That hope was the promise that He would not leave them orphans. It is this sense of being orphaned, of not having a Father, that is, and has been, the root of many problems on earth, he said.
“We live in a society that lacks the Father. A sense of being orphaned touches one’s sense of belonging and fraternity”.
Fulfillment of the promise
The fulfillment of this promise is the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit does not come to ‘make us His clients’”, the Pope said. Instead, the Holy Spirit comes “to show us how to access the Father, to teach us the way to the Father, the way that Jesus opened, the way that Jesus showed us.”
Trinitarian spirituality
A spirituality directed only to the Son of God does not exist, the Pope continued. “The Father is at the centre”, he reminded us. “The Son was sent by the Father and returns to the Father. The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father to remind us and teach us how to access the Father”.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
At the conclusion of his homily the Pope prayed, “Let us ask the Holy Spirit to remind us always, always, how to access the Father, to remind us that we have a Father. And to this civilization that has a huge sense of being orphaned, may He grant the grace of finding the Father once again, the Father who provides everyone with a sense of meaning in life. May He make all men and women one family."