New cycle of Pope’s catechesis begins: The Holy Spirit and the Bride (the Church)

(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 05.30.2024).

- With the catechesis during the General Audience on May 29 in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis initiated a new cycle of catechesis, after concluding the one dedicated to vices and virtues. The Pope devoted 19 General Audiences to the cycle on vices and virtues.

The theme that the Pope will address going forward is «The Spirit and the Bride – the Bride is the Church. The Holy Spirit guides the people of God to encounter Jesus, our hope.» Here is the text of the catechesis in English: *** Today, with this catechesis we begin a cycle of reflections with the theme ‘The Holy Spirit and the Bride” – the bride is the Church – “The Holy Spirit guides God’s people towards Jesus our hope’.

We will make this journey through the three great stages of salvation history: the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the time of the Church. Always keeping our gaze fixed on Jesus, Who is our hope. In these first catecheses on the Spirit in the Old Testament, we will not do ‘biblical archaeology’.

Instead, we will discover that what is given as a promise in the Old Testament has been fully realised in Christ. It will be like following the path of the sun from dawn to noon. Let us begin with the first two verses of the entire Bible.

The first two verses of the Bible read: ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God w.