At Mass in Jordan, Pope preaches on the Holy Spirit

May 24, 2014

At a May 24 Mass celebrated in Jordan’s largest stadium, Pope Francis preached on the Holy Spirit.

“We are not far from where the Holy Spirit descended with power on Jesus of Nazareth after his baptism by John in the River Jordan,” Pope Francis said. “Today’s Gospel, and this place to which, by God’s grace, I have come as a pilgrim, invite us to meditate on the Holy Spirit and on all that he has brought about in Christ and in us. In a word, we can say that the Holy Spirit carries out three actions – he prepares, he anoints and he sends.”

Recalling the role of the Holy Spirit at the annunciation, the presentation in the temple, and Christ’s baptism, the Pope said that “these various works of the Holy Spirit are part of a harmonious action, a sole divine plan of love. The mission of the Holy Spirit, in fact, is to beget harmony – he is himself harmony – and to create peace in different situations and between different people ... So today, with fervent hearts, we invoke the Holy Spirit and ask him to prepare the path to peace and unity.”

“The Holy Spirit also anoints,” Pope Francis continued. “He anointed Jesus inwardly and he anoints his disciples, so that they can have the mind of Christ and thus be disposed to live lives of peace and communion. Through the anointing of the Spirit, our human nature is sealed with the holiness of Jesus Christ and we are enabled to love our brothers and sisters with the same love which God has for us. We ought, therefore, to show concrete signs of humility, fraternity, forgiveness and reconciliation. These signs are the prerequisite of a true, stable and lasting peace. Let us ask the Father to anoint us so that we may fully become his children, ever more conformed to Christ, and may learn to see one another as brothers and sisters.”

“Lastly, the Holy Spirit sends,” the Pope continued. “Jesus is the one who is sent forth, filled with the Spirit of the Father. Anointed by the same Spirit, we also are sent as messengers and witnesses of peace. Peace is not something which can be bought; it is a gift to be sought patiently and to be ‘crafted’ through the actions, great and small, of our everyday lives. The way of peace is strengthened if we realize that we are all of the same stock and members of the one human family; if we never forget that we have the same heavenly Father and are all his children, made in his image and likeness.”

The Pope concluded:

Dear friends! The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the Jordan and thus inaugurated his work of redemption to free the world from sin and death. Let us ask the Spirit to prepare our hearts to encounter our brothers and sisters, so that we may overcome our differences rooted in political thinking, language, culture and religion. Let us ask him to anoint our whole being with the oil of his mercy, which heals the injuries caused by mistakes, misunderstandings and disputes. And let us ask him to send us forth, in humility and meekness, along the demanding but enriching path of seeking peace.

 

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Further information:

• Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Amman's International Stadium (Vatican Radio)
• Holy Land 2014 (Holy See Press Office)
• 1,400 children to receive first Communion at papal Mass in Jordan (CWN, 5/14)