For the Kingdom of God, the Pope stressed, we must channel our inner strength. Even St. Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, in today’s First Reading, highlights how many tensions there are in life. Yet, the Pontiff reminded, our sufferings ‘do not compare to the glory that awaits us.”
Hence, he explained, there is a tension between suffering and glory.
In the midst of such tensions, Francis noted, there is “an immense expectation” of a “great revelation” of the Kingdom of God. This expectation, the Pope explained, belongs not only to us, but also to Creation, which, like us, ‘is fallen.’
The inner strength that “leads us to hope for the fullness of the Kingdom of God” is that of the Holy Spirit, Francis said, reminding that hope can enable us to surpass our limits and reach glory.
“It is the Holy Spirit that is within us and brings this: this is a great thing, a liberation, a great glory. And for this reason, Jesus says,” the Jesuit Pope recalled: ‘Inside a mustard seed, that small grain, there is a force that triggers unimaginable growth.'”
“Within us and in Creation,” the Pope repeated, “there is a force that triggers [us]: it is the Holy Spirit,” which “gives us hope.
The Pope went on to explain what it means to live in hope.
Calling hope the ‘most humble’ and ‘servant’ virtue, the Pope rebuked those who preach the Kingdom of God, but who avoid ‘getting dirty,’ whom he called ‘museum custodians.’
Pope Francis concluded, reminding that where there is hope, there is the Holy Spirit, and this helps lead us to the Kingdom of God.
