Vatican City, 29 January 2014 (VIS) –
During this Wednesday's general audience Pope Francis, continuing his
catechesis on the sacraments, focused on Confirmation, a sacrament
which must be understood as “continuing from Baptism, to which it
is indissolubly linked”.
“These two sacraments, along with the
Eucharist, constitute a single saving event – Christian initiation
– in which we are brought into Christ who died and rose again, and
become new creatures and members of the Church. This is because
originally these three Sacraments were celebrated together, at the
end of the catechumenal path, normally on Holy Saturday. This
concluded the process of formation and gradual insertion into the
Christian community, that could even take several years. It is a step
by step process, first reaching Baptism, then Confirmation, and
finally the Eucharist”.
“In confirmation, we are anointed
with oil. And indeed, through the oil known as the 'holy Chrism' we
are conformed, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to Christ, who is the
only true 'anointed one' the Messiah, the Saint of God. The term
'confirmation' reminds us that this Sacrament involves growth from
baptismal grace; it unites us more firmly with Christ; it completes
our bond with the Church; it accords to us the special strength of
the Holy Spirit in order to spread and to defend the faith, to
confess the name of Christ and never to be ashamed of His Cross”.
“For this reason it is important that
all our children receive this Sacrament”, he added. “We are all
concerned about baptising them, but perhaps less so with regard to
confirmation, and therefore they remain at a halfway point, and do
not receive the Holy Spirit that gives us the strength to go forward
in Christian life”. Therefore, “it is important to provide a good
preparation for Confirmation, aiming to lead them towards personal
adhesion to faith in Christ and to reawaken in them a sense of
belonging to the Church”.
“Confirmation, like every Sacrament,
is not the work of men, but rather the work of God, Who takes care of
our lives in order to mould us in the image of His Son, to make us
able to love like Him. He infuses us with the Holy Spirit, whose
action pervades the whole person and all of life, as is shown by the
Seven Gifts that Tradition, in the light of the Sacred Scriptures,
has always made clear: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge,
Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord”, said the Bishop of Rome,
announcing that these gifts will be the subject of his next
catechesis, after the Sacraments. “When we welcome the Holy Spirit
into our hearts and allow it to act, Christ Himself is made present
in us and takes form in our lives; through us, it will be He Who
prays, forgives, brings hope and consolation, serves our brothers, is
close to the needy and the abandoned, Who creates communion and sows
peace”.
The Pope brought his catechesis to and
end by urging those present to remember that they have received
Confirmation, firstly “to thank the Lord for this gift, and then to
ask Him for His help in living as true Christians, to always journey
with joy according to the Holy Spirit that has been granted to us”.
As he was concluding, it began to rain heavily and Pope Francis
exclaimed, “It seems that on these last few Wednesdays, during the
audience, we have been blessed from heaven! However, since you are
brave, let us go ahead and continue...”.