Pope Francis explained what the Holy Trinity is to the little participants of the first World Children’s Day, held in Rome on May 25 and 26, during the Mass he presided this Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican before thousands of faithful present.
Who is God the Father?
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To begin his explanation, in the context of a sunny morning in Rome, the Pontiff stressed that there are not three “gods” in the Holy Trinity, but rather there is One in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
“Let us always ask God, who is our Father, to accompany us in life and to make us grow,” he encouraged; and he specified that the prayer that is prayed to God the Father is the Our Father.
Who is God the Son?
The Son, Pope Francis continued, is Jesus, “and also when we take communion we receive Jesus and Jesus forgives us all our sins.”
“Is this true, that Jesus forgives everything? (Children answer: ‘Yes’). Can’t hear, what’s happening? It’s true? Yeah! But does he always forgive everything? (Children answer: ‘Yes’). Always always always? (Children answer: ‘Yes’).”
The Pontiff also specified that Jesus not only forgives “the ugliest of sinners,” but also that “Jesus forgives everything, always forgives,” but it is then necessary for each one to have “the humility to ask for forgiveness.”
Regarding the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis explained that “he is God, he is within us. “We receive the Holy Spirit in Baptism, we receive it in the sacraments.”
“The Holy Spirit is the one who accompanies us in life. Let’s think about this and say it together: ‘the Holy Spirit accompanies us in life,’” he added.
“It is the One who speaks to our hearts and suggests the good things we should do,” he highlighted; and he is the one who “gives us strength, comforts us in difficulties.”
As a summary, the Holy Father stressed that “the Father created us, Jesus saved us, and the Holy Spirit, what does he do?” (accompanies you in life).
The Virgin Mary, Mother of God and the Church
Pope Francis also recalled that all Christians “also have a Mother. What is our Mother’s name? What is the name of our Mother from heaven? (The children respond: “Mary”)” and I invite them to pray a Hail Mary together.
Pope Francis and the Sunday Angelus
Before concluding the Mass, in the final part of it, the Holy Father very briefly prayed the traditional Sunday Angelus, the Marian prayer that he usually presides over on Sundays, and then addressed some final words to the children present.
“Dear boys, dear girls, the Mass has ended; but today we have spoken about God, about God the Father who created the world, about God the Son who has redeemed us; and of God the Holy Spirit” who “accompanies us in life.”
The Pope then encouraged the children to greet their parents, their friends and their grandparents; for whom he asked for applause.
Walter Sánchez Silva
I have been a husband since 2008. My wife and I have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before he was born. Since I joined ACI Prensa in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Cologne, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and of Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the Family synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Synodality, in 2023. I closely follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers persecution from the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as current ecclesiastical events in the region.