HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
Today
we contemplate and re-live in the liturgy the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
sent by the risen Christ upon his Church; an event of grace which filled the
Upper Room in Jerusalem and then spread throughout the world.
But
what happened on that day, so distant from us and yet so close as to touch the
very depths of our hearts? Luke gives us the answer in the passage of the Acts
of the Apostles which we have heard (2:1-11). The evangelist brings us back
to Jerusalem, to the Upper Room where the apostles were gathered. […] Sound and
tongues of fire: these are clear, concrete signs which touch the apostles not
only from without but also within: deep in their minds and hearts. As a result,
“all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit”, who unleashed his irresistible
power with amazing consequences: they all “began to speak in different
languages, as the Spirit gave them ability”. […] They all experience something
new, something which had never happened before: “We hear them, each of us,
speaking our own language”. And what is it that they are they speaking about?
“God’s deeds of power”.
In the
light of this passage from Acts, I would like to reflect on three words
linked to the working of the Holy Spirit: newness, harmony and mission.
1. Newness
always makes us a bit fearful, because we feel more secure if we have
everything under control, if we are the ones who build, programme and plan our
lives in accordance with our own ideas, our own comfort, our own preferences.
This is also the case when it comes to God. Often we follow him, we accept him,
but only up to a certain point. It is hard to abandon ourselves to him with
complete trust, allowing the Holy Spirit to be the soul and guide of our lives
in our every decision. We fear that God may force us to strike out on new paths
and leave behind our all too narrow, closed and selfish horizons in order to
become open to his own. Yet throughout the history of salvation, whenever God
reveals himself, he brings newness - God always brings newness -, and demands
our complete trust: Noah, mocked by all, builds an ark and is saved; Abram
leaves his land with only a promise in hand; Moses stands up to the might of
Pharaoh and leads his people to freedom; the apostles, huddled fearfully in the
Upper Room, go forth with courage to proclaim the Gospel. […] The newness which
God brings into our life is something that actually brings fulfilment, that
gives true joy, true serenity, because God loves us and desires only our good.
Let us ask ourselves today: Are we open to “God’s surprises”? Or are we closed
and fearful before the newness of the Holy Spirit? Do we have the courage to
strike out along the new paths which God’s newness sets before us, or do we
resist, barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for
openness to what is new? We would do well to ask ourselves these questions all
through the day.
2. A
second thought: the Holy Spirit would appear to create disorder in the Church,
since he
brings the diversity of charisms and gifts; yet all this, by his
working, is a great source of wealth, for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of
unity, which does not mean uniformity, but which leads everything back to harmony.
In the Church, it is the Holy Spirit who creates harmony. One of Fathers of the
Church has an expression which I love: the Holy Spirit himself is harmony – “Ipse
harmonia est”. He is indeed harmony. Only the Spirit can awaken diversity,
plurality and multiplicity, while at the same time building unity. […] Journeying
together in the Church, under the guidance of her pastors who possess a special
charism and ministry, is a sign of the working of the Holy Spirit. Having a
sense of the Church is something fundamental for every Christian, every
community and every movement. It is the Church which brings Christ to me, and
me to Christ; parallel journeys are very dangerous! When we venture beyond (proagon)
the Church’s teaching and community – the Apostle John tells us in his Second
Letter - and do not remain in them, we are not one with the God of Jesus Christ
(cf. 2 Jn 1:9). So let us ask ourselves: Am I open to the harmony of the
Holy Spirit, overcoming every form of exclusivity? Do I let myself be guided by
him, living in the Church and with the Church?
(cited on May 20, 2013 from www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130519_omelia-pentecoste_en.html)
And, from last week's audience, the Holy Father had this to say:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catechesis on the Creed, we have been considering the person and work of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls “the Spirit of Truth” (cf. Jn 16:13). In an age skeptical of truth, we believe not only that truth exists, but that it is found through faith in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. The Holy Spirit brings us to Jesus; he guides the whole Church into the fullness of truth. As the “Paraclete”, the Helper sent by the Risen Lord, he reminds us of Christ’s words and convinces us of their saving truth. As the source of our new life in Christ, he awakens in our hearts that supernatural “sense of the faith” by which we hold fast to God’s word, come to a deeper understanding of its meaning, and apply it in our daily lives. Let us ask ourselves: am I truly open, like the Virgin Mary, to the power of the Holy Spirit? Even now, with the Father and the Son, the Spirit dwells in our hearts. Let us ask him to guide us into all truth and to help us grow in friendship with Christ through daily prayer, reading of the Scriptures and the celebration of the sacraments.
3. A
final point. […] The Holy Spirit draws
us into the mystery of the living God and saves us from the threat of a Church
which is gnostic and self-referential, closed in on herself; he impels us to
open the doors and go forth to proclaim and bear witness to the good news of
the Gospel, to communicate the joy of faith, the encounter with Christ. The
Holy Spirit is the soul of mission. […] The Pentecost of the Upper Room
in Jerusalem is the beginning, a beginning which endures. The Holy Spirit is
the supreme gift of the risen Christ to his apostles, yet he wants that gift to
reach everyone. As we heard in the Gospel, Jesus says: “I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to remain with you forever” (Jn 14:16).
It is the Paraclete Spirit, the “Comforter”, who grants us the courage to take to
the streets of the world, bringing the Gospel! The Holy Spirit makes us look to
the horizon and drive us to the very outskirts of existence in order to
proclaim life in Jesus Christ. Let us ask ourselves: do we tend to stay closed
in on ourselves, on our group, or do we let the Holy Spirit open us to mission?
Today let us remember these three words: newness, harmony and mission.
Today’s
liturgy is a great prayer which the Church, in union with Jesus, raises up to
the Father, asking him to renew the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. May each of
us, and every group and movement, in the harmony of the Church, cry out to the
Father and implore this gift. Today too, as at her origins, the Church, in
union with Mary, cries out:“Veni, Sancte Spiritus! Come Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love!” Amen.
(cited on May 20, 2013 from www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130519_omelia-pentecoste_en.html)
And, from last week's audience, the Holy Father had this to say:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catechesis on the Creed, we have been considering the person and work of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls “the Spirit of Truth” (cf. Jn 16:13). In an age skeptical of truth, we believe not only that truth exists, but that it is found through faith in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. The Holy Spirit brings us to Jesus; he guides the whole Church into the fullness of truth. As the “Paraclete”, the Helper sent by the Risen Lord, he reminds us of Christ’s words and convinces us of their saving truth. As the source of our new life in Christ, he awakens in our hearts that supernatural “sense of the faith” by which we hold fast to God’s word, come to a deeper understanding of its meaning, and apply it in our daily lives. Let us ask ourselves: am I truly open, like the Virgin Mary, to the power of the Holy Spirit? Even now, with the Father and the Son, the Spirit dwells in our hearts. Let us ask him to guide us into all truth and to help us grow in friendship with Christ through daily prayer, reading of the Scriptures and the celebration of the sacraments.
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