfill his mission. Saint Paul too describes the abundant fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, magnanimity, benevolence, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self control (Gal 5:22). The one Spirit distributes these multiple gifts which enrich the Church: he is the Author of diversity, but at the same time, he is the Creator of unity. Thus, the Spirit gives all these gifts which are diverse but that also create harmony, which is to say the unity of all spiritual treasures that we Christians possess.
According to tradition, as attested to by the Apostles, the Spirit who completes the grace of Baptism is passed on through the laying on of hands (cf Acts 8:15-17; 19:5-6; Heb 6:2). To this biblical gesture, in order to better express the effusion of the Spirit that pervades those who receive it, an anointing with perfumed oil has been added, oil that is called Chrism (1), a practice that remains in effect today, both in the East and in the West (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1289).
This oil - the oil of Chrism - is a therapeutic and cosmetic substance, which enters into the tissues of body to medicate our wounds and to perfume our limbs; because of these qualities, it is assumed by biblical and liturgical symbolism to express the action of the Holy Spirit who consecrates and permeates the one who has been baptized, embellishing him or her with charisms. The Sacrament is conferred through the anointing with Chrism on the forehead, which is performed by the Bishop with the imposition of his hand and by speaking the words: Receive the seal of the Holy Spirit which is given to you as a gift (2). The Holy Spirit is the invisible gift that is bestowed and the Chrism is its visible sign.
Receiving the sign of the cross on the forehead with perfumed oil, the Confirmandi therefore receives and indelible spiritual mark, the character of Confirmation, which configures him or her more perfectly to Christ and gives him or her the grace to diffuse this good odour among all peoples (cf 2 Cor 2:15).
Let us listen once more to the invitation Saint Ambrose offered to the newly Confirmed. He said: Remember that you have received the spiritual seal ... and therefore you must protect what you have received. God our Father has marked you, he has confirmed in you Christ the Lord and has placed the Spirit within your heart as a pledge (De mysteriis, 7, 42; CSEL 73, 106; cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1303). The Spirit is undeservedly a gift, to be welcomed with gratitude, making room for his inexhaustible creativity. It is a gift that should be carefully kept, a gift that should teach us to be docile, allowing ourselves to be moulded, like wax, by the fire of its charity, to reflect Jesus Christ in the world today (Gaudete et exsultate, 23).
(1) Here is a passage from the prayer of blessing for the Chrism: Now, we pray you, O Father: sanctify with your blessing + this oil, the gift of your providence; fill it with the strength of your Spirit and with the power that emanates from Christ whose holy name is used to refer to this oil that consecrates priests, kings, prophets and martyrs ... This anointing penetrates them and sanctifies them, so that freed from their natural corruption, and consecrates as temples of your glory, they may spread the perfume of their holy lives (Blessing of oil, 22).
(2) The formula, receive the Holy Spirit - the gift of the Holy Spirit appears in Jn 20:22, Acts 2:38 and Acts 10:45-47.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and he offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Scotland, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and the United States of America. I thank the Korean athletes for their presentation: this has been a display of the commitment to peace, representing the two Koreas together! A message of peace for all of humanity! Thank you! I also offer a prayerful greeting to the Felician Sisters presently celebrating their General Chapter. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
In his speech, the Pope continued the new cycle of catechesis on the Sacrament of Confirmation, adding his meditation on the seal of the Holy Spirit (Biblical passage: from the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Galatians 5:22-23).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters,
Continuing the explanation of Confirmation, I decided to shed some light today on the intimate connection this sacrament has with the whole of Christian initiation (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 71).
Before receiving the spiritual anointing that confirms and strengthens the grace of Baptism, those who are to be confirmed are called and they renew the promises that were made on the day of their baptism by their parents and godparents. Now, it is they themselves who profess the faith of the Church, now that they are ready to respond I believe to the questions that are asked by the Bishop; ready, in particular, to believe in the Holy Spirit, who is Lord and who gives life, and who today, through the Sacrament of Confirmation, is conferred upon them in a special way, as it was to te Apostles on the day of Pentecost (Rite of Confirmation, 26).
Since the coming of the Holy Spirit requires hearts to be gathered in prayer (cf Acts 1:14), after the silent prayer of the community, the Bishop, holding his own hands out over the confirmandi, implores God to infuse them with his Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. The Spirit is one (cf 1 Cor 12:4), but this Spirit comes to us, bringing a richness of gifts: wisdom, intellect, counsel, fortitude, understanding, piety and a holy fear of God (cf Rite of Confirmation, 28-29). We have heard the Biblical passage that explains these gifts that the Holy Spirit brings. According to the prophet Isaiah (Is 11:2), these are the seven virtues of that the Spirit poured out upon the Messiah so that he could fulfill his mission. Saint Paul too describes the abundant fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, magnanimity, benevolence, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self control (Gal 5:22). The one Spirit distributes these multiple gifts which enrich the Church: he is the Author of diversity, but at the same time, he is the Creator of unity. Thus, the Spirit gives all these gifts which are diverse but that also create harmony, which is to say the unity of all spiritual treasures that we Christians possess.
According to tradition, as attested to by the Apostles, the Spirit who completes the grace of Baptism is passed on through the laying on of hands (cf Acts 8:15-17; 19:5-6; Heb 6:2). To this biblical gesture, in order to better express the effusion of the Spirit that pervades those who receive it, an anointing with perfumed oil has been added, oil that is called Chrism (1), a practice that remains in effect today, both in the East and in the West (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1289).
This oil - the oil of Chrism - is a therapeutic and cosmetic substance, which enters into the tissues of body to medicate our wounds and to perfume our limbs; because of these qualities, it is assumed by biblical and liturgical symbolism to express the action of the Holy Spirit who consecrates and permeates the one who has been baptized, embellishing him or her with charisms. The Sacrament is conferred through the anointing with Chrism on the forehead, which is performed by the Bishop with the imposition of his hand and by speaking the words: Receive the seal of the Holy Spirit which is given to you as a gift (2). The Holy Spirit is the invisible gift that is bestowed and the Chrism is its visible sign.
Receiving the sign of the cross on the forehead with perfumed oil, the Confirmandi therefore receives and indelible spiritual mark, the character of Confirmation, which configures him or her more perfectly to Christ and gives him or her the grace to diffuse this good odour among all peoples (cf 2 Cor 2:15).
Let us listen once more to the invitation Saint Ambrose offered to the newly Confirmed. He said: Remember that you have received the spiritual seal ... and therefore you must protect what you have received. God our Father has marked you, he has confirmed in you Christ the Lord and has placed the Spirit within your heart as a pledge (De mysteriis, 7, 42; CSEL 73, 106; cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1303). The Spirit is undeservedly a gift, to be welcomed with gratitude, making room for his inexhaustible creativity. It is a gift that should be carefully kept, a gift that should teach us to be docile, allowing ourselves to be moulded, like wax, by the fire of its charity, to reflect Jesus Christ in the world today (Gaudete et exsultate, 23).
(1) Here is a passage from the prayer of blessing for the Chrism: Now, we pray you, O Father: sanctify with your blessing + this oil, the gift of your providence; fill it with the strength of your Spirit and with the power that emanates from Christ whose holy name is used to refer to this oil that consecrates priests, kings, prophets and martyrs ... This anointing penetrates them and sanctifies them, so that freed from their natural corruption, and consecrates as temples of your glory, they may spread the perfume of their holy lives (Blessing of oil, 22).
(2) The formula, receive the Holy Spirit - the gift of the Holy Spirit appears in Jn 20:22, Acts 2:38 and Acts 10:45-47.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and he offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Scotland, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and the United States of America. I thank the Korean athletes for their presentation: this has been a display of the commitment to peace, representing the two Koreas together! A message of peace for all of humanity! Thank you! I also offer a prayerful greeting to the Felician Sisters presently celebrating their General Chapter. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
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