Selected quotes of Pope Benedict XVI offered daily for prayer and reflection….

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The Holy Spirit
 


The breath of God is life. Now, the Lord breathes into our soul the new breath of life, the Holy Spirit, his most intimate essence, and in this way welcomes us into God’s family. With Baptism and Confirmation this gift was given to us specifically, and with the sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance it is continuously repeated: the Lord breathes a breath of life into our soul. All the sacraments, each in its own way, communicate divine life to human beings, thanks to the Holy Spirit who works within them.

 
Homily
Solemnity of Pentecost
Vatican Basilica
12 June 2011

 
 
 
The Holy Spirit
 


What air is for biological life, the Holy Spirit is for spiritual life; and just as an atmospheric pollution exists that poisons the environment and living beings, thus a pollution of heart and spirit exists that mortifies and poisons spiritual life. In the same way that one must not become inured to the poisons in the air, and for this reason ecological commitment is a priority today, likewise one must not become inured to what corrupts the mind.

 
Homily
Solemnity of Pentecost
Vatican Basilica
31 May 2009

 
 
 
The Holy Spirit
 


Joy is intimately linked to love. They are inseparable gifts of the Holy Spirit ... Love gives rise to joy, and joy is a form of love.

 
27th WYD Message
15 March 2012

 
 
 
The Holy Spirit
 


The Holy Spirit gives believers a superior vision of the world, of life, of history, and makes them custodians of the hope that never disappoints.

 
Prayer Vigil
Solemnity of Pentecost
St. Peter's Square
3 June 2006

 
 
 
The Holy Spirit
 


Jesus, as the Samaritan woman says, has living water that quenches all thirst; and this water is the Spirit himself.

 
General Audience
Paul VI Audience Hall

9 March 2011

 
 
 
The Holy Spirit
 


With his breath, the Holy Spirit impels us towards Christ.

 
Prayer Vigil
Solemnity of Pentecost
St. Peter's Square
3 June 2006

 
 
 
The Holy Spirit
 


“The Spirit, poured forth into our hearts, leads us to the Father, constantly making present God’s 'Yes' to us in Christ, and in turn, enabling us to say our Yes –- Amen! –- to God.

 
General Audience
30 May 2012

 
 
 
The Holy Spirit
 


The Lord directed his disciples “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4); he asked that they might remain together to prepare themselves to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And they gathered together in prayer with Mary in the Upper Room, waiting for the promised event (cf. Acts 1:14). Remaining together was the condition given by Jesus for them to experience the coming of the Paraclete, and prolonged prayer served to maintain them in harmony with one another. We find here a formidable lesson for every Christian community. Sometimes it is thought that missionary efficacy depends primarily upon careful planning and its intelligent implementation by means of specific action. Certainly, the Lord asks for our cooperation, but his initiative has to come first, before any response from us: his Spirit is the true protagonist of the Church, to be invoked and welcomed.

 
Homily

Zagreb Hippodrome
Croatia

5 June 2011

 

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