Today's General Audience began at 10:30am. His Holiness, Pope Francis met with pilgrims and visitors from all parts of Italy and from all corners of the world who had gathered in Saint Peter's Square to greet him.
During the catechesis which he spoke today, the Holy Father continued the cycle of teachings on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, adding today his thoughts about the third of the divine gifts: Counsel. As is usually the case, following the catechesis which was spoken in Italian, a series of synopses of the Pope's meditation were offered in various languages, and he in turn offered greetings to each group of visitors present in the square.
At the conclusion of the Audience, the Pater Noster was chanted and Pope Francis imparted the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We have listened today to an extract from the Book of Psalms which says: The Lord has given me counsel, even at night, my heart instructs me (Ps 16:7). This is another of the Holy Spirit's gifts: the gift of counsel. We know how important it is, in the most delicate moments, to be able to count on the guidance of wise people who love us. Now, through the gift of counsel, God himself, through his Spirit, illuminates our hearts, in order to help us understand the right words to speak, the right actions to take, and the right path to follow. But how does this gift work?
From the moment when we welcome it and make a home for it in our hearts, the Holy Spirit immediately begins to make us aware of his voice and to direct our thoughts, our feelings and our intentions according to the heart of God. At the same time, he urges us to direct our interior gaze more and more toward Jesus, like a model of our behaviour and of our relationship with God the Father and with our brothers and sisters. Counsel is therefore the gift by which the Holy Spirit makes our consciences able to make concrete choices in communion with God, according to Jesus' logic and following the guidance of his gospel. In this way, the Spirit helps us to grow interiorly, helps us to grow in a positive way, helps us to grow in the community and helps us not to fall victim to egotism, but rather to see things in the right way. Thus the Spirit helps us to grow and also to live in community. The essential condition for preserving this gift is prayer. We must always be focused on the same theme: prayer! Prayer is so very important! Pray using the prayers that we all know from our infancy, but pray too with our own words. Pray to the Lord: Lord, help me, guide me, what must I do now? And with prayer, let us make some space, so that the Spirit can come to our help at this very moment, to give us his counsel about what we all should do. Prayer! Don't ever forget prayer! Never! No one, no one should ever discourage us from prayer on a bus, in the street: pray in the silence of your heart. Take advantage of moments of prayer, pray that the Spirit will give you the gift of counsel.
At the level of intimacy with God and listening to his Word, slowly, slowly we put aside our own logic, freeing ourselves a little at a time from our own tendency to be closed in on ourselves, from our prejudices and our ambitions, and we learn instead to ask the Lord: what is it that you desire? What is your will? What will be pleasing to you? In this way, a deep sense of tuning develops in us, almost coexisting with the Spirit and we experience how true the words of Jesus are as they are written in Saint Matthew's gospel: Do not be worried about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes, because it is not you who will be speaking; the spirit of your Father will be speaking in you (Mt 10:19-20).
It is the Spirit who counsels us, but we must leave space for the Spirit, so that we can be counseled. We must leave space for prayer, we need to pray so that He can come and help us always.
As with all the other gifts of the Spirit, the gift of counsel is a treasure for the entire Christian community. The Lord doesn't only speak in the intimacy of our hearts, he speaks there, yes, but not only there. He speaks through the voices and the testimonies of our brothers and sisters. It is indeed a great gift to be able to meet with other men and women of faith who, above all in the most complicated and important moments of our lives, help us to shed light on our hearts and to recognize the will of God!
I remember a time in the sanctuary at Lujan when I was in the confessional and there was a long lineup. There was a young man there, with earrings and tattoos, all those things ... He came to talk to me about things that were happening. He had a big problem, a difficult one. He told me: I told my mother about all of this and she said to me, 'go to the Madonna and she will tell you what to do'. This was a woman who had the gift of counsel. She didn't know how to help her son with his problem, but she showed him the right way: go to the Madonna and she will tell you. This is the gift of counsel. This humble, simple woman gave her son the right counsel. In fact, this young man told me: I looked at the Madonna and I knew that I had to do this, this and that ... I didn't have to speak, his mother and the boy himself had already said everything that needed to be said. This is the gift of counsel. You mothers who have this gift, ask for it, for the sake of your children. The gift to guide your children is a gift from God.
Dear friends, Psalm 16, which we have heard today, invites us to pray in these words: Bless the Lord who has given me counsel, even at night my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me, for with him at my right hand, I will not be shaken (Ps 16:7-8). May the Spirit live always in our hearts and fill us with the certainty of his consolation and his peace! Pray always for the gift of counsel.
Following the conclusion of this catechesis, which was spoken in Italian, syntheses of this text were also shared in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Korea, the Philippines, China, India, Canada and the United States. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Lord. God bless you all!
During the catechesis which he spoke today, the Holy Father continued the cycle of teachings on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, adding today his thoughts about the third of the divine gifts: Counsel. As is usually the case, following the catechesis which was spoken in Italian, a series of synopses of the Pope's meditation were offered in various languages, and he in turn offered greetings to each group of visitors present in the square.
At the conclusion of the Audience, the Pater Noster was chanted and Pope Francis imparted the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We have listened today to an extract from the Book of Psalms which says: The Lord has given me counsel, even at night, my heart instructs me (Ps 16:7). This is another of the Holy Spirit's gifts: the gift of counsel. We know how important it is, in the most delicate moments, to be able to count on the guidance of wise people who love us. Now, through the gift of counsel, God himself, through his Spirit, illuminates our hearts, in order to help us understand the right words to speak, the right actions to take, and the right path to follow. But how does this gift work?
From the moment when we welcome it and make a home for it in our hearts, the Holy Spirit immediately begins to make us aware of his voice and to direct our thoughts, our feelings and our intentions according to the heart of God. At the same time, he urges us to direct our interior gaze more and more toward Jesus, like a model of our behaviour and of our relationship with God the Father and with our brothers and sisters. Counsel is therefore the gift by which the Holy Spirit makes our consciences able to make concrete choices in communion with God, according to Jesus' logic and following the guidance of his gospel. In this way, the Spirit helps us to grow interiorly, helps us to grow in a positive way, helps us to grow in the community and helps us not to fall victim to egotism, but rather to see things in the right way. Thus the Spirit helps us to grow and also to live in community. The essential condition for preserving this gift is prayer. We must always be focused on the same theme: prayer! Prayer is so very important! Pray using the prayers that we all know from our infancy, but pray too with our own words. Pray to the Lord: Lord, help me, guide me, what must I do now? And with prayer, let us make some space, so that the Spirit can come to our help at this very moment, to give us his counsel about what we all should do. Prayer! Don't ever forget prayer! Never! No one, no one should ever discourage us from prayer on a bus, in the street: pray in the silence of your heart. Take advantage of moments of prayer, pray that the Spirit will give you the gift of counsel.
At the level of intimacy with God and listening to his Word, slowly, slowly we put aside our own logic, freeing ourselves a little at a time from our own tendency to be closed in on ourselves, from our prejudices and our ambitions, and we learn instead to ask the Lord: what is it that you desire? What is your will? What will be pleasing to you? In this way, a deep sense of tuning develops in us, almost coexisting with the Spirit and we experience how true the words of Jesus are as they are written in Saint Matthew's gospel: Do not be worried about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes, because it is not you who will be speaking; the spirit of your Father will be speaking in you (Mt 10:19-20).
It is the Spirit who counsels us, but we must leave space for the Spirit, so that we can be counseled. We must leave space for prayer, we need to pray so that He can come and help us always.
As with all the other gifts of the Spirit, the gift of counsel is a treasure for the entire Christian community. The Lord doesn't only speak in the intimacy of our hearts, he speaks there, yes, but not only there. He speaks through the voices and the testimonies of our brothers and sisters. It is indeed a great gift to be able to meet with other men and women of faith who, above all in the most complicated and important moments of our lives, help us to shed light on our hearts and to recognize the will of God!
I remember a time in the sanctuary at Lujan when I was in the confessional and there was a long lineup. There was a young man there, with earrings and tattoos, all those things ... He came to talk to me about things that were happening. He had a big problem, a difficult one. He told me: I told my mother about all of this and she said to me, 'go to the Madonna and she will tell you what to do'. This was a woman who had the gift of counsel. She didn't know how to help her son with his problem, but she showed him the right way: go to the Madonna and she will tell you. This is the gift of counsel. This humble, simple woman gave her son the right counsel. In fact, this young man told me: I looked at the Madonna and I knew that I had to do this, this and that ... I didn't have to speak, his mother and the boy himself had already said everything that needed to be said. This is the gift of counsel. You mothers who have this gift, ask for it, for the sake of your children. The gift to guide your children is a gift from God.
Dear friends, Psalm 16, which we have heard today, invites us to pray in these words: Bless the Lord who has given me counsel, even at night my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me, for with him at my right hand, I will not be shaken (Ps 16:7-8). May the Spirit live always in our hearts and fill us with the certainty of his consolation and his peace! Pray always for the gift of counsel.
Following the conclusion of this catechesis, which was spoken in Italian, syntheses of this text were also shared in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Korea, the Philippines, China, India, Canada and the United States. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Lord. God bless you all!
No comments:
Post a Comment