At Wednesday’s General Audience, Pope Francis stressed the equality of all Christians in Christ, noting that anyone who accepts Christ by faith has “clothed” Christ and his filial dignity through baptism.
By Benedict Mayaki, SJ
Continuing his catechesis on St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians during Wednesday’s General Audience, Pope Francis noted the apostle’s insistence on Christians not to forget the novelty of God’s revelation that had been proclaimed to them.
The Pope reflected on St. Paul’s emphasis on faith in Jesus that has allowed us to truly become children of God and his heirs. Therefore, Christians must remember with gratitude the moment we became such – the moment of our baptism – “to live the great gift we have received most conscientiously.”
Faith makes us children of God “in Christ”
Once “faith has come” in Jesus Christ, the Pope noted, “a radically new condition was created that leads to divine sonship.”
It is not an affiliation involving all men and women in so far as they are sons and daughters of the same Creator; rather, faith allows us to be children of God “in Christ”.
Being children of God “in Christ”, therefore, makes a difference, because through the incarnation of Jesus he became our brother and, through his death and resurrection, he has reconciled us to the Father.
Therefore, “whoever accepts Christ in faith, has” clothed “Christ and his filial dignity by baptism.”
Baptism transforms us
Pope Francis further explained that for St. Paul, who referred to baptism several times in his letters, “to be baptized was the same as to participate effectively and truly in the mystery of Jesus.”
In the Letter to the Romans, for example, Paul stated that in baptism we have died with Christ and been buried with Him in order to live with Him (Rom. 6: 3-14).
Baptism, therefore, is not just an “external rite.” Rather, those who receive it “are profoundly transformed” and “possess a new life” that allows them to turn to God and call Him by the name of “Abba, Father”.
In this sense, the Holy Father encouraged Christians to know the date of baptism and to celebrate it.
Baptism goes beyond differences
Speaking further, the Pope noted St. Paul’s bold confirmation that the identity received with baptism is so new that it prevails over ethnic-religious differences, beyond differences between Jews or Greeks, slaves or free. , men or women (Gal. 3:28).
“Let Paul write to the Galatians that in Christ, neither Jew nor Greek was equivalent to a true subversion in the ethnic-religious sphere,” the Pope explained, because because he belonged to a chosen people, the Jew was privileged over the pagan. .
Similarly, drawing the distinction between the “free” and the “slaves” introduced a shocking prospect, as by law, “free citizens enjoyed all the rights, while not even recognizing the human dignity of the slaves “. Similarly, equality in Christ, which transcends social differences between the two sexes, “was revolutionary at the time” and “must be reaffirmed even today.”
In this way, St. Paul confirms the deep unity among all the baptized because each of them is “a new creature in Christ.” Therefore, any distinction is secondary to the dignity of being children of God who “creates real and substantial equality.”
Called to live as children of God
Then, the Holy Father stressed that we are called in a more positive way to live a new life that is rooted in its fundamental expression in being children of God, discovering the beauty of being “brothers and sisters among us, because we have been united in Christ. ”
“The differences and contrasts that separation creates should not exist among believers in Christ,” the Pope said. “Rather, our vocation is to make concrete and evident the call to unity of the whole human race.”
In this way, everything that exacerbates differences and causes discrimination no longer makes sense, thanks to the salvation effected in Christ.
“The important thing is that faith works in accordance with the path of unity indicated by the Holy Spirit,” Pope Francis concluded, adding that “our responsibility is to walk this path resolutely.”
Greetings for the Ethiopian New Year
At the end of the General Audience, Pope Francis gave a special greeting to the people of Ethiopia, which will celebrate the beginning of the new year – according to the Ethiopian calendar – on September 11.
“I cherish my affectionate and affectionate greetings to the Ethiopian people,” he said, “and especially to those who are suffering because of the ongoing conflict and the dire humanitarian situation it has caused.”
He added his hopes that the New Year “could be a time of brotherhood and solidarity, in which we listen to the common desire for peace.”