Pope Francis entered St. Peter's Square with the 15,000 pilgrims present and especially greeted the smallest in attendence.
The pope wanted to send a special message to the Catholics in China since May 24 is the day of prayer for the Catholic Church in China.
POPE FRANCIS
“This anniversary invites us to be spiritually united to all the Catholic faithful who live in China. We pray to Our Lady for them, so they may live their faith with generosity and serenity, and so that they may carry out concrete gestures of fraternity, concord and reconciliation, in full communion with the Successor of Peter.”
In his catechesis, the Holy Father explained a Christian must be salt and light for the world, but just the right amount – not too much or too little.
POPE FRANCIS
“They're images that make us think about our behavior, because both too much and too little salt make food unappetizing, just like too much or too little light hinder sight.”
The pope said the sacrament of confirmation is key for being salt and light. There, a Christian reaffirms his commitment to living according to the Gospel and receives a gift to achieve it: the Holy Spirit.
POPE FRANCIS
“In the moment of the anointing, the bishop says this: 'Receive the Holy Spirit that has been given to you as a gift.' It's God's great gift, the Holy Spirit. And we all have the Holy Spirit inside, the Spirit is in our heart and soul and guides us in life so we're the right amount of salt and light for mankind.”
In recent catecheses, Pope Francis had focused on the first of the sacraments, baptism. Now, following the Feast of Pentecost, he spoke of confirmation.
