Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides News Agency) - "We are, before God, the fragrance of Christ". Pope Francis quotes Saint Paul and asks Catholics to commit so people may feel "the fragrance of the Spirit of Christ" surrounding each believer.
These words came during the General Audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, where the Pontiff, continuing the cycle of catecheses on "The Spirit and the Bride", focused today's meditation on the theme "The Holy Spirit in the Baptism of Jesus". "The whole Trinity met, at that moment, on the banks of the Jordan!. The Father who makes himself present with his voice; the Holy Spirit who descends on Jesus in the form of a dove and there is the one whom the Father proclaims his beloved Son. It is a very important moment of Revelation and very important in the history of salvation".
“In Jordan God the Father has ‘ anointed with the Holy Spirit ’, that is, consecrated Jesus as King, Prophet and Priest. In fact, kings, prophets, and priests were anointed with fragrant oil in the Old Testament. In the case of Christ, instead of physical oil, there was spiritual oil which is the Holy Spirit, instead of the symbol is reality. There is the Spirit descending upon Jesus. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit from the first moment of his Incarnation. But that was a ‘personal grace’ - the Bishop of Rome points out - that was incommunicable; now, instead, he receives the fullness of the gift of the Spirit for his mission which, as head, will communicate to his body that it is the Church. This is why the Church are the new ‘people - royal, prophetic and priestly'".
"The Hebrew term ‘Messiah’ and the corresponding one in Greek ‘Christ’, both referring to Jesus - explained the Pontiff -, mean ‘anointed’. Anointed with joy. Anointed with the Holy Spirit. Our very name of ‘Christians‘ will be explained by the Fathers in the literal sense of Christians‘ anointed in imitation of Christ ’".
The Pope then refers to Chrism, the fragrant oil consecrated by the Bishops on Holy Thursday: "We know that, unfortunately, sometimes Christians do not spread the perfume of Christ, but the stench of their own sins. This, however, must not divert us from the commitment to realize - as much as we can and each of us in our own environment - such sublime vocation of being the fragrance of Christ in the world. "
The fragrance of Christ, Francis concludes, is released from the "fruits of the Spirit", which are "love, joy,
peace, magnanimity, benevolence, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. ” If we make an effort to cultivate these fruits, then, without us noticing, someone will feel around us a little of the fragrance of the Spirit of Christ. "
Before the blessing, the Pope's thoughts then turned to the catechists: "Today, the commemoration of Saint Pius X, in many parts of the world, is celebrated as catechist day. Let us think of our catechists, our catechists who carry out so much work and are, in some parts of the world, the first to pursue the faith. Let us pray today for catechists, that the Lord may render them courageous and able to move forward".
Finally, the umpteenth appeal for peace: "Please, let's not forget battered Ukraine that suffers so much. Let's not forget Myanmar, South Sudan, North Kivu and many countries that are at war. Let us pray for peace. And let's not forget Palestine and Israel. May there be peace!". (F.B.) (Fides News Agency 21/8/2024)
