Pentecost

'The Spirit makes us see everything in a new way, with the eyes of Jesus.'

The Holy Spirit wants us to be together; he makes us Church and today – here is the third and final aspect – he teaches the Church how to walk. That is not the way of the Holy Spirit. He invites us to forget ourselves and to open our hearts to all. Let us invoke him each day, so that he can remind us to make God’s gaze upon us our starting point, to make decisions by listening to his voice, and to journey together as Church, docile to him and open to the world. Brothers and sisters, let us sit at the school of the Holy Spirit, so that he can teach us all things. Often, he anchors us to the past: to our regrets, our nostalgia, our disappointments. — but the Holy Spirit brings you goodness; he leads you to rejoice in the success of others. Both speak to us: We need to learn to distinguish the voice of the Spirit, to be able to recognize that voice and follow its lead, to follow the things he tells us. The Spirit of love pours love into our hearts, he makes us feel loved, and he teaches us how to love. He makes you think that you have the right to use your freedom any way you want. It is important, then, to be able to distinguish his voice from the voice of the spirit of evil. He teaches us to accept one another, to forgive one another and to forgive ourselves; he teaches us to be reconciled with the past and to set out anew. He tells his disciples: “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all I have said to you (John 14:26). “Everything,” “all” — these words are striking; they make us wonder: How does the Spirit give this new and full understanding to those who receive him?

The Holy Spirit wants us to concentrate on the here and now, because the time and place in which we find ourselves are themselves grace-filled.”

The Holy Spirit wants us to be together; he makes us Church and today – here is the third and final aspect – he teaches the Church how to walk. Think of the morning of Pentecost: he is the author… Let us invoke him each day, so that he can remind us to make God’s gaze upon us our starting point, to make decisions by listening to his voice, and to journey together as Church, docile to him and open to the world. That is not the way of the Holy Spirit. He invites to forget ourselves and to open our hearts to all. The Holy Spirit brings you goodness; he leads you to rejoice in the success of others. Often he anchors us to the past: to our regrets, our nostalgia, our disappointments. But not the Holy Spirit. The Spirit leads us to love, concretely, here and now, not an ideal world or an ideal Church, an ideal religious congregation, but the real ones, as they are, seen in broad light of day, with transparency and simplicity. Both speak to us: we need to learn to distinguish the voice of the Spirit, to be able to recognize that voice and follow its lead, to follow the things he tells us. The Spirit of love pours love into our hearts, he makes us feel loved and he teaches us how to love. It is important, then, to be able to distinguish his voice from the voice of the spirit of evil. He teaches us to accept one another, to forgive one another and to forgive ourselves; he teaches us to be reconciled with the past. This is the “logic” of the Spirit. We tend to think the exact opposite: if we keep the commandments, we will love Jesus. We tend to think that love comes from our keeping, our fidelity and our devotion.

On the Solemnity of Pentecost, Pope Francis offered advice on how to distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from "the voice of the spirit of evil."

“Brothers and sisters, let us sit at the school of the Holy Spirit, so that he can teach us all things. And by spreading hope and joy, not complaints; never envying others, never – envy is the door through which the evil spirit enters — but the Holy Spirit ... leads you to rejoice in the successes of others,” he said. Often he anchors us to the past: to our regrets, our nostalgia, our disappointments. “The Holy Spirit on the other hand urges us never to lose heart and always to start over again. Francis was assisted to the front of the altar in a wheelchair to offer the homily. “Whereas the evil spirit, on the contrary, pushes you to always do what you think and you find pleasing.