"But where does this courage come from, this coward who has denied the Lord? What has happened in this man's heart? The gift of the Holy Spirit: frankness, courage, parrhesia is a gift, a grace that the Holy Spirit gives on the day of Pentecost."
"Just after receiving the Holy Spirit they went to preach: a little brave, something new for them. This is consistency, the sign of the Christian, of the true Christian: he is courageous, he says the whole truth because he is consistent."
Turning to the day's Gospel reading (Mark 16:9-15), in which the risen Christ reproaches the disciples for not believing reports of his resurrection, the pope noted that Jesus gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit which enables them to carry out their mission to "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature."
"The mission comes precisely from here, from this gift which makes us courageous, frank in proclaiming the word," he said.
After Mass, the pope presided at adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, before leading those watching online in a prayer of spiritual communion.
The Pope recalled that tomorrow he would offer Mass at Santo Spirito in Sassia, a church near St. Peter's Basilica, at 11 a.m local time.
Finally, those present sang the Easter Marian antiphon "Regina caeli."
In his homily, the pope clarified that Christians should be both courageous and prudent.
"May the Lord always help us to be like this: courageous. This does not mean imprudent: no, no. Courageous. Christian courage is always prudent, but it is courage," he said.