Pope on Pentecost: The Spirit shatters our inner chains and transforms us

Vatican City, 8 June, 2025 - During Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the enduring power of the Holy Spirit to renew lives and open hearts. Celebrating both Pentecost and the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations, and New Communities, the Pope addressed the faithful in a stirring homily at St. Peter’s Basilica.

"Today too, what took chance in the Upper Room takes place anew in our midst," said the Pope. "Like a mighty wind that overtakes us, like a crash that startles us, like a fire that illuminates us, the gift of the Holy Spirit descends upon us."

He recalled how the Apostles, once locked in fear after Jesus’ death, were transformed by the Spirit. They received “a new way of seeing things, an interior understanding” that allowed them to interpret events and sense the presence of the Risen Lord.

“The Spirit overcomes their fear, shatters their inner chains, heals their wounds, anoints them with strength and grants them the courage to go out to all and to proclaim God’s mighty works.”

Quoting the late Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Leo highlighted the Spirit’s role in overcoming division: “The Spirit overcomes the ‘breach’ that began in Babel... The Spirit opens borders.” He called this an eloquent image of Pentecost, stressing that the Spirit first opens borders within our hearts.

The Pope affirmed that the Spirit frees us from inner rigidity, selfishness, and fear, allowing us to love more fully and authentically.

The Holy Spirit, he explained, helps us discover our true selves beneath superficial appearances and teaches us the joy that comes from abiding in God’s love. “Only by abiding in love will we receive the strength to remain faithful to His word and to let it transform us.”

The Pope also spoke of the Spirit’s power to heal relationships. The Spirit, he said, enables us to overcome prejudice, fear of difference, and the desire to control others. He lamented “numerous recent cases of femicide” as tragic evidence of domination and violence in human relationships.

Pope Leo stressed that healthy relationships, nurtured by the Spirit, are essential for peace and must also be reflected within the Church.

“We are truly the Church of the Risen Lord... if we can dialogue, accept one another, and reconcile our differences,” he said. The Church, he insisted, must be a place of welcome and hospitality for all.

Finally, the Pope reminded listeners that the Spirit breaks down barriers between peoples, uniting hearts and inspiring peace. He concluded: “May the strong wind of the Spirit come upon us and within us... sustain our efforts to build a world in which peace reigns.”

Courtesy: Vatican News