By Christopher Wells
The Popeโs 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 Spiritโs 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 โby the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became manโ.
This, Pope Francis said, โis therefore an ecumenical fact of faith, because all Christians profess together the same Creedโ. It is reflected in traditional Catholic piety in the daily recitation of the Angelus.
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 โby receiving the Word of God in faith, and becomes herself a mother.โ Without first accepting the Word of God, the Churchโs โlife and preachingโ becomes โsterileโ.
Pope Francis concluded his catechesis by reflecting on Maryโs question at the Annunciation, โHow is this possible?โ The Church asks the same question, he said: โHow is it possible to proclaim Jesus Christ and His salvation to a world that seems to seek only well-being in this world?โ
‘With God, nothing will be impossible’
The answer, then and now, is the same, the Pope said, quoting the book of Acts: โYou shall receive power from the Holy Spiritโ. Without the Holy Spirit, the Pope said, the Church cannot go forward, the Church cannot grow, the Church cannot preach.โ
โWhat is said about the Church in general applies to every single baptized personโ, the Pope continued. When we find ourselves โin situations beyond our own strengthโ, he continued, we do well โto resume our journey with this comforting thought,โ by recalling the words of the Angel to Mary, โWith God, nothing will be impossibleโ. โAnd if we believe this,โ he said, โwe will perform miracles. Nothing is impossible for God.โ
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