Pope Francis resumes his General Audiences after the summer break, reflecting on the work of the Holy Spirit in the Redemption won by Christ.
By Christopher Wells
The Pope’s General Audiences began again after pausing for the month of June, with the Holy Father resuming his reflections on the work of the Holy Spirit.
Having concluded his catechesis on the work of the Holy Spirit in Creation, Pope Francis moved on to the New Testament to consider the Holy Spirit’s role in the Redemption won by Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit and the Incarnation
On Wednesday, the Pope took up the theme of the Holy Spirit in the Incarnation of the Word, beginning with the affirmation of the Creed that Jesus “by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man”.
This, Pope Francis said, “is therefore an ecumenical fact of faith, because all Christians profess together the same Creed”. It is reflected in traditional Catholic piety in the daily recitation of the Angelus.
“The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived of the Holy Spirit”
The Blessed Virgin Mary, a figure of the Church
It also provides the basis for the comparison between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church, a parallel taken up by the Second Vatican Council: As the Blessed Virgin first conceived than bore Christ, so, too, the Church welcomes Christ “by receiving the Word of God in faith, and becomes herself a mother.” Without first accepting the Word of God, the Church’s “life and preaching” becomes “sterile”.
Pope Francis concluded his catechesis by reflecting on Mary’s question at the Annunciation, “How is this possible?” The Church asks the same question, he said: “How is it possible to proclaim Jesus Christ and His salvation to a world that seems to seek only well-being in this world?”
‘With God, nothing will be impossible’
The answer, then and now, is the same, the Pope said, quoting the book of Acts: “You shall receive power from the Holy Spirit”. Without the Holy Spirit, the Pope said, the Church cannot go forward, the Church cannot grow, the Church cannot preach.”
“What is said about the Church in general applies to every single baptized person”, the Pope continued. When we find ourselves “in situations beyond our own strength”, he continued, we do well “to resume our journey with this comforting thought,” by recalling the words of the Angel to Mary, “With God, nothing will be impossible”. “And if we believe this,” he said, “we will perform miracles. Nothing is impossible for God.”
