Pope celebrates Mass at Roman parish
Pope Francis offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sunday at the Parish of Saint Peter Damian (San Pier Damiani ai Monti di San Paolo) in Rome.
In his homily during the Mass for the parish, Pope Francis spoke about the importance of preserving within us the Holy Spirit, Whom we have received within us. The Holy Spirit, he said, speaks to us with a “special language,” a language of sweetness and respect – and this language of the Spirit should inform our attitude as Christians.
The Holy Father warned against an attitude of anger and bitterness, inspired by the devil, manifesting itself in ambition envy and jealousy. This spirit of divisiveness, he said, is the most common sin of our Christian communities.
“This truly wounds my heart,” he said. “It’s as if we were throwing stones at one another… and the Devil is having fun, it’s a carnival for the Holy Spirit.” He asked us to pray for the grace to preserve the Spirit within us and, in the words of St Paul, not to “grieve the Holy Spirit.” And he called on us to maintain an attitude of sweetness and respect for all.