I really enjoy reading the Pope’s encyclicals and other public exhortations to the faithful. Admittedly I don’t do this nearly enough, because regardless of denomination, I believe the Pope’s words are relevant to all Christians around the world. I especially was moved by a recent message Benedict gave to Australian youth. It was based on Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.” The reason why I like his message is that it emphasizes the precious gift of the Spirit, something many Christians neglect to think about in a practical way on a daily basis. Here’s one of my favorite excerpts:
I invite you to observe how the Holy Spirit is the highest gift of God to humankind, and therefore the supreme testimony of his love for us, a love that is specifically expressed as the “yes to life” that God wills for each of his creatures. This “yes to life” finds its fullness in Jesus of Nazareth and in his victory over evil by means of the redemption. In this regard, let us never forget that the Gospel of Jesus, precisely because of the Spirit, cannot be reduced to a mere statement of fact, for it is intended to be “good news for the poor, release for captives, sight for the blind …”.
