Gift of the Spirit

In honour of Pentecost, here is a taste of John Paul II's encyclical on the Holy Spirit, Dominum et Vivificantem.

34. "The Spirit of God," who according to the biblical description of creation "was moving over the face of the water,"signifies the same "Spirit who searches the depths of God"; searches the depths of the Father and of the Word-Son in the mystery of creation. Not only is he the direct witness of their mutual love from which creation derives, but he himself is this love.
He himself, as love, is the eternal uncreated gift. In him is the source and the beginning of every giving of gifts to creatures. The witness concerning the beginning, which we find in the whole of Revelation, beginning with the Book of Genesis, is unanimous on this point. To create means to call into existence from nothing: therefore, to create means to give existence. And if the visible world is created for man, therefore the world is given to man.
And at the same time that same man in his own humanity receives as a gift a special "image and likeness" to God. This means not only rationality and freedom as constitutive properties of human nature, but also, from the very beginning, the capacity of having a personal relationship with God, as "I" and "you," and therefore the capacity of having a covenant, which will take place in God's salvific communication with man.
Against the background of the "image and likeness" of God, "the gift of the Spirit" ultimately means a call to friendship, in which the transcendent "depths of God" become in some way opened to participation on the part of man. The Second Vatican Council teaches: "The invisible God out of the abundance of his love speaks to men as friends and lives among them, so that he may invite and take them into fellowship with himself."

Announcing a new book

The Radiance of Being is about Christian cosmology. It is both a reflection on nature (the nature of the world, of God, and of humanity) and a search for Sophia, divine Wisdom. Reconnecting the natural sciences to theology by way of metaphysics, it explores the relationship between different religious traditions, and ventures some conclusions on the meaning of our existence. In his Foreword, Adrian Walker summarizes it as follows: "The Radiance of Being is a symphony whose master theme is the Trinity, and its pages bear constant witness to the same inexhaustibly simple truth: Being is radiant because it is a gift, not only from the Trinity, but also within the Trinity itself. In its Infinite Source, in the fathomless abyss of Deity, being is already always one with (triune) love." There are recommendations from Catherine Pickstock, John Milbank, Wolfgang Smith, and Conor Cunningham, as well as David L. Schindler and Tracey Rowland. I very much doubt the book lives up to them, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway. It is available now on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Here is a list of the Contents:
PART ONE: NATURE
Let There Be Light —A Science of the Real — Vertical Evolution —Being Alive —Saving the Planet
PART TWO: DIVINE NATURE
One in Three —The Mystery of Islam — Aspects of Buddhism —Non-Dualism — Divine Knowledge —Creator
PART THREE: SOPHIA
Nature and Grace —God in Man, Man in God —Time, Eternity, Hell —Visions of Sophia

The Trinity revealed

It struck me today at Mass that the Annunciation was the first revelation of the Trinity. Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?' 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you,' the angel answered, 'and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.' (Luke 1:34-5.) Mary was puzzled. Not surprisingly, because she would have assumed a child would come about in the normal way. But the answer to her puzzlement is nothing less than the doctrine of the Trinity: the Father – the Holy Spirit – the Son of God. It is a doctrine that changes everything.

Illustration: Paolo de Matteis, 1712.

On the way to resurrection

And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad; even my body shall rest in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead, nor let your beloved know decay. (Psalm 15:9-10)

Washing of the Feet

In the Mass of the Last Supper, Pope Francis broke with tradition by washing the feet of both men and women, at least one of them not even Christian. Traditionalists object that the Last Supper was for the apostles, the first bishops, and no women (let alone Muslims) were present. The foot-washing, according to some, must therefore represent an aspect of ordination and should be reserved to men, since the priesthood is for men only and the Last Supper was the beginning of the priesthood. But Francis has given this act a different interpretation.

In fact, he has done so in strict continuity with Pope Benedict, in his book Jesus of Nazareth. There Benedict makes it clear that the foot-washing represents the "descent", the humility, of Christ – his service to all mankind – and not the institution of the priesthood (although on another level the gesture also looks forward to the sacrament of confession that priests will one day offer to the baptized).The priesthood begins not with this act but with the words of institution and the birth of the Church and the Eucharist, when the bread and wine are offered.

The Twelve are not just apostles (priests) but also disciples, and they are disciples before they are priests. Christ descends to the lowest place to serve anyone who will receive him. For Francis, it is clear that Christ came to serve all, to offer salvation to all, even Muslim women. They will not necessarily understand what he does for them now, but one day they will understand (John 13:7). Nothing here is an opening to the ordination of women. Francis is simply giving this gesture its most universal meaning, consistent with the symbolism of Scripture.

Se also "The Mandatum Issue: Beware of Superficial Judgement" by Jeff Mirus.