Do not resist the Holy Spirit: Pope Francis

Vatican City, 16 April 2013: The Spirit leads us to change, but there are those who want to go back. The Holy Spirit leads people and the Church to move forward but we put up resistance and we will not change: this is what the Pope said on Tuesday morning during the Mass celebrated in the Chapel of Casa Santa Marta, in the presence of certain employees of the Vatican Governorate.
On Tuesday, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, celebrated his 86^th birthday. Remembering the occasion, Pope Francis said at the beginning of Mass: "We offer the Mass for him, so that Lord may be with him, comfort him and give him much consolation."

In his homily commenting on the first reading of the day, the Pope said: we speak of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, before being stoned he announces the Resurrection of Christ, admonishing the audience with strong words: "Stubborn! You always resist the Holy Spirit. " Stephen remembers how they persecuted and killed the prophets and built "a beautiful tomb" for them.
Even Jesus - the Pope noted - rebukes the disciples of Emmaus saying that they are slow to believe all that the prophets have announced." "Always, even among us," - noted the Pope - "that there is resistance to the Holy Spirit"

"To put it plainly: the Holy Spirit gives us discomfort. Because it moves us, makes us walk, impels the Church to move forward. And we are like Peter at the Transfiguration: 'Ah, how nice to be so, all together!' ... But that does not bother us. We want to tame the Holy Spirit. And that's wrong. Because He is God and He is the wind that comes and goes and you do not know from where. And 'the power of God, is what gives us the consolation and strength to move forward."

Pope Francis said - it seems that "we are all happy" for the presence of the Holy Spirit, but "it is not true. This temptation is still today. Just one example: think of the 2^nd Vatican Council ". "The Council has been a beautiful work of the Holy Spirit. Being a good pastor, Pope John was obedient to the Holy Spirit and did what it prompted him. But after 50 years, have we done everything the Holy Spirit told us in the Council? The Pope answered it in the negative, saying we celebrate its anniversary, we make a monument. But we do not want to change. What's more, there are voices that want to go back. This is called being stubborn, wanting to tame the Holy Spirit, this is called being fools, and slow of heart, the Pope explained.
The same thing happens "even in our personal lives" said the Pope adding, in fact, "the Spirit prompts us to take a more evangelical path," but we resist. The final exhortation of the pope has been "Do not resist the Holy Spirit. And 'the Spirit that makes us free with the freedom of Jesus, with the freedom of the children of God!" "Do not resist the Holy Spirit: this is the grace that I wish that we all ask to the Lord - docility to the Holy Spirit, in the Spirit that comes to us and makes us go forward in the path of holiness, the holiness of the beautiful Church. The grace of docility to the Holy Spirit. So be it. "Source: VR Sedoc