Pentecost 2024: Pope Francis highlights the power and gentleness of the Holy Spirit

In his homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost, Pope Francis underscored the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church, emphasizing both his transformative power and his gentleness.

At the beginning of his homily, this Sunday, May 19, from St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pontiff recalled the story of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1-11), underlining how the Holy Spirit works in two areas within the Church: “in us and in the mission, with two fundamental characteristics: power and meekness.”

“The work of the Spirit in us is powerful, as symbolized by the signs of wind and fire, which are often associated with the power of God in the Bible,” he explained, citing the Exodus.

The Holy Father stressed that, without the power of the Spirit, believers would not be able to overcome evil or overcome the desires of the flesh, those impulses that divide and damage relationships. “These impulses mar our relationships with others and divide our communities, but the Spirit enters our hearts and heals everything,” he said.

At another time, he recalled that the two characteristics of the Spirit, power and gentleness, always remain united: “The wind and fire do not destroy or reduce to ashes what they touch: one fills the house where the disciples are, and the other rests gently.” , in the form of flames, on the head of each one,” he explained, highlighting the gentleness of the Holy Spirit as a recurring characteristic in the Scriptures.

Francis also highlighted the universal mission of the Church born on Pentecost, calling Christians to proclaim the Gospel in all nations. “Thanks to the Spirit, we can and must do this with his own power and gentleness,” he said, citing St. John Paul II’s encyclical Redemptoris Missio to emphasize the need for a truly universal mission.

Later, the Holy Father urged the faithful to act with the power of the Spirit, but without arrogance or impositions. “A Christian is not arrogant, because his power is something different, it is the power of the Spirit,” he said, encouraging people to be faithful to the truth that the Spirit teaches in their hearts.

He also emphasized that believers must proclaim peace, forgiveness and solidarity: “We tirelessly proclaim peace to those who want war, we proclaim forgiveness to those who seek revenge, we proclaim welcome and solidarity to those who close their doors and raise barriers.”

Finally, Pope Francis called for hope, highlighting that we all need to raise our gaze towards horizons of peace, fraternity, justice and solidarity. “We need hope. Hope is represented as an anchor, there on the shore, and by clinging to its rope, we move towards hope,” he added.

The Pope concluded his homily with a prayer, asking the Spirit to illuminate minds, fill hearts with grace, guide steps and grant peace to the world. “Come, Creator Spirit, illuminate our minds, fill our hearts with your grace, guide our steps, grant your peace to our world. Amen”, prayed the Pontiff.