Holy Spirit Encyclical (cont'd) - Part III -Section 4, paragraph 60

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

What beautiful work God desires to do in and through the human family, by the power of His Holy Spirit! Do we let Him work in and through us? St. JPII helps us understand both the difficulties and the need to keep striving toward the goal:

1. When, under the influence of the Paraclete, people discover this divine dimension of their being and life, both as individuals and as a community, they are able to free themselves from the various determinisms which derive mainly from the materialistic bases of thought, practice and related modes of action. In our age these factors have succeeded in penetrating into man’s inmost being, into that sanctuary of the conscience where the Holy Spirit continuously radiates the light and strength of new life in the “freedom of the children of God.” Man’s growth in this life is hindered by the conditionings and pressures exerted upon him by dominating structures and mechanisms in the various spheres of society. It can be said that in many cases social factors, instead of fostering the development and expansion of the human spirit, ultimately deprive the human spirit of the genuine truth of its being and life-over which the Holy Spirit keeps vigil-in order to subject it to the “prince of this world.”

The great Jubilee of the year 2000 thus contains a message of liberation by the power of the Spirit, who alone can help individuals and communities to free themselves from the old and new determinisms, by guiding them with the "law of the Spirit, which gives life in Christ Jesus,"262 and thereby discovering and accomplishing the full measure of man’s true freedom. For, as St. Paul writes, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."263 This revelation of freedom and hence of man’s true dignity acquires a particular eloquence for Christians and for the Church in a state of persecution-both in ancient times and in the present-because the witnesses to divine Truth then become a living proof of the action of the Spirit of truth present in the hearts and minds of the faithful, and they often mark with their own death by martyrdom the supreme glorification of human dignity.

Also in the ordinary conditions of society, Christians, as witnesses to man’s authentic dignity, by their obedience to the Holy Spirit contribute to the manifold “renewal of the face of the earth,” working together with their brothers and sisters in order to achieve and put to good use everything that is good, noble and beautiful in the modern progress of civilization, culture, science, technology and the other areas of thought and human activity.264 They do this as disciples of Christ who-as the Council writes-"appointed Lord by his Resurrection…is now at work in the hearts of men through the power of his Spirit. He arouses not only a desire for the age to come but by that very fact, he animates, purifies and strengthens those noble longings too by which the human family strives to make its life more humane and to render the earth submissive to this goal."265 Thus they affirm still more strongly the greatness of man, made in the image and likeness of God, a greatness shown by the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, who “in the fullness of time,” by the power of the Holy Spirit, entered into history and manifested himself as true man, he who was begotten before every creature, "through whom are all things and through whom we exist"266

By God’s Grace, let us be mindful of the Indwelling Trinity, infused into us at Baptism, and with grateful, humble hearts, seek to be docile. Let us make time to listen to His Word each day, perhaps being more attentive to the Daily Mass Readings, and pondering what the Lord has revealed. Let us remember Mary, our Mother and Model, who kept all that Jesus said and did in her heart, pondering. Mary, ever-obedient and faithfully saying “Yes” to the Truth she heard.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful, kindle in us the fire of Your Love. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us and with us that we may be truly “tabernacles” as you were on this earth, carrying Christ to others.