Pope Francis: Christians cannot be satisfied with having hope, they must radiate hope

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Source: Vatican Media

During his weekly General Audience today, held in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis concluded his cycle of catechesis on the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church, and recalled that the Holy Spirit is the "ever-flowing source of Christian hope."

The Holy Father looked to the Book of Revelation, with the invocation: "Come," addressed to the risen Christ by "the Spirit and the Bride." noting that our hope for the final coming of Jesus is always present in the Church.

At the same time, the Pope said, the Church also expects the continuous coming of Christ "in the present and pilgrim situation."

Pope Francis noted that the Church's understanding of the invocation "Come" has developed: where once it was "habitually" addressed only to Christ, now the Church uses it to invoke the Holy Spirit as well, as in the familiar hymns, Veni Creator Spiritus and Veni Sancte Spiritus.

"It is right that it should be so," the Pope explained, "because after the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit is Christ's true alter ego, He who takes His place, who makes Him present and operative in the Church." That, he continued, "is why Christ and the Spirit are inseparable, also in the economy of salvation."

The Holy Spirit, moreover, "is the ever-flowing source of Christian hope," the Holy Father continued, calling Him the "sail" that propels the Church along the sea of history.

Pope Francis insisted that hope is not an "empty word or a vague desire," but a certainty based on God's fidelity and therefore a theological virtue.

However, he continued, "Christians cannot be satisfied with having hope" but must also "radiate hope." Hope, he said, "is the most beautiful gift that the Church can give to all of humanity."

Finally, Pope Francis recalled the words of St Peter, who encouraged the first Christians to always be ready to give a reason for their hope, adding that they should do so "with gentleness and reverence."

This, he said, is because people are convinced not so much by the strength of an argument as by the love with which they are made. "This is the most effective form of evangelization," he said, calling it a method that is "open to everyone."

Pope Francis concluded his catechesis with the prayer that the Holy Spirit might help us always "abound in hope."

At the end of his audience Pope Francis spoke about Syria and prayed for peace and security for its people.

As many Syrians living abroad return home and reunite with their families, the Pope stressed his desire that "a political solution may be reached that, without further conflicts or divisions, responsibly promotes the stability and unity of the country."

Pope Francis entrusted the Syrian people to the Virgin Mary on the day before the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He prayed that through her intercession, they "may live in peace and security in their beloved land." He also asked for her intercession that the various religious groups-70% Sunni Muslim, 13% Shia Muslim, and about 2% Christian-living in Syria "may walk together in friendship and mutual respect for the good of the nation."

Pope Francis also remembered war-torn Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and Myanmar and once again encouraged everyone to pray for peace around the world. "Let us pray that a way out may be found," he urged, so that "peace may return" in the world.

Watch today's Audience on the Vatican Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=svU4dN-th7w