VATICAN - Pope Francis: the "protagonist" of the mission is the Holy Spirit. We must invoke Him

Wednesday, 22 February 2023 pope francis   mission   evangelization  

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - In the Church "everything must be conformed to the requirements of the proclamation of the Gospel; not to the opinions of the conservatives or the progressives, but to the fact that Jesus reaches people’s lives". And this can easily happen when one is attracted to and docilely follows the work of the Holy Spirit, who "precedes the missionaries and prepares the hearts". Because "the protagonist" of the Christian proclamation is not the Church, it is not the Apostles, "it is not Peter, Paul, Stephen or Philip, but the Holy Spirit". And the Holy Spirit, and not the strategies of men, is the "engine of evangelization". For this reason the Church must incessantly invoke and pray to the Holy Spirit.
With these and other simple hints full of suggestion, Pope Francis once again suggested what is the source and purpose of the Church's mission, and the action that suits it. He did so during today's General Audience, February 22, Ash Wednesday, continuing the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the passion for evangelizing and apostolic zeal.
Taking up words dear to the "phrasebook of the mission" which accompanies this ecclesial time like a keynote, the Bishop of Rome repeated that in the apostolic work entrusted to the Church "every choice, every usage, every structure, and every tradition is be evaluated on the basis of whether they favour the proclamation of Christ".

Pope Francis, in his new catechesis, started from the words reported in the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus sends the Apostles into the world to "make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". The Risen Jesus - noted Pope Francis - does not ask His followers to go "to indoctrinate or proselytize, but to make disciples, that is, to give everyone the opportunity to come into contact with Jesus, to know and love Him freely". The very act of baptizing - continued the Bishop of Rome "expresses a vital action: to immerse one’s life in the Father, in the Son, in the Holy Spirit. To be baptised is to immerse oneself in the Trinity"." When Jesus says to His disciples – and also to us – ‘Go!’, He is not just communicating a word. No. He communicates the Holy Spirit at the same time, because it is only thanks to Him, thanks to the Spirit, that one can receive Christ's mission and carry it out".

In order to certify that the Holy Spirit is the source of the mission, the Successor of Peter recalled the image of the Acts of the Apostles in which the disciples of Jesus, "mostly unlettered fishermen", remain closed up in the Upper Room until the day of Pentecost arrives and the Holy Spirit descends upon them to give strength and consolation, prompting them to begin their apostolic work. "The proclamation of the Gospel", the Pontiff remarked, "is accomplished only in the power of the Spirit". And precisely the Acts of the Apostles certify on every page we see that the protagonist of the proclamation is not Peter, Paul, Stephen, or Philip, but is the Holy Spirit".

To show "how" the Spirit works in the Church, and what are the criteria for its action, Pope Francis then referred to "what is called the 'Council of Jerusalem', the first in history", described by the Successor of Peter as a "pivotal moment in the beginning of the Church is recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, "which can also say a lot to us". At that moment, the nascent Christian community had to establish " how to deal with the pagans who came to the faith, with those who did not belong to the Jewish people, for example". Two groups were thus formed, between those who considered the observance of the Law indispensable and those who did not. In that tense situation - Pope Francis noted - "a good compromise between tradition and innovation: some rules are observed, and others are left aside". But the Apostles, already at the first Council of Jerusalem, "do not follow this human wisdom to seek a diplomatic balance". Rather, they are drawn to follow "the work of the Spirit, who had anticipated them by descending upon the pagans as He had upon them. And so, removing almost every obligation related to the Law, they communicate the final decisions, made – and this is what they write – ‘by the Holy Spirit and by us’.
Following the attraction of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles walk in agreement, together, without being divided "despite having different sensitivities and opinions". And the Holy Spirit, with his work, "teaches one thing, which is also valid today: every religious tradition is useful if it facilitates the encounter with Jesus".
The historic decision of the first Council - - remarked the Bishop of Rome - "was motivated by a principle, the principle of proclamation: everything in the Church must be conformed to the requirements of the proclamation of the Gospel; not to the opinions of the conservatives or the progressives, but to the fact that Jesus reaches people’s lives. Therefore, every choice, every usage, every structure, and every tradition is be evaluated on the basis of whether they favour the proclamation of Christ".
The Holy Spirit - continued the Pontiff - "is the light that orients the Church: He brings clarity, helps to distinguish, helps to discern. This is why it is necessary to invoke Him often". Because "as Church, we can have well-defined times and spaces, well-organised communities, institutes and movements, but without the Spirit, everything remains soulless. (...) The Church, if it does not pray to Him and invoke Him, closes in on itself, in sterile and exhausting debates, in wearisome polarisations, while the flame of the mission is extinguished. It is very sad - the Pope continued "to see the Church as if it were nothing more than a parliament. The Church is something else. The Church is the community of men and women who believe and proclaim Jesus Christ, but moved by the Holy Spirit, not by their own reason".
Pope Francis concluded the catechesis by reading an extensive quotation from a book by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, to suggest how any authentic apostolic movement can only arise from the consolations given by the Holy Spirit, the "Comforter". ‘It is undoubtedly important’ wrote Cardinal Martini in 1997 ‘that in our pastoral planning we start from sociological surveys, analyses, the list of difficulties, the list of expectations and even complaints. (...)
However, it is far more important to start from the experiences of the Spirit: that is the real departure. And it is therefore necessary to seek them out, list them, study them, interpret them. It is a fundamental principle that, in the spiritual life, is called the primacy of consolation over desolation. First there is the Spirit who consoles, revives, enlightens, moves; then there will also be desolation, suffering, darkness, but the principle for adjusting in the darkness is the light of the Spirit’. Pope Francis concluded: "This is the principle to guide ourselves in things we do not understand, in confusions, even in such great darkness, it is important. Let us ask ourselves, each one of us, let us ask ourselves if we open ourselves up to this light, if we give it space: do I invoke the Spirit? Each of us can answer within ourselves. How many of pray to the Spirit?". (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 22/2/2023)


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