Pope Francis: the Holy Spirit illuminates and supports our steps

Pope Francis: the Holy Spirit illuminates and supports our steps
Walking in life through joys and sorrows always remaining on the path marked by Jesus, that of mutual love, free, which does not judge but which knows how to forgive. With the power of the Holy Spirit we can do it. So the Pope in the reflection preceding the recitation of the Regina Coeli, once again from the Library of the Apostolic Palace pending the reopening of the celebrations to the people of the faithful
Gabriella Ceraso - Vatican City

It is the sixth Sunday of Easter, the last that in Italy sees the Churches empty, without people, but certainly not empty of the love of God of which John's Gospel speaks today in chapter 14, 15-21 (Watch the full video ). It is a "free" love that Jesus wants to become also the "concrete form of life among us", a love that gives the "spirit of the Christian" the Holy Spirit to help us carry out this His will, support us, console us and transform our hearts by opening them to truth and love. (Listen to the service with the Pope's voice)

Mutual love is the commandment of Jesus
Here are the two fundamental messages that today's liturgy contains: "the observance of the commandments and the promise of the Holy Spirit". Pope Francis, as Pentecost approaches, puts them at the center of the reflection that precedes the recitation of Regina Coeli, also this Sunday, as from the beginning of the pandemic, from the Library of the Apostolic Palace:

Jesus asks us to love him, but explains: this love does not end in a desire for him, or in a feeling, no, it requires the availability to follow his path, that is, the will of the Father. And this is summed up in the commandment of mutual love, the first love given by Jesus himself: "As I have loved you, so you also love one another" (Jn 13,34:XNUMX). He did not say: "Love me, as I have loved you", but "love each other as I have loved you". He loves us without asking us for the return. Jesus' love is free, he never asks us for a return. And he wants his gratuitous love to become the concrete form of life among us: this is his will.

The Holy Spirit helps us to stay in the way of Jesus
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments; and I will pray to the Father and he will give you another Paraclete ": in John's words there is the promise that Jesus makes, on his farewell, to the disciples to help them walk on the path of love: he promises not to leave them alone and to to send in your place a "Comforter", a "Defender" who infuses them "intelligence to listen" and "courage to observe His words". This gift that descends into the hearts of baptized Christians is the Holy Spirit:

The Spirit himself guides them, enlightens them, strengthens them, so that everyone can walk in life, even through adversity and difficulty, in the joys and sorrows, remaining in the way of Jesus. This is possible precisely by keeping docile to the Holy Spirit, so that, with his active presence may not only console but transform hearts, open them to truth and love.

The Word of God is life
The Holy Spirit who consoles therefore, who transforms, who "helps us not to succumb" to the experience of error and sin that "we all do", which makes us "live fully" the Word of God which is "light at our steps "and" life ":

The Word of God is given to us as the Word of life, which transforms the heart, the life, which renews, which does not judge to condemn, but heals and has forgiveness as its goal. And the mercy of God is like this. A Word that is light in our footsteps. And all this is the work of the Holy Spirit! He is the Gift of God, he is God himself, who helps us to be free people, people who want and know how to love, people who have understood that life is a mission to announce the wonders that the Lord accomplishes in those who trust him. .

The Pope's conclusive entrustment is to the Virgin Mary, as "model of the Church who knows how to listen to the Word of God and welcome the gift of the Holy Spirit": help us, Francis prays, to live the Gospel with joy, in the awareness that the Holy Spirit supports and guides us.

Vatican source Vatican official source