Holy Spirit Encyclical - Intro cont'd

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Encyclical on the Holy Spirit by St. JPII, "Lord and Giver of Life" (Dominum et Vivificantem") is a long one, and we certainly cannot rush through it to read and ponder it prayerfully. God willing, I hope to respond to any new replies to any part of the encyclical as we go along and also to post daily in consecutive order, the Intro. paragraphs in order, as well as chapter by chapter paragraphs in order.

Today we conclude paragraph 2 begun yesterday from St. JPII’s Introduction:

In our own age, then, we are called anew by the ever ancient and ever new faith of the Church, to draw near to the Holy Spirit as the giver of life. In this we are helped and stimulated also by the heritage we share with the Oriental Churches, which have jealously guarded the extraordinary riches of the teachings of the Fathers on the Holy Spirit. For this reason too we can say that one of the most important ecclesial events of recent years has been the Sixteenth Centenary of the First Council of Constantinople, celebrated simultaneously in Constantinople and Rome on the Solemnity of Pentecost in 1981. The Holy Spirit was then better seen, through a meditation on the mystery of the Church, as the one who points out the ways leading to the union of Christians, indeed as the supreme source of this unity, which comes from God himself and to which St. Paul gave a particular expression in the words which are frequently used to begin the Eucharistic liturgy: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 7

In a certain sense, my previous Encyclicals Redemptor Hominis and Dives in Misericordia took their origin and inspiration from this exhortation, celebrating as they do the event of our salvation accomplished in the Son, sent by the Father into the world "that the world might be saved through him"8 and "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."9 From this exhortation now comes the present Encyclical on the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; with the Father and the Son he is adored and glorified: a divine Person, he is at the center of the Christian faith and is the source and dynamic power of the Church’s renewal.10 The Encyclical has been drawn from the heart of the heritage of the Council. For the Conciliar texts, thanks to their teaching on the Church in herself and the Church in the world, move us to penetrate ever deeper into the Trinitarian mystery of God himself, through the Gospels, the Fathers and the liturgy: to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit.

In this way the Church is also responding to certain deep desires which she believes she can discern in people’s hearts today: a fresh discovery of God in his transcendent reality as the infinite Spirit, just as Jesus presents him to the Samaritan woman; the need to adore him "in spirit and truth"11; the hope of finding in him the secret of love and the power of a "new creation"12: yes, precisely the giver of life.

The Church feels herself called to this mission of proclaiming the Spirit, while together with the human family she approaches the end of the second Millennium after Christ. Against the background of a heaven and earth which will “pass away,” she knows well that "the words which will not pass away"13 acquire a particular eloquence. They are the words of Christ about the Holy Spirit, the inexhaustible source of the "water welling up to eternal life,"14 as truth and saving grace. Upon these words she wishes to reflect, to these words she wishes to call the attention of believers and of all people, as she prepares to celebrate- as will be said later on-the great Jubilee which will mark the passage from the second to the third Christian Millennium.

Naturally, the considerations that follow do not aim to explore exhaustively the extremely rich doctrine on the Holy Spirit, nor to favor any particular solution of questions which are still open. Their main purpose is to develop in the Church the awareness that "she is compelled by the Holy Spirit to do her part towards the full realization of the will of God, who has established Christ as the source of salvation for the whole world."15

Once again, I’ve emphasized those words which touched me in a certain way. How the Church needs to reflect more on the words of Christ, as Pope Saint John Paul II says: "words of Christ about the Holy Spirit, the inexhaustible source of the “water welling up to eternal life,”(Jn 4:14) as truth and saving grace. Upon these words she wishes to reflect, to these words she wishes to call the attention of believers and of all people. How many in the Church are today reflecting seriously, prayerfully on the Word of God? How can we as Church possibly “do our part” if we do not listen to God’s Truth that we might live the Truth we hear? The Holy Spirit has been given to bring us into all Truth, yet many do not know or appreciate the Holy Spirit. Forgive us, renew us, Lord!

 

[GLam8833]

Many times in the New Testament we are
called to pray “in the Spirit”, we must grow
strong in the Spirit and in His mighty power
Eph. 6:10, exercising our Faith and using
our Spiritual gifts for the Common Good.
1 Cor. 12:7 We must USE our faith, given
as a deposit, or else when the Master
returns he will NOT be happy w/ us if
we did nothing with it!! Matt 25:14-29

 

[MariaChristi]

Many times in the New Testament we are
called to pray “in the Spirit”, we must grow
strong in the Spirit and in His mighty power
Eph. 6:10, exercising our Faith and using
our Spiritual gifts for the Common Good.
1 Cor. 12:7 We must USE our faith, given
as a deposit, or else when the Master
returns he will NOT be happy w/ us if
we did nothing with it!! Matt 25:14-29

Dear GLam,

Thanks so much for your reply, and for listening to Scripture! May we continue prayerfully to hear what God reveals to us through Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium of the Church! Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Renew the face of the earth!