“The Holy Spirit is the life of the Church, it’s your life, my life… We are temples for the Holy Spirit and must guard the Holy Spirit, so much so that Paul advises Christians ‘not to sadden the Holy Spirit.’ That’s to say, not to have a conduct contrary to the harmony the Holy Spirit makes within us and in the Church. It is harmony, it gives harmony to this building.”

The Pope explained people are like living stones – unique and different – and each one contributes something to the Church’s construction, according to the gift he or she was given by God. “He is the corner stone of this building. Without Jesus Christ there is no Church.We are living stones, not the same, but each one is different. This is the richness of the Church. Each one of us builds according to the gift we were given by God. We can’t think of a uniform Church: that is not a Church.”

Pope Francis’ homily at Casa Santa Marta.