Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "We invoke the Spirit of love and peace, that He may open borders, break down walls, dissolve hatred and help us to live as children of the one Father who is in heaven." This is the message Pope Leo XIV delivered to the Church on this Solemnity of Pentecost, during the Eucharistic celebration he presided over on the parvis of the Vatican basilica before a crowd of at least 80,000 people who have come to Rome these days to participate in the Jubilee of Movements, Associations and New Communities.
In his homily, the pope invited everyone to meditate on the different frontiers that the Spirit's action comes to unhinge. "The Spirit opens the frontiers first of all within us," the pontiff explained. "This presence of the Lord dissolves our hardness, our closures, the selfishness, the fears that block us, the narcissisms that make us revolve only around ourselves. It is sad," he added, "to observe how in a world where opportunities to socialize are multiplied, we risk being paradoxically more alone, always connected yet unable to 'network,' always immersed in the crowd yet remaining bewildered and lonely travelers. Instead, the Spirit "opens us to an encounter with ourselves beyond the masks we wear; he leads us to an encounter with the Lord by educating us to experience his joy; he convinces us that only if we remain in love do we also receive the strength to observe his Word and thus be transformed by it."
But in the mystery of Pentecost, "borders in our relationships" also fall . "When God's love dwells in us, we become capable of opening ourselves to our brothers and sisters, of overcoming our rigidities, of overcoming our fear of those who are different." It also transforms "those more hidden dangers that pollute our relationships, such as misunderstandings, prejudices, instrumentalizations. I also think-with much pain-when a relationship is haunted by the desire to dominate over the other, an attitude that often results in violence, as unfortunately shown by the numerous recent cases of feminicide."
Finally, the Spirit breaks through the borders between peoples. "Where there is love," the pope admonished, "there is no room for prejudice, for the safety distances that distance us from our neighbor, for the logic of exclusion that we see emerging unfortunately also in political nationalisms. And at the end of the celebration - before the Regina Caeli prayer - he invited, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, to invoke from the Holy Spirit the gift of peace. "First of all," he said, "peace in hearts: only a peaceful heart can spread peace, in the family, in society, in international relations. May the Spirit of the Risen Christ open paths of reconciliation wherever there is war; may he enlighten rulers and give them the courage to make gestures of détente and dialogue."
Also in St. Peter's Square last night, Leo XIV had presided over the Vigil of Pentecost, enlivened by the testimonies of voices from around the world who recounted how sharing one's journey with other brothers and sisters in an ecclesial movement has become a witness of faith. "Evangelization," the pope told them, "is not a human achievement of the world, but the infinite grace that spreads from lives changed by the Kingdom of God. It is the way of the Beatitudes, a road we walk together, hungry and thirsting for righteousness, poor in spirit, merciful, meek, pure in heart, peacemakers."
"To follow Jesus on this path chosen by Him," added Leo XIV, "one does not need powerful supporters, worldly compromises, emotional strategies. Evangelization is God's work, and if it sometimes passes through our persons, it is because of the bonds it makes possible. Therefore, be deeply connected to each of the particular Churches and parish communities where you nourish and spend your charisms," the pontiff concluded. "Around your bishops and in synergy with all the other members of the Body of Christ we will act, then, in harmonious harmony. The challenges facing humanity will be less frightening, the future will be less dark, discernment less difficult. If together we obey the Holy Spirit."
