Open the borders: our interior borders, in our relationships with others, between peoples, throughout the world and within the Church, “for we are truly the Church of the Risen Lord and disciples of Pentecost if there are no borders or divisions among us; if we are able to dialogue and accept one another in the Church, and to reconcile our diversities; and if, as Church, we become a welcoming and hospitable place for all.” Pope Leo XIV said this in his homily during the Mass for the solemnity of Pentecost, celebrated in St. Peter’s Square before a crowd of 80,000 pilgrims who participated in the Jubilee of Movements, Associations and New Communities.
“Only a peaceful heart can spread peace—in families, in society, and in international relations”, the Pope said during the Regina Caeli prayer: “May the Spirit of the risen Christ open paths of reconciliation wherever there is war; may he enlighten those who govern and give them the courage to make gestures of de-escalation and dialogue.”
“At Pentecost, the doors of the Upper Room were opened because the Spirit opens borders”, explained the Holy Father. In the opening lines of his homily – in which he voiced his “great pain” at the thought of the “numerous cases of femicide”– the Pope quoted the words of Benedict XVI, who said: “The Holy Spirit bestows understanding. The Spirit overcomes the ‘breach’ that began in Babel, the confusion of mind and heart that sets us one against the other. The Spirit opens borders… The Church must always become anew what she already is. She must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race. In her, there cannot be those who are neglected or disdained. In the Church there are only free men and women, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.” “The Spirit opens borders, first of all, in our hearts”, commented the Pontiff: “He is the Gift that opens our lives to love. His presence breaks down our hardness of heart, our narrowness of mind, our selfishness, the fears that enchain us and the narcissism that makes us think only of ourselves. The Holy Spirit comes to challenge us, to make us confront the possibility that our lives are shrivelling up, trapped in the vortex of individualism.”
“Sadly, oddly enough, in a world of burgeoning ‘social’ media, we risk being ever more alone. Constantly connected, yet incapable of networking. Always immersed in a crowd, yet confused and solitary travellers”,
the Pope’s exhortation. “The Spirit of God allows us to find a new way of approaching and experiencing life”, he assured the faithful: “He puts us in touch with our inmost self, beneath all the masks we wear. He leads us to an encounter with the Lord by teaching us to experience the joy that is his gift. He convinces us, as we just heard in Jesus’ words, that only by abiding in love, will we receive the strength to remain faithful to his word and to let it transform us. The Spirit opens our interior borders, so that our lives can become places of welcome.”
When the love of God “comes to dwell within us, we become capable of opening our hearts to our brothers and sisters, overcoming our rigidity, moving beyond our fear of those who are different, and mastering the passions that stir within”,
remarked Leo XIV. “The Spirit also transforms those deeper, hidden dangers that disturb our relationships, like suspicion, prejudice or the desire to manipulate others”, continued the Holy Father:
“I think too, with great pain, of those cases where relationships are marked by an unhealthy desire for domination, an attitude that often leads to violence, as is shown, tragically, by numerous recent cases of femicide.”
The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, “brings to maturity within us the fruits that enable us to cultivate good and healthy relationships: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” “The Spirit broadens the borders of our relationships and opens us to the joy of fraternity”, observed Leo XIV: “This is also a critical yardstick for the Church”, he underlined, In fact, where there is love,
“There is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms.”
After the confusion of Babel, which was finally resolved by the harmony brought about by the Spirit, “whenever God’s ‘breath’ unites our hearts and makes us view others as our brothers and sisters, differences no longer become an occasion for division and conflict but rather a shared patrimony from which we can all draw, and which sets us all on journey together, in fraternity.” “The Spirit breaks down barriers and tears down the walls of indifference and hatred”, assured the Pontiff, who went on to cite the words of Pope Francis:
“In our world today, there is so much discord, such great division. We are all ‘connected’, yet find ourselves disconnected from one another, anesthetized by indifference and overwhelmed by solitude”, “The wars plaguing our world are a tragic sign of this.”
He remarked before making an appeal: “Let us invoke the Spirit of love and peace, that he may open borders, break down walls, dispel hatred and help us to live as children of our one Father who is in heaven.” “Pentecost renews the Church and the world!”, concluded Leo XIV: “May the strong wind of the Spirit come upon us and within us, open the borders of our hearts, grant us the grace of encounter with God, enlarge the horizons of our love and sustain our efforts to build a world in which peace reigns.”
