Have you ever been captivated by a master teacher?

Some time ago I wrote of my experience with a master teacher. The subject was something I thought I knew. In fact, it was a subject I first “mastered“ when I was about 6 or 7.

That was when I memorized the “Our Father”.

I thought I knew the meaning… until I “binged” on a master class on the Our Father given by Pope Francis. In 16 five minute or so master classes I prayed it as if for the first time

This year I have had a similar experience when Pope Francis shared his insights into Pentecost and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of Pentecost

In his words…

The Spirit makes us see everything in a new way, with the eyes of Jesus…  in the great journey of life, the Spirit teaches us where to begin, what paths to take, and how to walk.

Where to begin

Jesus says: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (v. 15). … We tend to think the exact opposite: if we keep the commandments, we will love Jesus. We tend to think that love comes from our keeping, our fidelity and our devotion.

The Spirit of love pours love into our hearts, makes us feel loved and teaches us how to love. He is the “motor” of our spiritual lives. He set it in motion within us.

… the Spirit constantly reminds us: God knows you. You may forget about God, but he does not forget about you. He remembers you always.

… the Spirit heals memories. How? By putting at the top of the list the thing that really matters: the memory of God’s love, his loving gaze.

In this way, he sets our lives in order. He teaches us to accept one another, to forgive one another and to forgive ourselves; he teaches us to be reconciled with the past. And to set out anew.

What paths to take

The Holy Spirit will never tell you that on your journey everything is going just fine. He will never tell you this, because it isn’t true. No, he corrects you; he makes you weep for your sins; he pushes you to change, to fight against your lies and deceptions, even when that calls for hard work, interior struggle and sacrifice.

The Holy Spirit is practical, he is not an idealist. He wants us to concentrate on the here and now, because the time and place in which we find ourselves are themselves grace-filled. …This is where the Holy Spirit is leading us.

How to walk

In every age, the Spirit overturns our preconceived notions and opens us to his newness.

God, the Spirit, is always new!

He constantly teaches the Church the vital importance of going forth, impelled to proclaim the Gospel. The importance of our being, not a secure sheepfold, but an open pasture where all can graze on God’s beauty.

He teaches us to be an open house without walls of division.

Let us pray…

Brothers and sisters, let us sit at the school of the Holy Spirit, so that he can teach us all things.

Let us invoke him each day, so that he can remind us to make God’s gaze upon us our starting point, to make decisions by listening to his voice, and to journey together as Church, docile to him and open to the world. Amen.

PS His master class continues with his Wednesday audiences looking at each of the 7 gifts of the spirit with new eyes. Stay tuned for “Fridays with Francis.“

Originally posted on Vincentian Mindwalk