Pope at Audience: Jesus' Baptism marks a key moment in salvation history
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Jesus' Baptism marks "a very important moment" of Revelation and of salvation history, noted Pope Francis during his Wednesday General Audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall.
As the Pope continued his catechesis on the Holy Spirit, the Holy Father discussed the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus at His baptism in the River Jordan.
"It would do us well," the Holy Father encouraged, "to re-read this Gospel passage."
There, he stressed, the Lord was revealed as the Beloved Son of the Father, and the Lord was anointed by the Spirit at the beginning of His public ministry.
As the Messiah, Priest, Prophet and King, the Holy Father recalled, Jesus in turn bestows the Spirit upon us, the members of His mystical Body, the Church.
In Baptism, he said, each of us is anointed with the perfumed oil of chrism "as a sign of our sharing in Christ’s life" and "our mission to spread the fragrance of His saving presence in our world."
Anointing makes us become fragrant, the Holy Father said, adding that "a person who lives his anointment with joy makes the Church fragrant, makes the community fragrant, makes the family fragrant with this spiritual scent."
Sin distances us from Christ
However, the Pope warned, "we know that, unfortunately, sometimes Christians do not spread the fragrance of Christ, but the bad odour of their own sin."
"And let us never forget: sin distances us from Jesus, sin makes us become bad oil," he stressed, cautioning us against the devil's deception.
Pursue joy and virtue
Rather, the Pope encouraged the faithful to be the type of person St. Paul refers to in his letter to the Galatians, namely one who is virtuous, faithful in love, and not full of pride.
Pope Francis concluded his catechesis by inviting everyone to become more aware of, and empowered by, our having been anointed by the Lord's Spirit.
One can read the Pope's full remarks at the Vatican website.
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