Holy Spirit leads to truth amid relativism, Pope counsels

Last updated on: May 15, 2013 at 10:42 am by CNA Daily News

Holy Spirit leads to truth amid relativism, Pope counsels 2013-05-15T10:42:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, May 15, 2013 / 04:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As he looked ahead to Pentecost, Pope Francis spoke about the Holy Spirit’s role in guiding Christians to know Jesus, who is the Truth, in an age of relativism.

“We live in an age rather skeptical of truth,” the Pope said, as he encouraged Christians to let themselves “be imbued with the light of the Holy Spirit, so that he introduces us into the Truth of God.”

But “you cannot grab the truth as if it were an object, you encounter it. It is not a possession, is an encounter with a person,” Pope Francis noted as he recalled Pontius Pilate posing the question, “What is truth?” to Jesus.

The Holy Father made his remarks in the context of an ongoing series of reflections on the Creed that he has been offering each Wednesday, as well as the Feast of Pentecost which will be celebrated this coming Sunday.

For those reasons he focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in leading believers to the Truth.

“First of all, he reminds and imprints on the hearts of believers the words that Jesus said, and precisely through these words, God’s law – as the prophets of the Old Testament had announced – is inscribed in our hearts and becomes within us a principle of evaluation in our choices and of guidance in our daily actions, it becomes a principle of life,” the Pope taught.

The second way that the Holy Spirit leads us, the pontiff taught, is by guiding “us ‘into’ the Truth, that is, he helps us enter into a deeper communion with Jesus himself, gifting us knowledge of the things of God.”

“We cannot achieve this on our own strengths. If God does not enlightens us interiorly, our being Christians will be superficial,” Pope Francis stated.

The May 15 general audience featured more off-the-cuff remarks from the Pope than previous meetings have, and today he seemed to spontaneously compose a prayer to encourage people to be more open to the Holy Spirit.

“And this is a prayer we need to pray every day, every day: Holy Spirit may my heart be open to the Word of God, may my heart be open to good, may my heart be open to the beauty of God, every day,” he urged.

“Will you do it?” he asked the crowd packed into St. Peter’s Square. The pilgrims responded “yes,” but Pope Francis was not satisfied, so he replied, “I can’t hear you!” He was rewarded with a much louder and enthusiastic “Yes!”

Pope Francis also held up Mary as an example and “her ‘yes,’ her total availability to receive the Son of God in her life, and who from that moment was transformed.”

“Do we live in God and of God, is our life really animated by God? How many things do I put before God?” he asked the pilgrims.

Living this way means not being “a ‘part-time’ Christian, at certain moments, in certain circumstances, in certain choices,” he said.

The Pope closed his address by asking Catholics to look at how they have spent the Year of Faith so far.

Have we “actually taken a few steps to get to know Christ and the truths of faith more, by reading and meditating on the Scriptures, studying the Catechism, steadily approaching the Sacraments.

"But at the same time let us ask ourselves what steps we are taking so that the faith directs our whole existence,” he said.

Vatican

Previous Post

May 15, 2013

Bangladesh tragedy sparks call for retail accountability

Next Post

May 15, 2013 Cardinal O'Brien leaving Scotland for penance, prayer

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does Paul offer to do if Onesimus owes Philemon anything?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Forgive the debt Pray for resolution Pay it back himself Have the church pay it