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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – In the Pentecost solemnity, on Sunday, June 12, before reciting the Marian prayer of Regina Caeli, Benedict XVI illustrated the meaning of the solemnity with these words: " The Paschal Mystery is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles gathered with Mary, Mother of God, and the other disciples. It was the 'baptism' of the Church, baptism in the Holy Spirit ... God's voice divines the human language of the Apostles, who become able to proclaim in a 'polyphonic' way the only Word of God. The breath of the Holy Spirit fills the universe, creates faith, drags you towards the truth, establishes unity among the people”. " The Holy Spirit, the Pope said, "as intelligible Light gives meaning to prayer, gives effect to the evangelizing mission, it burns the hearts of those who hear the good news, it inspires the Christian art and liturgical melody". Finally, Benedict XVI entrusted to the Virgin Mary “the Church, so it may always live in Jesus Christ, in His Word, in His commandments, and under the constant action of the Holy Spirit and proclaim that 'Jesus is Lord'".
After the Marian prayer, Benedict XVI entrusted the cause of world peace to the intercession of the army of the heroic witnesses of faith "who gave their lives in the name of Christ in the concentration camps", recalling the beatification of Alois Andritzki, priest and martyr, killed by the Nazis in 1943. The Pope said: "May the Holy Spirit inspire courageous resolutions for peace and support the work to continue, so that dialogue may prevail over weapons and respect for human dignity more than partisan interests. May the Spirit, which is the bond of communion, straighten the hearts deviated from selfishness and help the human family to rediscover and preserve its fundamental unity with vigilance ". Before, the Pope had presided in the Vatican Basilica the Eucharist Con-celebration of the Pentecost solemnity. Commenting on the readings of the Mass of the day, the Pope said in his homily that "the Spirit, Creator of all things, and the Holy Spirit that Christ descends from the Father on the community of disciples, is one and the same: creation and redemption belong to each other and , in depth, a unique mystery of love and salvation". Thus "the Holy Spirit is the One that makes us recognize in Christ the Lord, and makes us pronounce the profession of faith of the Church ... the Holy Spirit enlivens the Church. It does not derive from human will, by reflection, by the skill of man and his organizational skills, because if it were the case it would have died long ago, just like every human thing disappears. But it is the Body of Christ, animated by the Holy Spirit ".
The event of the Pentecost is represented by St. Luke "as a new Sinai, as the gift of a new Pact in which the alliance with Israel is extended to all people on Earth". "This tells us something very important: the Catholic Church right from the beginning, her universality is not the result of the following inclusion of several communities - the Pope explained -. From the first moment, in fact, the Holy Spirit created her as the Church of all people, she embraces the entire world, transcending the boundaries of race, class, nation, breaks down all barriers and unites people in the profession of the Triune God. From the beginning, the Church is one, catholic and apostolic Church: this is her true nature and as such must be recognized. She is holy, not because of the ability of her members, but because God himself, with his Spirit, creates , purifies and sanctifies her forever". (SL) (Agenzia Fides 06/13/2011)
