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INTENTION : |
We pray for the Holy Father, as he fulfills his mission, may he continue to accompany the flock entrusted to him, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
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The Holy Spirit facilitates the Pope's and our encounter with Jesus
The first Gift of every Christian existence is the Holy Spirit. It is not one of many gifts, but rather the fundamental Gift. The Spirit is the Gift that Jesus had promised to send us. Without the Spirit, there is no relationship with Christ and the Father. The Spirit opens our hearts to God's presence and draws us into that love that is the very heart of God. We are not merely guests and pilgrims journeying on this earth but also guests and pilgrims in the mystery of the Trinity.
We are like Abraham, who, one day, welcoming three wayfarers in his own tent, encountered God. If we can genuinely invoke God, calling him "Abba - Dad," it is because the Holy Spirit dwells in us; He is the One who transforms us deep within and makes us experience the soul-stirring joy of being loved by God as His faithful children. The Holy Spirit, this Gift, performs all the spiritual work within us. He works within us to carry Christian life forward towards the Father, with Jesus.
In this respect, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: "Every time we begin to pray to Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit who draws us on the way of prayer by His prevenient grace. Since He teaches us to pray by recalling Christ, how could we not pray to the Spirit, too? That is why the Church invites us to call upon the Holy Spirit daily, especially at the beginning and the end of every important action" (CCC 2670).
The Holy Spirit in us "reminds" us of Jesus and makes Him present to us. We might say He is our Trinitarian memory, the memory of God in us. The Holy is not a character from the past: the Spirit brings Jesus to the present in our consciousness.
If Christ were only far away in time, we would be alone and lost in the world. Yes, we will remember Jesus there, far away, but the Spirit brings Him today, now, at this moment, in our hearts. But in the Spirit, everything is brought to life: the possibility of encountering Christ is open to Christians of every time and place.
The possibility of encountering Christ, not only as a historical figure, is open now. He attracts Christ to our hearts; the Spirit makes us encounter Jesus. He is not distant; the Spirit is with us: Jesus still teaches His disciples by transforming their hearts, as He did with Peter, with Paul, with Mary Magdalene, with all the Apostles. The Spirit who brings Jesus to us.
This is the experience of so many people who pray: men, women and children whom the Holy Spirit has formed according to the "measure" of Christ, in mercy, in service, in prayer, in catechesis....
Let us not think only of monks and hermits; they are also found among ordinary people, people who have woven a long history of dialogue with God, sometimes of inner struggle, which purifies faith. These humble witnesses have sought God in the Gospel, in the Eucharist received and adored, in the face of a brother or sister in difficulty, and they safeguard His presence like a secret flame.
Thus, Christians' first task is to keep alive this flame that Jesus brought to the earth (Luke 12:49), and what is this flame? It is love, the Love of God, the Holy Spirit.
Without the fire of the Spirit, the prophecies are extinguished, sorrow supplants joy, routine substitutes love, and service turns into slavery. The image of the lighted lamp next to the Tabernacle, where the Eucharist is reserved, comes to mind.
Even when the church empties and evening falls, even when the church is closed, that lamp remains lit and continues to burn; no one sees it, yet it burns before the Lord. This is how the Spirit, in our hearts, is always present like that lamp.
Again, we read in the Catechism: "The Holy Spirit, whose anointing permeates our whole being, is the interior Master of Christian prayer. He is the artisan of the living tradition of prayer. To be sure, there are as many paths of prayer as there are persons who pray, but it is the same Spirit acting in all and with all. It is in the communion of the Holy Spirit that Christian prayer is prayer in the Church" (CCC 2672).
Very often, it happens that we do not pray, we don't feel like praying, or many times we pray like parrots, with the mouth, but our heart is not in it. This is the moment to say to the Spirit: "Come, come Holy Spirit, warm my heart. Come and teach me to pray, teach me to look to the Father, to look to the Son. Teach what the path of faith is like. Teach me how to love and, above all, teach me to have an attitude of hope." It means calling on the Spirit continually so He may be present in our lives.
Therefore, the Spirit writes the history of the Church and the world. We are open books, willing to receive His handwriting. And in each of us, the Spirit composes original works because there is never a Christian who is completely identical to another.
In the infinite field of holiness, the one God, the Trinity of Love, makes the variety of witnesses flourish: all are equal in dignity and unique in the beauty that the Spirit has willed to emanate in each of those whom God's mercy has made His children. Let us not forget the Spirit is present; He is present in us.
Let us listen to the Spirit, let us call to the Spirit - He is the Gift, the Gift that God has given us - and let us say to Him: "Holy Spirit, I do not know your face - we do not know it - but I know that you are the strength, that you are the light, that you are able to make me go forth and to teach me how to pray. Come, Holy Spirit." This is a beautiful prayer: "Come, Holy Spirit."
Pope Francis
St Louis Review
March 25, 2021
Be modern prophets by guiding others to the Holy Spirit, Pope asks
Christians are called to be modern-day prophets who guide others to see the Holy Spirit at work in everyday life and not to be superstitious people who try to predict or control the future, Pope Francis said.
"A Christian does not believe in superstitions like magic, cards, horoscopes or similar things," he told some 15,000 visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square July 2 to pray the Angelus. He admonished those who do so, saying, "Many Christians go to have their hands read."
Prophets are not limited to the biblical figures who anticipated Jesus' coming since "Jesus Himself talks about the need to welcome prophets," the Pope said, reflecting on the day's Gospel reading from St. Matthew in which Jesus says, "Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward."
"A prophet, brothers and sisters, is each one of us," Francis said. "A prophet is he who, by virtue of baptism, helps others read the present under the action of the Holy Spirit," which helps people "understand God's plans and align themselves" with them.
The Pope said a prophet "shows Jesus to others, witnesses Him, helps live today and build tomorrow according to His design."
Francis encouraged Christians to reflect on how they live out their baptismal calling to be prophets daily and ask themselves: "How is my witness going? How is my prophesy?'
He said that the day's Gospel reading calls on Christians to be prophets and receive them as well.
"It is important to welcome each other as such, as bearers of God's message, each according to his or her status and vocation, and to do so there where we live," he said, "that is, in the family, in the parish, in religious communities, in other spheres of the Church and society.'
Particularly in decision-making, the Pope said, it is important to recognise each person's prophetic gifts and to engage in listening and dialogue before reaching a conclusion.
"Let us think about how many conflicts could be avoided and resolved in this way, listening to others with a sincere desire to understand one another," he said. "Because each one of us has something to learn from others."
"Let us become interested in what is happening; let us help those who suffer and pray because prayer is the meek force that protects and sustains the world," he said.
Catholic News Service
July 3, 2023
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