The Holy Spirit acts with power and gentleness, both “in us and in mission,” Pope Francis preached at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Pentecost Sunday (video, booklet).
Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was the principal celebrant.
“The Spirit’s work in us is powerful, as symbolized by the signs of wind and fire, which are often associated with God’s power in the Bible,” the Pope preached. “At the same time, the Paraclete’s working in us is also gentle … The wind and the fire do not destroy or reduce to ashes whatever they touch: the one fills the house where the disciples are, and the other rests gently, in the form of flames, on the head of each.”
“Like the Apostles, we too are being sent forth, particularly at the present time, to proclaim the Gospel to all,” the Pope continued. “Thanks to the Spirit, we can and must do this with his own power and gentleness.”