During his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis continues his reflections on the Holy Spirit and marvels how the Spirit operates in our prayer.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“Christian prayer is not man at one end of the telephone, speaking to God on the other; no, it is God who prays in us! We pray to God through God.”
Pope Francis offered this encouragement to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square during his Wednesday General Audience.
As he continued his catechesis series on the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church, the Pope transitioned from discussing sacraments to discussing Christian prayer.
“The sanctifying action of the Holy Spirit, in addition to the Word of God and the Sacraments,” the Pope began, “is expressed in prayer,” saying that for this reason he wished to dedicate to it this morning’s reflection.
The Pope reminded that the Holy Spirit is both the subject and object of Christian prayer. “That is, He is the One who gives prayer and He is the One who is given by prayer.”
“We pray to receive the Holy Spirit, and we receive the Holy Spirit in order to truly pray,” the Pope said, noting that in this way we pray as children of God, not as slaves.
Holy Spirit and prayer
First of all, the Pope said, we must pray to receive the Holy Spirit. “In this regard,” he recalled, “Jesus has a very precise word in the Gospel: “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Lk 11:13).
The Pope said that our praying is “the only ‘power’ we have over the Spirit of God, and that the Holy Spirit is He who gives us the gift of true prayer.
How to pray
It is true, the Pope said, we do not know how to pray. “Yes, the Holy Spirit comes to aid us in our weakness, but He does something far more important,” Pope Francis added, “He testifies to us that we are children of God and puts on our lips the cry: “Abba! Father!'”
In prayer, the Pope said, the Holy Spirit is revealed as the “Paraclete”, that is, our advocate and defender. He does not accuse us before the Father, but defends us.
“Even when our heart reproaches us for something,” he noted, the Holy Spirit “reminds us that ‘God is greater than our hearts.’”
Prayer multiplies
The Holy Spirit, the Pope said, not only intercedes for us, but also teaches us how to intercede for our brothers and sisters. Moreover, he add, “He teaches us the prayer of intercession,” a prayer, the Pope said, “is particularly pleasing to God, because it is the most gratuitous and altruistic.”
“When someone prays for everyone,” the Pope marveled, “it happens – as Saint Ambrose noted – that everyone prays for someone; prayer multiplies.”
Pope Francis concluded by saying to prepare ourselves ahead of the upcoming Jubilee, “to unite ourselves to the Paraclete who “intercedes for the saints according to God’s plans.’”
