At Regina Coeli’s prayer Sunday, Pope Francis meditated on the consoling work of the Holy Spirit, saying God’s Spirit gently corrects our wrongs like a faithful friend while defending us against false accusations.
Charlotta Smedes – Vatican City
Pope Francis offered the Regina Coeli Prayer on Sunday with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. In his reflection on the Gospels on the sixth Sunday of Easter, the Pope noted that Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “paraclete,” which means at the same time “comforter and advocate.”
The Pope said: “This means that the Holy Spirit does not abandon us.” “He is close to us, like a lawyer who helps the accused, stands by him.”
Gentle guidance from life companions
Focusing first on the “closeness” of the Holy Spirit to us, Pope Francis said that the Paraclete never abandons us, but rather is “our companion for life, an abiding presence”.
He added that the Holy Spirit stays with us because He “truly loves us, rather than just pretending to love us.”
And because God’s Spirit loves us, He acts as a true and faithful friend, granting God’s forgiveness and power while correcting us when we make mistakes.
“When he lays our faults before us and corrects us,” the Pope said, “he does so with kindness—in his voice that speaks to the heart, there is always a note of tenderness and endearing warmth.”
He added that the corrections of the Holy Spirit never come in a way that humiliates us or instills mistrust. Rather, it conveys the certainty that we can always succeed in a relationship with God.
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The Pope went on to reflect on the second aspect of the Holy Spirit: his work as “our intercessor”.
The Paraclete defends those who accuse us, and even “from ourselves when we do not value ourselves and forgive ourselves.”
The Holy Spirit is also on our side when the world tries to push us aside or when Satan – the “accused of privilege” – tries to make us feel worthless and miserable.
Pope Francis said the Holy Spirit teaches us how to respond to such accusations by “reminding us of everything Jesus told us.”
“He reminds us above all that Jesus always spoke of the Father in Heaven,” the Pope said. “He introduced us to the Father, revealed to us the Father’s love for us, His children.”
A prayer to the Holy Spirit in us
In conclusion, Pope Francis urged Christians to invoke the Holy Spirit and pray to Him often, because He is always within us.
Mary makes us obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit and respond to his presence.
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