The Holy Spirit helps Catholics to do good works by giving them the gifts they need to be effective ‘salt and light’ in the world, Pope Francis said at the general audience today.
Like Jesus said: “You are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world”, the Pope said, explaining that the images of salt and light “make us think of our conduct, because both the lack and the excess of salt make food disgusting, as the lack and the excess of light prevent us from seeing”.
“Who can really make us salt that gives flavour and preserves from corruption, and light that enlightens the world?” he asked. “It is only the Spirit of Christ!”
Explaining that at the moment of Confirmation the bishop says, “Receive the Holy Spirit, which has been given to you”, the Pontiff said the sacrament is “a great gift of God, the Holy Spirit within us”.
“The Spirit is in our heart, is in our soul. And the Spirit guides us in life, so that we become the right [amount of] salt and the right [amount of] light for men.”
Pope Francis spoke about Confirmation after concluding his weekly reflections on Baptism, which he said is “the first step”. After Baptism, “it is then necessary to behave as children of God, that is, to conform to Christ who works in the holy Church”, he said.
The Pope also explained that the sacrament is called “Confirmation” because it “confirms Baptism and strengthens its grace”, noting that in the Italian language, the sacrament is called “Cresima”, to recall the anointing with chrism oil, which confers the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency
