Transmitting the life and conviction of the faith

On Wednesday morning, 4 December, Pope Francis continued his series of catecheses on the Holy Spirit and the Bride, turning his attention to the role of preaching in the Church, encouraging preachers to rely on the Gospel’s content and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Addressing the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, the Pope reflected on the First Letter of Peter, in which the first Pope described the Apostles as “those who preached the Good News to you through the Holy Spirit”. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s catechesis, which he delivered in Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good morning!

After reflecting on the sanctifying and charismatic action of the Spirit, we dedicate this catechesis to another aspect: the evangelizing work of the Holy Spirit, specifically its role in the Church’s preaching.

The First Letter of Peter describes the Apostles as those who preached the Good News through the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Pet 1:12). In this expression, we find the two constitutive elements of Christian preaching: its content, which is the Gospel, and its means, which is the Holy Spirit. Let us speak briefly about both.

In the New Testament, the word “Gospel” has two main meanings. It can refer to each one of the four canonical Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and according to this definition, the Gospel is the Good News proclaimed by Jesus during his earthly life. After the Pasch, the word “Gospel” takes on a new meaning, of the Good News about Jesus, that is, the Paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of the Lord. This is what the Apostle [Paul] calls the “Gospel” when he writes: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith” (Rom 1:16).

The preaching of Jesus and, subsequently, that of the Apostles, also includes all the moral duties that stem from the Gospel, starting from the ten commandments up to the “new” commandment of love. However, if we do not want to relapse into the error denounced by the Apostle Paul of putting the law before grace and deeds before faith, it is necessary to always start anew from the proclamation of what Christ has done for us. Therefore, the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium insists a lot on the first of these two things, namely the kerygma or “proclamation”, on which every moral application depends.

Indeed, “in catechesis too, we have rediscovered the fundamental role of the first announcement, or, kerygma, which needs to be the centre of all evangelizing activity and all efforts at Church renewal. … This first proclamation is called “first” not because it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more important things. It is first in a qualitative sense because it is the primary proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment. … We must not think that in catechesis the kerygma gives way to a supposedly more ‘solid’ formation. Nothing is more solid, profound, secure, meaningful and wisdom-filled than that initial proclamation” (nos. 164-165), namely, the kerygma.

So far, we have seen the content of Christian preaching. We must however bear in mind also the means by which it is proclaimed. The Gospel must be preached “through the Holy Spirit” (1 Pet 1:12). The Church must do precisely what Jesus said at the beginning of his public ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor” (Lk 4:18). Preaching with the anointing of the Holy Spirit means transmitting, together with the ideas and the doctrine, the life and conviction of our faith. It means doing so “not in plausible (words of) wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor 2:4), as Saint Paul wrote.

It is easy to say, one might object, but how can it be put into practice if it does not depend on us, but on the coming of the Holy Spirit? In reality, there is one thing that does depend on us, or rather two, and I will mention them briefly. The first is prayer. The Holy Spirit comes to those who pray, for it is written that the Heavenly Father “give[s] the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Lk 11:13), especially if we ask him in order to proclaim the Gospel of his Son! Woe to those who preach without praying! They become those whom the Apostle defines as “a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (cf. 1 Cor 13:1).

Thus, the first thing that depends on us is to pray, for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The second is not wanting to preach ourselves, but Jesus as the Lord (cf. 2 Cor 4:5).

This applies to preaching. At times there are long sermons, 20 minutes, 30 minutes… But, please, preachers must convey one idea, one sentiment and one call to action. Beyond eight minutes the preaching starts to fade; it is not understood. And this I say to preachers [applause] — I see you like to hear this! At times we see people leave to smoke a cigarette when the sermon starts and then come back in. Please, the sermon must be an idea, a sentiment and a call to action. And never exceed 10 minutes. This is very important.

The second thing, I was saying, is not to want to preach ourselves, but the Lord. There is no need to dwell on this, because anyone involved in evangelization knows well what it means in practice not to preach oneself. I will limit myself to a specific application of this requirement. Not wanting to preach oneself also means not always giving priority to pastoral initiatives promoted by us and associated to our own name, but willingly collaborating, if requested, in community initiatives, or ones entrusted to us by obedience.

May the Holy Spirit help us, accompany us and teach the Church how to preach the Gospel in this way to the men and women of this time! Thank you.

Special Greetings

I extend a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, the United States of America, Japan and Singapore. I pray that each of you, and your families, may experience a blessed Advent in preparation for the coming of the newborn Saviour at Christmas. God bless you!

Today, with great pleasure, we begin the reading of the summary of the catechesis in Chinese. Therefore, I wish to extend my warm greetings to the Chinese-speaking people present here and to those connected through the media. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke joy and peace. May God bless you!

Lastly, my thoughts turn to young people, to the sick, to the elderly and to newlyweds. The Advent season, which has just begun, in these days offers a shining example of the Immaculate Virgin. May she inspire you in your journey of adherence to Christ and sustain your hope.

And please, let us continue to pray for peace! War is a human defeat. War does not solve problems; war is evil, war destroys. Let us pray for countries at war. Let us not forget martyred Ukraine, let us not forget Palestine, Israel, Myanmar... So many children have died, so many innocent lives lost! Let us pray that the Lord may lead us to peace. Let us always pray for peace.