“The rush of violent wind” (Acts 2:2) that accompanies the Holy Spirit’s descent on the Apostles is an image suggesting change and force, Pope Francis said in his Pentecost Sunday homily. (With photo gallery.)
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp
In his homily on Pentecost Sunday delivered before thousands of the faithful gathered in St Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis focused on the action of the Holy Spirit expressed in the Scripture readings from the Acts of the Apostles, St Paul's letter to the Galatians, and St John’s Gospel.
The Holy Spirit changes hearts
The Spirit transforms the hearts of the timid disciples from fearful men, “huddled behind closed doors”, to bold men who “bear witness to [Jesus]” (Jn 15:27), the Pope said. His action frees hearts, impels service, guides people in new directions, and makes “the lukewarm thrill to new dreams. That is what it means to change hearts”, Pope Francis said.
The Holy Spirit gives life
Pope Francis suggests that since the Holy Spirit provokes change that we turn to Him for a “powerful ‘jolt’ ” when “we are in need of real change”. He is “the power of God” and the “giver of life”. “How good it would be for us each day to feel this jolt of life! To say when we wake up each morning: ‘Come, Holy Spirit, come into my heart, come into my day’ ”, the Pope said.
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The Holy Spirit changes situations
The Holy Spirit “penetrates the most unimaginable situations”, Pope Francis continued. He does so today just as he did in the Acts of the Apostles, in which He is the “main character”. He drives Philip from Jerusalem to Gaza, then to Azotus, then to Caesarea (Acts 8:26-40), “in constantly new situations to spread God’s newness”. Paul is “compelled by the Spirit” (Acts 20:22), traveling “far and wide” to bring the Gospel, the Pope said.
The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church
Pope Francis recalled that as the soul of the Church, the Holy Spirit renews her with hope, fills her with joy, and causes her to blossom with new life. Even after 2000 years, “the Spirit reminds the Church that…she is always the youthful bride with whom the Lord is madly in love”.
Concluding his homily, Pope Francis said that the Spirit acts on the Church with “centripetal and centrifugal” forces. We are centered deep within with His centripetal force which brings unity, peace and strength amid affliction and temptation, he said. The Holy Spirit pushes us outward toward the peripheries with a centrifugal force. Thus, in the Pope’s words, “those who live by the Spirit…find themselves pulled both towards God and towards the world".
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ROME — Christians should begin each day invoking the Holy Spirit, praying that the Spirit will lead them and the Church closer to God and closer to any person in need, Pope Francis said on Pentecost.
Celebrating Mass May 20 in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope said the Bible, especially the Acts of the Apostles, makes it clear that the Holy Spirit brings a real power to change individuals and the Church.
“The Spirit frees hearts chained by fear,” the pope said in his homily. “To those content with half measures he inspires whole-hearted generosity. He opens hearts that are closed.”
“He impels the comfortable to go out and serve,” the pope continued. “He drives the self-satisfied to set out in new directions. He makes the lukewarm thrill to new dreams. That is what it means to change hearts.”
RELATED: Pope Francis to create 14 new cardinals on June 29
People often vow to change, but lack the power to do so, he said.
The power of the Holy Spirit is different, Francis said. “It does not revolutionize life around us, but changes our hearts. It does not free us from the weight of our problems, but liberates us within so that we can face them.”
The change occurs because the Holy Spirit brings God’s forgiveness, he said. “From guilty he makes us righteous and thus changes everything.”
“By the working of the Holy Spirit, joy is reborn and peace blossoms in our hearts,” the pope said, before offering a special prayer for peace in the Holy Land, especially in Gaza where violent protests led to the deaths of 60 people in early May.
RELATED: Pope Francis prays for Holy Land, Venezuela
The pope prayed that the Holy Spirit would “blow upon our world the soothing warmth of peace and the refreshing cool of hope.”
In a week that included Francis’s three-day meeting with the bishops of Chile to discuss the sexual abuse scandal, a meeting that ended with all the bishops offering the pope their resignations, the pope said, “frequently, even in the bleakest of times, the Spirit has raised up the most outstanding holiness! Because he is the soul of the Church, who constantly enlivens her with renewed hope, fills her with joy, makes her fruitful, and causes new life to blossom.”
Francis prayed that the Holy Spirit would “blow upon us, blow into our hearts and make us breathe forth the tenderness of the Father! Blow upon the Church and impel her to the ends of the earth, so that, brought by you, she may bring nothing other than you.”
After the Mass, Francis went to the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square to lead the recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer and to announce his decision to create 14 new cardinals from 11 nations June 29.
But first he prayed for Mary’s intercession that the Church would experience “a renewed Pentecost, a renewed youthfulness that gives us the joy of living and witnessing to the Gospel and a fervent longing to be saints for God’s greater glory.”
