All of us baptized in Christ receive the Holy Spirit and become prophets: Pope Francis
Selvaraj Soosaimanikam – Vatican
On Sunday, November 6, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Manama, Pope Francis presided over the Divine Liturgy with bishops, nuns, monks, priests and pastoral workers, followed by a three-part prayer. “If any man thirst, let him come unto me; Let those who trust in me drink. As the Bible says, “from his heart will flow the water of life like a river” (Joh 7:37-38) has made me think about this land of Bahrain. Pure water flows from a few places in the huge milky land and adds to its fertility. On the face of it, our humanity is riddled with various weaknesses, fears, challenges and personal or social problems. But in the depths of our souls, close to our hearts, we can feel the fresh water of the pure Spirit flowing.
The Holy Spirit always restores our lives. Jesus points out to us. This is the fountain of new life He promises us. This is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the gentle, loving and refreshing presence of God within us. We are not Christians by our own merit or simply by following a religious precept, but because we are given the life-giving water of the Holy Spirit in baptism, we become beloved children of God, brothers and sisters to one another, a new creation. Everything springs from the grace of God, everything comes from the Holy Spirit. Based on this, I would like to share with you three gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are joy, unity and evangelism respectively
Pure Spirit is the fountain of joy
First, the Holy Spirit is the fountain of joy. It is the Holy Spirit who never forsakes us. He is the one who comforts us with his peaceful presence, who walks with us in love, supports us in struggles and hardships, encourages our beautiful dreams and deepest desires, and opens us to the wonders and beauty of life. To all of you who have seen this joy of the Holy Spirit and experienced it in society, I say, preserve this joy. In fact, let it grow even more in you. It is only through giving this happiness to others that it can be developed. Christian joy is naturally contagious. Because the gospel of joy transcends us to share the beauty of God’s love. It is important to spread the Gospel of joy with great zeal through pastoral work, especially to young people and families, and through fostering vocations to the priesthood and monastic life. We cannot keep Christian joy to ourselves. As soon as we start spreading it around us, it starts multiplying and growing.
Pure Spirit is the fountain of unity
Second, the Holy Spirit is the source of unity. All who receive the Holy Spirit receive the Father’s love and become His children (see Romans 8:15-16), and the children of God are those who have a sense of brotherhood with one another. If so, there will be no more room for selfishness and selfishness like divisions, quarrels, slander, rumours, etc. Worldly divisions, and ethnic, cultural and religious differences, cannot hurt or compromise the unifying character of the Holy Spirit. Instead, His burning flame ignites the worldly desires that gnaw at us and stirs the tender and compassionate love of Jesus in our lives. It is through this pure love that we can love one another. Because of this, when the spirit of the resurrected Jesus descends on his disciples, he becomes the originator of a sense of unity and brotherhood that opposes all forms of selfishness. Therefore, let us encourage and nurture this unity of the Holy Spirit in our multi-religious and multi-cultural contexts.
The Holy Spirit is the fountain of preaching
Third, the Holy Spirit is the source of preaching. We know very well that the whole of redemptive history is based on prophets. All prophets receive an inner light from the Holy Spirit. This makes them careful interpreters of reality. Amidst the murky course of history God’s presence is felt and inspired to reveal it to the people. The words of the prophets are often bitter. The reason is that they reveal the evil plans lurking in people’s hearts. Questioning their wrong human and religious activities. And people call everyone to conversion. We also have this preaching work within us. All of us who have been baptized into Christ receive the Holy Spirit and become prophets. Therefore, we are called to live as haters of evil, lovers of peace and clean hands. Theocracy enables us to practice virtue in our daily situations in order to peacefully but firmly build up God’s theocracy of love, justice, and peace against all forms of selfishness, violence, and corruption. Loving brothers and sisters, I encourage you to persevere with determination and joy in your spiritual and spiritual journey. May the Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of Arabia, guided by the Holy Spirit unite us all in love and joy!