In another comparison, using the image of a building, the apostle Peter defines the baptized as “living stones” founded on Christ, the “corner stone”, and destined to “be raised up into a spiritual building” (1 Pt 2:5 ff.). The image introduces us to another aspect of the newness of Christian life coming from Baptism and described by the Second Vatican Council: “By regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the baptized are consecrated into a spiritual house”(Lumen gentium 10)
The Holy Spirit “anoints” the baptized, sealing each with an indelible character (cf. 2 Cor 1:21–22), and constituting each as a spiritual temple, that is, he fills this temple with the holy presence of God as a result of each person’s being united and likened to Jesus Christ.
With this spiritual “unction”, [anointing] Christians can repeat in an individual way the words of Jesus: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Lk 4:18–19; cf. Is 61:1–2). Thus with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation, the baptized share in the same mission of Jesus as the Christ, the Saviour-Messiah.
Yet, many of us have to ask ourselves, what exactly is the “same mission of Jesus as the Christ”?
Perhaps, looking at something St. Pope John Paul II said in this encyclical, “Ecclesia in America”, or “The Church in America” (remember that he is talking about both South and North America) we might be given a sense of this mission.
One of the reasons for the Church’s influence on the Christian formation of Americans is her vast presence in the field of education and especially in the university world. The many Catholic universities spread throughout the continent are a typical feature of Church life in America. Also in the field of primary and secondary education, the large number of Catholic schools makes possible a wide-ranging evangelizing effort, as long as there is a clear will to impart a truly Christian education.
Another important area in which the Church is present in every part of America is social and charitable work. The many initiatives on behalf of the elderly, the sick and the needy, through nursing homes, hospitals, dispensaries, canteens providing free meals, and other social centers are a concrete testimony of the preferential love for the poor which the Church in America nurtures. She does so because of her love for the Lord and because she is aware that “Jesus identified himself with the poor (cf. Mt 25:31–46)”. In this task which has no limits, the Church in America has been able to create a sense of practical solidarity among the various communities of the continent and of the world, showing in this way the fraternal spirit which must characterize Christians in every time and place.
For this service of the poor to be both evangelical and evangelizing, it must faithfully reflect the attitude of Jesus, who came “to proclaim Good News to the poor” (Lk 4:18). When offered in this spirit, the service of the poor shows forth God’s infinite love for all people and becomes an effective way of communicating the hope of salvation which Christ has brought to the world, a hope which glows in a special way when it is shared with those abandoned or rejected by society.
We need to constantly be incorporating within ourselves an attitude to carry on the mission entrusted to us in our baptism. It is all about the sharing with others the mercy of God that we have experienced in our own lives. This is how Pope Francis announced the Year of Mercy,
Dear brothers and sisters, I have often thought of how the Church may render more clear her mission to be a witness to mercy; and we have to make this journey. It is a journey which begins with spiritual conversion. Therefore, I have decided to announce an Extraordinary Jubilee which has at its centre the mercy of God. It will be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live in the light of the word of the Lord: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (cf. Lk 6:36). And this especially applies to confessors! So much mercy!
Let each of us find a way to be an example of God’s mercy as we “preach the good news to the poor.”
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