This Sunday, May 24, Pope Leo XIV presided over the Pentecost Mass at the Vatican, the solemnity that concludes the fifty days of the Easter season and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the apostles.
During his homily, the Pontiff reflected on the action of the Spirit of the Risen Christ and emphasized three central dimensions of Christian life: peace, mission, and unity.
The celebration revisited the Gospel image of the risen Christ appearing to the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. The Pope recalled that Jesus reveals His glorified wounds and breathes the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, transforming a place marked by fear and betrayal into a space of resurrection and hope.
“The Lord reveals His glorified body, precisely His wounds, the marks of the crucifixion. These signs of the Passion, more eloquent than any discourse, are transfigured: the One who was dead now lives forever.”
The Holy Father also returned to the words he spoke at the beginning of his pontificate, “Peace be with you”, directly linking them to the gift of the Holy Spirit. According to him, true peace is born from the forgiveness offered by Christ on the cross and continues to be poured out upon humanity through the action of the Spirit.
The Spirit of the Risen Christ Is the Spirit of Peace
In the first part of his reflection, the Pope stated that “the Spirit of the Risen Christ is the Spirit of peace.”
According to him, Christ’s Passover reconciles God and humanity, and the Holy Spirit allows this peace to penetrate hearts and spread throughout the world. The Pontiff explained that this peace flows from the forgiveness granted by Jesus even after He was betrayed, condemned, and crucified.
“This peace comes from forgiveness and leads us to forgiveness; it begins with the forgiveness offered by Jesus Himself.”
The Pope also emphasized that Pentecost reveals the new covenant between God and all peoples, recalling that love is the true “law” of the Christian.
“This law is the code of peace; it is the twofold commandment of love that the Spirit reminds us of with every heartbeat. Therefore, with our hearts we can invoke: Veni Sancte Spiritus, because He has already been given to us. We can desire Him because He has already been promised to us. We can welcome Him because He Himself is the gentle guest of the soul.”
The Spirit Drives the Church’s Mission
The second theme developed in the homily was mission. Pope Leo XIV recalled Jesus’ words to the disciples: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
According to the Holy Father, the Holy Spirit is the “living charity of Christ” that moves, sustains, and strengthens the Church in her evangelizing mission.
“The Holy Spirit is the living charity of Christ that fills us, impels us, and sustains us in mission.”
The Pontiff also emphasized that this mission begins with proclaiming the truth about God and the dignity of the human person. For him, the Spirit of the Risen Christ is also the “Spirit of truth,” capable of generating coherence of life, understanding, and communion within the Church.
“Now that the Apostles have received within themselves the Breath of the Risen One, this proclamation comes forth from their lips; it takes on the voice of Peter and those with him. Precisely on the day of Pentecost, the Apostles begin to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen: ‘the mighty works of God’ (Acts 2:11) are all summed up in redemption, which begins with faith.”
The Spirit of Truth and the Unity of the Church
In the third part of the homily, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that the Church’s mission begins with proclaiming the truth about God and humanity, because the Spirit of the Risen Christ is the “Spirit of truth” (cf. John 14:17).
According to the Pontiff, it is the Spirit Himself who sustains the unity of the Church, founded on God’s love, and who fosters understanding, harmony, and integrity of life.
The Pope warned against everything that threatens this unity — divisions and hypocrisy among them — recalling that the Holy Spirit preserves the Church in the truth that liberates and transforms peoples.
“The Paraclete defends us from everything that obstructs this understanding: factions, hypocrisies, and passing trends that obscure the light of the Gospel. The truth God gives us remains a liberating word for all peoples, a message that transforms every culture from within.”
Unity, Love, and Prayer for World Peace
Toward the end of the homily, the Pope made a strong appeal for world peace and for an end to wars, affirming that evil will not be overcome through human power, but through the “omnipotence of love.”
“Let us pray today that the Spirit of the Risen Christ may save us from the evil of war.”
The Pontiff also asked for prayers that humanity may be freed from misery and healed from the wound of sin, recalling that the redemption proclaimed by Christ is intended for all peoples.
The celebration of Pentecost marks one of the most important solemnities in the Catholic liturgical calendar and officially concludes the Easter season that began with the Easter Vigil.
For the Holy Father, Pentecost remains today “the feast of the Church’s resurrection,” called to live peace, bear witness to the truth, and proclaim the Gospel to the entire world.
