"The Holy Spirit pushes us to enter the desert."The Holy Spirit and healingWhat does meditation consist of? The Pope explains it in the audienceThe Holy Father continued his catechesis on the Holy Spirit, this time underlining the relationship between the Paraclete and the Virgin Mary. He began by recalling the traditional saying "Ad Iesum per Mariam", that is, "to Jesus through Mary". The Pope stressed that "the true and only mediator between us and Christ, appointed as such by Jesus himself, is the Holy Spirit", but without forgetting that "Mary is one of the means used by the Holy Spirit to lead us to Jesus".
Mary is the "first disciple" and her close figure can be understood "even by those who do not know how to read theological books, by those 'little ones' to whom Jesus says that the mysteries of the Kingdom, hidden from the wise, are revealed (cf. Mt 11:25)".
Our Lady, faithful instrument
The Holy Father emphasized "how the Mother of God is an instrument of the Holy Spirit in his work of
sanctification. In the midst of the endless profusion of words spoken and written about God, the Church and holiness (which very few, if any, are able to read and understand in their entirety) she suggests only two words that everyone, even the simplest, can pronounce on any occasion: 'Here I am' and 'fiat'. Mary is the one who said 'yes' to God and by her example and intercession she urges us to say our 'yes' to her every time we find ourselves faced with an obedience to fulfill or a trial to overcome".
When the Church received from Jesus Christ the missionary mandate to preach to all nations, she united in prayer around "Mary, the mother of Jesus" (Acts 1:14). The Pope pointed out that although "there were other women with her in the Upper Room, her presence is different and unique among them all. Between her and the Holy Spirit there is a unique and eternally indestructible bond, which is the very person of Christ, 'conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary' (Creed). The Evangelist Luke intentionally emphasizes the correspondence between the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Mary at the Annunciation and his coming upon the disciples at the Annunciation and the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at the Annunciation. Pentecostusing some identical expressions in both cases".
Helping others like Mary
As usual in Pope Francis' preaching, the meditation on revealed truths concluded with an invitation to believers to transform their faith into works of service to their neighbor: "Let us learn from her to be docile to the inspirations of the Spirit, especially when she suggests that we 'rise up quickly' and go to help someone in need, as she did immediately after the angel left her (cf. Lk 1:39)".
Before imparting the blessing to the faithful gathered in the square, the Holy Father made an appeal for peace, as he always does during the Wednesday audiences and the Sunday Angelus.
