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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "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, but is rather the Sacrament of participation, of active participation in the life of the Church". This is what Pope Francis said at today's general audience in St. Peter's Square, continuing his catechesis on the Holy Spirit and today reflecting on the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church through the Sacraments.
Last week the Pope spoke about the action of the Holy Spirit in marriage, today he reflected on Confirmation, which "par excellence, according to Pope Francis, is the sacrament of the Holy Spirit". The Pope recalls that in the New Testament, in addition to 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".
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". To better suggest what this sacrament represents, the Pope quotes the Catechism of adults of the Italian Episcopal Conference. It states: "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," said the Bishop of Rome, "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." "It is said that it is the farewell Sacrament, " cintinued the Pope, "because once young people do it they go away and then return for marriage. This is what people say". On the contrary, Confirmation is "the Sacrament of participation, of active participation in the life of the Church". The Bishop of Rome continued: "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", continues the Pope who proposes that it can be useful, for this purpose "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. Some people say that they have experienced it as a blossoming of the Sacrament of Confirmation received as children".
But this, he stresses, "does not relate only to future Confirmands; it relates to all of us and at any time. Together with Confirmation and anointing, we have received" what Saint Paul calls "the first fruits of the Spirit".
"We must “spend” this bond, savour these first fruits, not bury underground the charisms and talents received. Here is a good goal for the Jubilee year! 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!", the Pope concluded.
Before the final blessing, Pope Francis once again recalled the countries at war and asked for constant prayers for peace: "War is increasing, let us think of the countries that are suffering so much, such as the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, North Kivu. Let us pray for peace. Peace is a gift of the Spirit, war is always a defeat. In war, no one wins, everyone loses".
"Yesterday," the Pope added referring to the recent massacre in the Gaza Strip, "I saw 150 innocent people shot with machine guns. What do children and families have to do with it? They are the first victims of war, let us pray for peace," the Pope concluded. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 30/10/2024)
