The Holy Father encouraged his listeners to imitate the faith of Mary, who listened to God and invited the Holy Spirit into her life.
Pope Francis held his first general audience after a month-long summer break on Wednesday, reminding pilgrims gathered in Paul VI Hall that, as the Gospel of Luke says, “with God all things are possible” if we invite Jesus into our lives, as the Virgin Mary did.
The Holy Father’s speeches were part of the fifth catechesis on the theme “The Spirit and the Bride: The Holy Spirit Leads the People of God to Jesus, Our Hope.”
The Holy Father encouraged his listeners to imitate the faith of Mary, who listened to God and invited the Holy Spirit into her life.
“How is it possible to proclaim Jesus Christ and his salvation to a world that seems to seek only well-being in this world?” asked the Holy Father.
“‘With God nothing is impossible,'” he repeated. “If we believe that, we will perform miracles. With God nothing is impossible.”
At one point, activists from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), wearing T-shirts and waving banners reading “Stop blessing bullfights” and “La corrida e peccato” (“Bullfighting is a sin”), temporarily interrupted the catechism.
In his address, the Holy Father said that the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is a central historical fact for the Catholic faith.
“The Church took up this revealed fact and very quickly placed it at the center of her symbol of faith,” the Pope said.
Pope Francis added that the Nicene Creed, which is recited during Mass, is also an “ecumenical creed” because all Christians share the same belief in the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ.
“At the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381, which defined the divinity of the Holy Spirit, this article found its way into the formula of the Creed, which is in fact called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. It affirms that the Son of God was incarnated and became man from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,” the Pope explained.
Throughout the meeting, several pilgrims waved national flags and fans to keep cool indoors during the hour-long papal audience for Midsummer.
After his catechesis on the Incarnation of Jesus, the Holy Father invited those present to reflect on the Gospel accounts for the feasts of the Transfiguration (6 August) and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (15 August).
The Pope also asked for prayers for peace on behalf of those suffering from conflict and violence in the Middle East, Ukraine, Myanmar and Pakistan.
