The Church of Pentecost

“Some in Jerusalem would have preferred that Jesus’ disciples, hindered by their fear, stay shut up at home so as not to upset things. Today, too, many want Christians to be like this. But the risen Lord pushes them out into the world: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). The Church of Pentecost is a Church that does not resign herself to being innocuous. No, she does not resign herself to this! She does not want to be just a decoration. She is a Church that does not hesitate to go out to meet people to proclaim the message that she has been given, even if that message disturbs or upsets consciences, even if this message leads, perhaps, to problems and at times also to martyrdom. She is born one and universal, with a precise identity, but open, a Church that embraces the world but does not capture it; she leaves it free. Her embrace is like the colonnade of this piazza: the two arms open to welcome, but they do not close to detain. We Christians are free, and the Church wants us to be free!” ~Pope Francis, Regina Caeli message, Sunday, June 9, 2014