- 25 May, 2026
Vatican, May 25, 2026: During the Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives, saying that by enlightening minds and giving new vitality to hearts, the Paraclete “transfigures history, opening it to salvation, which is the gift that the Lord offers to everyone.”
“Through the power of the Spirit, our proclamation is filled with joy and hope, for we — yes, we ourselves — are the newness of the world, the light and the salt of the earth...”
Pope Leo XIV offered this reflection during the Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost celebrated on Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Basilica, noting that the Easter Season reaches its fulfilment in this solemnity.
The Pope recalled the Gospel passage of the day, where the Apostles had remained in the Upper Room, gripped by fear. Yet Jesus came and stood among them despite the closed doors, filling them with joy. Christ, he noted, accompanied His actions with the words, “Peace be with you,” and immediately breathed the Holy Spirit upon the disciples.
The Holy Father highlighted how the Holy Spirit brought about something extraordinary in the lives of the Apostles and said that the Spirit continues to work even today.
He stressed that Pentecost “is a Paschal feast” and “a feast of the Body of Christ, which by grace is all of us.”
While reflecting on this mystery, the Pope focused on three aspects of the Spirit: first as the “Spirit of peace,” second as the “Spirit of mission,” and third as the “Spirit of truth.”
Pouring peace into our hearts
Reflecting first on the Spirit of peace, Pope Leo said that through Christ’s Paschal Mystery, it was the Holy Spirit who restored peace between God and humanity, pouring this peace into hearts and spreading it throughout the world.
The Holy Father stressed that this peace comes from forgiveness and leads people towards forgiveness. He highlighted that the Lord “pours out His Spirit of peace from one end of history to the other, for he who has redeemed everyone from death excludes no one.”
We are all invited to bear witness
Turning to the missionary aspect of the Spirit, the Pope recalled that the Holy Spirit is “the living charity of Christ that fills us, spurs us on and sustains us in our mission.”
Recalling that the Apostles began proclaiming Jesus on the very day of Pentecost through the power of the Spirit, the Pope said that the Spirit’s first work within people is granting them the faith to proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
Expressing wonder that this faith lives and is shown through every good deed, every act of mercy, and every virtue, Pope Leo said that “the work of God, therefore, is each one of us," who are "invited to the Lord’s table, gathered to listen to His Word and called to bear witness to it everywhere.”
Co-workers of the Gospel
The Pope stressed that all the faithful are truly “co-workers of the Gospel,” adding that “the whole Church is its protagonist, not merely its guardian.”
Through the power of the Spirit, he noted, proclamation is filled with joy and hope.
He stressed that people themselves “are the newness of the world” and “the light and the salt of the earth,” not because of personal merit or privilege, but because of the word of the Lord, “who sanctifies the sinner, heals the leper and transforms the one who denied Him into an Apostle.”
The Pope acknowledged that “there are changes that do not bring new life to the world, but make it grow old through error and violence.” Nevertheless, he said, “the Holy Spirit enlightens minds and instils new vitality in our hearts.”
Promoting unity in truth
In this way, he said, the Spirit “transfigures history, opening it to salvation, which is the gift that the Lord offers to everyone.” He added that the Church’s mission bears witness to this offer and transforms the confusion of the world into communion with God and among people.
He reminded the faithful that the Spirit, who spoke through the prophets, always promotes unity in truth by filling people with understanding, harmony, and coherence of life.
The Paraclete protects us and is source of holiness
Finally, Pope Leo said that the Paraclete protects people from everything that hinders this understanding, including partisanship, hypocrisy, and fads that obscure the light of the Gospel.
Thus, he said, “the truth that God gives us stands as a liberating word for all peoples, a message that transforms every culture from within.”
Pope Leo emphasised that the Holy Spirit is not poured out once and for all, but continually.
“Just as the Eucharist is the living presence of Christ, who nourishes us unceasingly, so too,” he said, “does the Holy Spirit imprint his character upon us in Baptism, which makes us Christians.”
Similarly, he said, the Holy Spirit acts in Confirmation, establishing people as witnesses, and in Holy Orders, constituting ministers and shepherds for God’s people.
“In every sacrament,” Pope Leo said, “he is the dator munerum, the source of holiness who multiplies gifts and charisms through prayer, works of mercy and the study of the Word of God.”
Recalling St. Paul’s words to the Corinthians, that “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good,” Pope Leo said that this is precisely why people are the Church, the one Body that lives in God and serves the world.
“Thanks to the Spirit," the Pope invited, "we can bring true peace to all, the Truth that saves — the same Christ our Lord.”
Save us from the evil of war
The Holy Father concluded his homily by inviting all the faithful to join him in praying that the Holy Spirit “may save us from the evil of war, which is overcome not by a superpower, but by the omnipotence of love,” “free humanity from misery,” and “heal us from the scourge of sin through the salvation proclaimed to all peoples in the name of Jesus.”
Pope Leo XIV concluded by praying that the Holy Spirit may instil in people the same grace that gave courage to the Apostles, today and always, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother.
Courtesy: Vatican News
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