Holy Spirit Encyclical (cont'd) - Part II -Section 2, paragraph 32

[MariaChristi]

What powerful, beautiful, and important words from St.JPII’s Encyclical:

1. However, no one but he himself, the Spirit of truth, can “convince the world,” man or the human conscience of this ineffable truth. He is the Spirit who "searches even the depths of God."121 Faced with the mystery of sin, we have to search “the depths of God” to their very depth. It is not enough to search the human conscience, the intimate mystery of man, but we have to penetrate the inner mystery of God, those “depths of God” that are summarized thus: to the Father-in the Son- through the Holy Spirit. It is precisely the Holy Spirit who “searches” the “depths of God,” and from them draws God’s response to man’s sin. With this response there closes the process of “convincing concerning sin,” as the event of Pentecost shows.

By convincing the “world” concerning the sin of Golgotha, concerning the death of the innocent Lamb, as happens on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit also convinces of every sin, committed in any place and at any moment in human history: for he demonstrates its relationship with the Cross of Christ. The “convincing” is the demonstration of the evil of sin, of every sin, in relation to the Cross of Christ. Sin, shown in this relationship, is recognized in the entire dimension of evil proper to it, through the "mysterium iniquitatis"122 which is hidden within it. Man does not know this dimension-he is absolutely ignorant of it apart from the Cross of Christ. So he cannot be “convinced” of it except by the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of truth but who is also the Counselor.

For sin, shown in relation to the cross of Christ, is at the same time identified in the full dimension of the "mysterium pietatis,"123 as indicated by the Post- Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia.124 Man is also absolutely ignorant of this dimension of sin apart from the Cross Christ. And he cannot be “convinced” of this dimension either, except by the Holy Spirit: the one who "searches the depths of God

Come, Holy Spirit, convince us! Convince any spirit of the world that still clings to us! For we are called to be Your Light in this world of darkness. Immaculate Mary, Mother of God, Mother of the Church, pray with us and for us.