This Pentecost let us remember: The first Christian community was not moved by an idea, a concept or a philosophical argument but by the experience of God’s Presence.

“the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5).

This Pentecost let us keep in mind: The Holy Spirit was first given on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost which commemorated the giving of the 10 commandments on the stone tablets.  Now the ‘law’ is written in our hearts.

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

This Pentecost let us pray: God is love and totally unselfish and there is nothing more that He wants than to fill you again with His Spirit, the Spirit of Truth.  With a simple but profound faith, we pray as a Church and as individuals loved by God ‘Come Holy Spirit’.

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11,13).

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1. The Holy Spirit Nurtures

“When the Holy Spirit sows, he grows”.
Pope Francis, Address, 18th June 2016

2. The Holy Spirit Gives Life To The People Of God

“The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. He gives life, he brings forth different charisms which enrich the people of God and, above all, he creates unity among believers: from the many he makes one body, the Body of Christ. The Church’s whole life and mission depend on the Holy Spirit; he fulfils all things.”
Pope Francis, Homily, 2014

3. The Holy Spirit Gives Us The Strength To Move Forward

“This is what the anointing of the Holy Spirit foresees: “without His strength, man has nothing (cf. Sequence for Pentecost). Without the power of the Holy Spirit we can do nothing: it is the Spirit who gives us the power to go forth. As Jesus’ entire life was enlivened by the Spirit, so too is the life of the Church and of each of her members under the guidance of the same Spirit.”
Pope Francis, General Audience, 23rd May 2018

4. No One Can Say ‘Jesus Is Lord’ Except By The Holy Spirit

“When we pray, it is because the Holy Spirit inspires prayer in our heart. When we break the cycle of our self-centredness, and move beyond ourselves and go out to encounter others, to listen to them and help them, it is the Spirit of God who impels us to do so. When we find within a hitherto unknown ability to forgive, to love someone who doesn’t love us in return, it is the Spirit who has taken hold of us. When we move beyond mere self-serving words and turn to our brothers and sisters with that tenderness which warms the heart, we have indeed been touched by the Holy Spirit.”
Pope Francis, Homily, 2014

5. The Holy Spirit Kindles Diversity

“It is true that the Holy Spirit brings forth different charisms in the Church, which at first glance, may seem to create disorder. Under his guidance, however, they constitute an immense richness, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of unity, which is not the same thing as uniformity. Only the Holy Spirit is able to kindle diversity, multiplicity and, at the same time, bring about unity. When we try to create diversity, but are closed within our own particular and exclusive ways of seeing things, we create division. When we try to create unity through our own human designs, we end up with uniformity and homogenization. If we let ourselves be led by the Spirit, however, richness, variety and diversity will never create conflict, because the Spirit spurs us to experience variety in the communion of the Church.”
Pope Francis, Homily, 2014

Pope Francis Holy Spirit Quotes

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The post Top Pope Francis’ Holy Spirit Quotes appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Fruit of the Spirit 1 – LOVE:
– How can I love the persons around me, even when I feel that s/he does not deserve it? How can my love become more of a decision and less based on feeling? In which areas do I need to love without expecting anything back? Do I take care of my basic health and needs in order to be able to love?

Fruit of the Spirit 2 – JOY:
– Am I experiencing joy, even when life is tough, or is my happiness tied only to things and the smooth running of the daily routine? How can I become more aware of God’s presence in my life?

Fruit of the Spirit 3 – PEACE:
– Do I trust God in a way that I remain serene even when life hits hard or becomes a chaos? Am I experiencing a sense of peace even when I am afraid or worried?

Fruit of the Spirit 4 – PATIENCE:
Am I easily set off when things go wrong or people irritate me? Am I trying to respond lovingly in the face of the ill treatments of life and the persons around me?

Fruit of the Spirit 5 – KINDNESS:
In which areas do I need to make an act of will and stop saying unkind words or act unkindly? With whom do I need to be more kind?

Fruit of the Spirit 6 – GOODNESS:
Do I see and acknowledge the good in others? How can I learn more to bring out goodness in others, sometimes by being prudently confrontational, like Jesus did when he challenged Zaccheus?

Fruit of the Spirit 7 – FAITHFULNESS:
Are there areas in my life where I am too much concerned with my own success, ambitions and indifferent towards others in my life? Are there areas where I need to seek more the good of others?

Fruit of the Spirit 8 – GENTLENESS:
Do I come across as aggressive? Am I forgiving and correcting with kindness?

Fruit of the Spirit 9 – SELF-CONTROL:
The last chocolate… the last few minutes on the internet… tomorrow I will exercise… How much are my fleshly desires controlling me at the moment possibly creating a hard environment for the Holy Spirit to work?

How can you give more space to the seeds of these fruit, already within you, to unlock their potential throughout your life?

Published: June 2017
Updated: May 2018

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