Pope Francis inspired us to believe that “God is greater than our sin” and always forgives us. At the General Audience on Wednesday, the Holy Father advised those who are afraid of the things they have done, who cannot find peace, or who fear being rebuked by God to pray and call upon the Holy Spirit.
“Pray, call upon the Holy Spirit and He will teach you how to ask for forgiveness. And, do you know what? God doesn’t know much grammar, and when we ask for forgiveness, He doesn’t let us finish. He forgives us first, He always forgives us, He is always at our side to forgive us, before we finish the word forgiveness. We say ‘per’ and the Father always forgives us,” said the Pope.
Holy Spirit reveals himself as a “paraclete,” that is, “he does not accuse us before the Father, but he defends us. Yes, he convinces us of the fact that we are sinners, but he does so to make us experience the joy of the Father’s mercy, not to destroy us with sterile feelings of guilt.”
The Holy Father dedicated his catechesis to reflecting on the sanctifying action of the Holy Spirit, who is “both the subject and object of Christian prayer.” That is, “He is the one who gives prayer and He is the one who gives himself to us through prayer.”
“We pray to receive the Holy Spirit,” he continued, “and we receive the Holy Spirit so that we can truly pray, that is, as children of God, not as slaves.” He also pointed out that the Father, whenever we ask him, “will give us the Spirit,” something that “should give us courage to move forward.”
In this regard, he stressed that “one should always pray freely” and not out of obligation, thinking that if one does not do so “one will go to hell.”
“You pray when the Spirit helps you to pray, you pray when you feel in your heart the need to pray. And when you feel nothing, stop and ask yourself: Why don’t I feel the will to pray? What is happening in my life? Spontaneity always comes into play in prayer, it is what helps us the most. This means praying as children, not as slaves.”
He also pointed out that the “only power” we have over the Holy Spirit is the power of prayer: “He does not resist prayer. We pray and He comes.”