“Let us pray for peace”. In his greeting to the Italian-speaking faithful, which typically concludes Wednesday’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reiterated this call to prayer several times. “War grows”, the Pope said: “Our thoughts go to the countries that are suffering so terribly: the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, North Kivi and so many war-torn countries.” “Let us pray for peace”, he continued: “Peace is a gift of the Spirit, and war is always, always a defeat. There are no winners in war, everyone loses. Let us pray for peace. Yesterday I learned that gunmen killed 150 innocent people,” Francis said. He asked:
“What do children, families, have to do with war? They are the first victims. Let us pray for peace.”
“Excuse my poor reading, but the sun in my eyes makes it hard to read,” were the Pope’s first words upon the opening of the catechesis, held in a remarkably sun-drenched St Peter’s Square and dedicated to the Sacrament of Confirmation, “that is quintessentially the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit.” “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 Pope said, quoting the Acts of the Apostles and Saint Paul. “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”, Francis explained: “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.”
“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”,
the Pope remarked, quoting a passage from the Cathechism of adults which 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”.
“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”,
the Pope’s note of concern. “It is said that it is the farewell Sacrament, because once young people do it they go away and then return for marriage – Francis added in unscripted remarks -. 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”, the invitation: “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.” For this purpose, Francis said, it may be useful “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”, with a recommendation: “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.”
“To remove the ashes of habit and disengagement,
to become, like the torchbearers at the Olympics, bearers of the flame of the Spirit.”
“Here is a good goal for the Jubilee year!” the Pope added at the end of his catechesis. “Together with Confirmation and anointing, we have received, the Apostle assures us, also the bond of the Spirit. 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”, Francis observed, “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!”, the Pope exclaimed: “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!”
