DIVINUM
ILLUD MUNUS
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII ON
THE HOLY SPIRIT
To
Our Venerable Brethren, The Patriarchs, Primates,
Archbishops, Bishops, and other Local Ordinaries having
Peace and Communion with the Holy See.
Venerable Brethren, Health and the Apostolic Benediction.
That
divine office which Jesus Christ received from His Father for the welfare
of mankind, and most perfectly fulfilled, had for its final object to
put men in possession of the eternal life of glory, and proximately during
the course of ages to secure to them the life of divine grace, which is
destined eventually to blossom into the life of heaven. Wherefore, our
Saviour never ceases to invite, with infinite affection, all men, of every
race and tongue, into the bosom of His Church: "Come ye all to Me,"
"I am the Life," "I am the Good Shepherd." Nevertheless,
according to His inscrutable counsels, He did not will to entirely complete
and finish this office Himself on earth, but as He had received it from
the Father, so He transmitted it for its completion to the Holy Ghost.
It is consoling to recall those assurances which Christ gave to the body
of His disciples a little before He left the earth: "It is expedient
to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you:
but if I go, I will send Him to you" (1 John xvi., 7). In
these words He gave
as the chief reason of His departure and His return to the Father, the
advantage which would most certainly accrue to His followers from the
coming of the Holy Ghost, and, at the same time, He made it clear that
the Holy Ghost is equally sent by-and therefore proceeds from-Himself
and the Father; that He would complete, in His office of Intercessor,
Consoler, and Teacher, the work which Christ Himself had begun in His
mortal life. For, in the redemption of the world, the completion of the
work was by Divine Providence reserved to the manifold power of that Spirit,
who, in the creation, "adorned the heavens" (Job xxvi., 13),
and "filled the whole world" (Wisdom i., 7).
The
Two Principal Aims of Our Pontificate
2.
Now We have earnestly striven, by the help of His grace, to follow the
example of Christ, Our Saviour, the Prince of Pastors, and the Bishop
of our Souls, by diligently carrying on His office, entrusted by Him to
the Apostles and chiefly to Peter, "whose dignity faileth not, even
in his unworthy successor" (St. Leo the Great, Sermon ii., On the
Anniversary of his Election). In pursuance of this object We have endeavoured
to direct all that We have attempted and persistently carried out during
a long pontificate
towards two chief ends: in the first place, towards the restoration, both
in rulers and peoples, of the principles of the Christian life in civil
and domestic society, since there is no true life for men except from
Christ; and, secondly, to promote the reunion of those who have fallen
away from the Catholic Church either by heresy or by schism, since it
is most undoubtedly the will of Christ that all should be united in one
flock under one Shepherd. But now that We are looking forward to the approach
of the closing days of Our life, Our soul is deeply moved to dedicate
to the Holy Ghost, who is the life-giving Love, all the work We have done
during Our pontificate, that He may bring it to maturity and fruitfulness.
In order the better and more fully to carry out this Our intention, We
have resolved to address you at the approaching sacred season of Pentecost
concerning the indwelling and miraculous power of the Holy Ghost; and
the extent and efficiency of His action, both in the whole body of the
Church and in the individual souls of its members, through the glorious
abundance of His divine graces. We earnestly desire that, as a result,
faith may be aroused in your minds concerning the mystery of the adorable
Trinity, and especially that piety may increase and be inflamed towards
the Holy Ghost, to whom especially all of us owe the grace of following
the paths of truth and virtue; for, as St. Basil said, "Who denieth
that the dispensations concerning man, which have been made by the great
God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, according to the goodness of God, have
been fulfilled through the grace of the Spirit?" (Of the Holy Ghost,
c. xvi., v. 39).
The Catholic Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity
3. Before
We enter upon this subject, it will be both desirable and useful to say
a few words about the Mystery of the Blessed Trinity. This dogma is called
by the doctors of the Church "the substance of the New Testament,"
that is to say, the greatest of all mysteries, since it is the fountain
and origin of them all. In order to know and contemplate this mystery,
the angels were created in Heaven and men upon earth. In order to teach
more fully this mystery, which was but foreshadowed in the Old Testament,
God Himself came down from the angels unto men: "No man bath seen
God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,
He bath declared Him" (John i., 18). Whosoever then writes
or speaks of the Trinity must keep before His eyes the prudent warning
of the Angelic Doctor: "When we speak of the Trinity, we must do
so with caution and modesty, for, as St. Augustine saith, nowhere else
are more dangerous errors made, or is research more difficult, or discovery
more fruitful" (Summ. Th. la., q. xxxi. De Trin. 1 L, c. 3). The
danger that arises is lest the Divine Persons be confounded one with the
other in faith or worship, or lest the one Nature in them be separated:
for "This is the Catholic Faith, that we should adore one God in
Trinity and Trinity in Unity." Therefore Our predecessor Innocent
XII, absolutely refused the petition of those who desired a special festival
in honour of God the Father. For, although the separate mysteries connected
with the Incarnate Word are celebrated on certain fixed days, yet there
is no special feast on which the Word is honoured according to His Divine
Nature alone. And even the Feast of Pentecost was instituted in the earliest
times, not simply to honour the Holy Ghost in Himself, but to commemorate
His coming, or His external mission. And all this has been wisely ordained,
lest from distinguishing the Persons men should be led to distinguish
the Divine Essence. Moreover the Church, in order to preserve in her children
the purity of faith, instituted the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, which
John XXII. afterwards extended to the Universal Church. He also permitted
altars and churches to be dedicated to the Blessed Trinity, and, with
the divine approval, sanctioned the Order for the Ransom of Captives,
which is specially devoted to the Blessed Trinity and bears Its name.
Many facts confirm its truths. The worship paid to the saints and angels,
to the Mother of God, and to Christ Himself, finally redounds to the honour
of the Blessed Trinity. In prayers addressed to one Person, there is also
mention of the others; in the litanies after the individual Persons have
been separately invoked, a common invocation of all is added: all psalms
and hymns conclude with the doxology to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
blessings, sacred rites, and sacraments are either accompanied or concluded
by the invocation of the Blessed Trinity. This was already foreshadowed
by the Apostle in those words: "For of Him, and by Him, and in Him,
are all things: to Him be glory for ever" (Rom. xi., 36), thereby
signifying both the Trinity of Persons and the Unity of Nature: for as
this is one and the same in each
of the Persons, so to each is equally owing supreme glory, as to one and
the same God. St. Augustine commenting upon this testimony writes: "The
words of the Apostle, of Him, and by Him, and in Him are not to be taken
indiscriminately; of Him refers to the Father, by Him to the Son, in Him
to the Holy Ghost" (De Trin. 1. vi., c. 10; 1. i., c. 6). The Church
is accustomed most fittingly to attribute to the Father those works of
the Divinity in which power excels, to the Son those in which wisdom excels,
and those in which love excels to the Holy Ghost. Not that all perfections
and external operations are not common to the Divine Persons; for "the
operations of the Trinity are indivisible, even as the essence of the
Trinity is indivisible" (St. Aug., De Trin., I. 1, cc. 4-5); because
as the three Divine Persons "are inseparable, so do they act inseparably"
(St. Aug., i6.). But by a certain comparison, and a kind of affinity between
the operations and the properties of the Persons, these operations are
attributed or, as it is said, "appropriated" to One Person rather
than to the others. "Just as we make use of the traces of similarity
or likeness which we find in creatures for the manifestation of the Divine
Persons, so do we use Their essential attributes; and this manifestation
of the Persons by Their essential attributes is called appropriation"
(St. Th. la., q. 39, xxxix., a. 7). In this manner the Father, who is
"the principle of the whole God-head" (St. Aug. De Trin. 1 iv.,
c. 20) is also the efficient cause of all things, of the Incarnation of
the Word, and the sanctification of souls; "of Him are all things":
of Him, referring to the Father. But the Son, the Word, the Image of God
is also the exemplar cause, whence all creatures borrow their form and
beauty, their order and harmony. He is for us the Way, the Truth, and
the Life; the Reconciles of man with God. "By Him are all things":
by Him, referring to the Son. The Holy Ghost is the ultimate cause of
all things, since, as the will and all other things finally rest in their
end, so He, who is the Divine Goodness and the Mutual Love of the Father
and Son, completes and perfects, by His strong yet gentle power, the secret
work of man's eternal salvation. "In Him are all things": in
Him, referring to the Holy Ghost.
The
Holy Ghost and the Incarnation
4. Having
thus paid the due tribute of faith and worship owing to the Blessed Trinity,
and which ought to be more and more inculcated upon
the Christian people, we now turn to the exposition of the power of the
Holy Ghost. And, first of all, we must look to Christ, the Founder of
the Church and the Redeemer of our race. Among the external operations
of God, the highest of all is the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word,
in which the splendour of the divine perfections shines forth so brightly
that nothing more sublime can even be imagined, nothing else could have
been more salutary to the human race. Now this work, although belonging
to the whole Trinity, is still appropriated especially to the Holy Ghost,
so that the Gospels thus speak of the Blessed Virgin: "She was found
with child of the Holy Ghost," and "that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Ghost" (Matt. i., 18, 20). And this is rightly
attributed to Him who is the love of the Father and the Son, since this
"great mystery of piety" (1 Tim. iii., 16) proceeds from the
infinite love of God towards man, as St. John tells us: "God so loved
the world as to give His only begotten Son" (John iii., 16). Moreover,
human nature was thereby elevated to a personal union with the Word; and
this dignity is given, not on account of any merits, but entirely and
absolutely through grace, and therefore, as it were, through the special
gift of the Holy Ghost. On this point St. Augustine writes: "This
manner in which Christ was born of the Holy Ghost, indicates to us the
grace of God, by which humanity, with no antecedent merits, at the first
moment of its existence, was united with the Word of God, by so intimate
a personal union, that He, who was the Son of Man, was also the Son of
God, and He who was the Son of God was also the Son of Man" (Enchir.,
c. xl. St. Th., 3a., q. xxxii., a. 1). By the operation of the Holy Spirit,
not only was the conception of Christ accomplished, but also the sanctification
of His soul, which, in Holy Scripture, is called His "anointing"
(Acts x., 38). Wherefore all His actions were "performed in the Holy
Ghost" (St. Basil de Sp. S., c. xvi.), and especially the sacrifice
of Himself: "Christ, through the Holy Ghost, offered Himself without
spot to God" (Heb. ix., 14). Considering this, no one can be surprised
that all the gifts of the Holy Ghost inundated the soul of Christ. In
Him resided the absolute fulness of grace, in the greatest and most efficacious
manner possible; in Him were all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
graces gratis datae, virtues, and all other gifts foretold in the prophecies
of Isaias (Is. iv., I; xi., 23),
and also signified in that miraculous dove which appeared at the Jordan,
when Christ, by His baptism, consecrated its waters for a new sacrament.
On this the words of St. Augustine may appropriately be quoted: "It
would be absurd to say that Christ received the Holy Ghost when He was
already thirty years of age, for He came to His baptism without sin, and
therefore not without the Holy Ghost. At this time, then (that is, at
His baptism), He was pleased to prefigure His Church, in which those especially
who are baptized receive the Holy Ghost" (De. Trin. 1., xv., c. 26).
Therefore, by the conspicuous apparition of the Holy Ghost over Christ
and by His invisible power in His soul, the twofold mission of the Spirit
is foreshadowed, namely, His outward and visible mission in the Church,
and His secret indwelling in the souls of the just.
The Holy Ghost and the Church
5. The
Church which, already conceived, came forth from the side of the second
Adam in His sleep on the Cross, first showed herself before the eyes of
men on the great day of Pentecost. On that day the Holy Ghost began to
manifest His gifts in the mystic body of Christ, by that miraculous outpouring
already foreseen by the prophet Joel (ii., 28-29), for the Paraclete "sat
upon the apostles as though new spiritual crowns were placed upon their
heads in tongues of fire" (S. Cyril Hier. Catech. 17). Then the apostles
"descended from the mountain," as St. John Chrysostom writes,
"not bearing in their hands tables of stone like Moses, but carrying
the Spirit in their mind, and pouring forth the treasure and the fountain
of doctrines and graces" (In Matt. Hom. L, 2 Cor. iii., 3). Thus
was fully accomplished that last promise of Christ to His apostles of
sending the Holy Ghost, who was to complete and, as it were, to seal the
deposit of doctrine committed to them under His inspiration. "I have
yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now; but when
He, the Spirit of Truth, shall come, He will teach you all truth"
(John xvi., 12-13). For He who is the Spirit of Truth, inasmuch as He
proceedeth both from the Father, who is the eternally True, and from the
Son, who is the substantial Truth, receiveth from each both His essence
and the fulness of all truth. This truth He communicates to His Church,
guarding her by His all powerful help from ever falling into error, and
aiding her to foster daily more and more the germs of divine doctrine
and to make them fruitful for the welfare of the peoples. And since the
welfare of the peoples, for which the Church was established, absolutely
requires that this office should be continued for all time, the Holy Ghost
perpetually supplies life and strength to preserve and increase the Church.
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Paraclete, that
He may abide with you for ever, the Spirit of Truth" (john xiv.,
16, 17).
6. By
Him the bishops are constituted, and by their ministry are multiplied
not only the children, but also the fathers-that is to say, the priests-to
rule and feed the Church by that Blood wherewith Christ has redeemed Her.
"The Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops to rule the Church of God,
which He bath purchased with His own Blood" (Acts xx., 28). And both
bishops and priests, by the miraculous gift of the Spirit, have the power
of absolving sins, according to those words of Christ to the Apostles:
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive they are
forgiven them, and whose you shall retain they are retained" (John
xx., 22, 23). That the Church is a divine institution is most clearly
proved by the splendour and glory of those gifts and graces with which
she is adorned, and whose author and giver is the Holy Ghost. Let it suffice
to state that, as Christ is the Head of the Church, so is the Holy Ghost
her soul. "What the soul is in our body, that is the Holy Ghost in
Christ's body, the Church" (St. Aug., Serm. 187, de Temp.). This
being so, no further and fuller "manifestation and revelation of
the Divine Spirit" may be imagined or expected; for that which now
takes place in the Church is the most perfect possible, and will last
until that day when the Church herself, having passed through her militant
career, shall be taken up into the joy of the saints triumphing in heaven.
The Holy Ghost in the Souls of the Just
7. The
manner and extent of the action of the Holy Ghost in individual souls
is no less wonderful, although somewhat more difficult to understand,
inasmuch as it is entirely invisible. This outpouring of the Spirit is
so abundant, that Christ Himself, from whose gift it proceeds, compares
it to an overflowing river, according to those words of St. John: "He
that believeth in Me,
as the Scripture saith, out of his midst shall flow rivers of living water";
to which testimony the Evangelist adds the explanation: "Now this
He said of the Spirit which they should receive who believed in Him"
(John vii., 38, 39). It is indeed true that in those of the just who lived
before Christ, the Holy Ghost resided by grace, as we read in the Scriptures
concerning the prophets, Zachary, John the Baptist, Simeon, and Anna;
so that on Pentecost the Holy Ghost did not communicate Himself in such
a way "as then for the first time to begin to dwell in the saints,
but by pouring Himself forth more abundantly; crowning, not beginning
His gifts; not commencing a new work, but giving more abundantly"
(St. Leo the Great, Hom. iii., de Pentec.). But if they also were numbered
among the children of God, they were in a state like that of servants,
for "as long as the heir is a child he differeth nothing from a servant,
but is under tutors and governors" (Gal. iv., I, 2). Moreover, not
only was their justice derived from the merits of Christ who was to come,
but the communication of the Holy Ghost after Christ was much more abundant,
just as the price surpasses in value the earnest and the reality excels
the image. Wherefore St. John declares: "As yet the Spirit was not
given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John vii., 39). So soon,
therefore, as Christ, "ascending on high," entered into possession
of the glory of His Kingdom which He had won with so much labour, He munificently
opened out the treasures of the Holy Ghost: "He gave gifts to men"
(Eph. iv., 8). For "that giving or sending forth of the Holy Ghost
after Christ's glorification was to be such as had never been before;
not that there had been none before, but it had not been of the same kind"
(St. Aug., De Trin., 1. iv. c. 20).
8. Human
nature is by necessity the servant of God: "The creature is a servant;
we are the servants of God by nature" (St. Cyr. Alex., Thesaur. I.
v., c. 5). On account, however, of original sin, our whole nature had
fallen into such guilt and dishonour that we had become enemies to God.
"We were by nature the children of wrath" (Eph. ii., 3). There
was no power which could raise us and deliver us from this ruin and eternal
destruction. But God, the Creator of mankind and infinitely merciful,
did this through His only begotten Son, by whose benefit it was brought
about that man
was restored so that rank and dignity whence he had fallen, and was adorned
with still more abundant graces. No one can express the greatness of this
work of divine grace in the souls of men. Wherefore, both in Holy Scripture
and in the writings of the fathers, men are styled regenerated, new creatures,
partakers of the Divine Nature, children of God, god-like, and similar
epithets. Now these great blessings are justly attributed as especially
belonging to the Holy Ghost. He is "the Spirit of adoption of sons,
whereby we cry: Abba, Father." He fills our hearts with the sweetness
of paternal love: "The Spirit Himself giveth testimony to our spirit
that we are the sons of God" (Rom. viii., 15-16). This truth accords
with the similitude observed by the Angelic Doctor between both operations
of the Holy Ghost; for through Him "Christ was conceived in holiness
to be by nature the Son of God," and "others are sanctified
to be the sons of God by adoption" (St. Th. 3a, q. xxxii., a. I).
This spiritual generation proceeds from love in a much more noble manner
than the natural: namely, from the untreated Love.
9. The
beginnings of this regeneration and renovation of man are by Baptism.
In this sacrament, when the unclean spirit has been expelled from the
soul, the Holy Ghost enters in and makes it like to Himself. "That
which is born of the Spirit, is spirit" (John iii., 6). The same
Spirit gives Himself more abundantly in Confirmation, strengthening and
confirming Christian life; from which proceeded the victory of the martyrs
and the triumph of the virgins over temptations and corruptions. We have
said that the Holy Ghost gives Himself: "the charity of God is poured
out into our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given to us" (Rom. v.,
5). For He not only brings to us His divine gifts, but is the Author of
them and is Himself the supreme Gift, who, proceeding from the mutual
love of the Father and the Son, is justly believed to be and is called
"Gift of God most High." To show the nature and efficacy of
this gift it is well to recall the explanation given by the doctors of
the Church of the words of Holy Scripture. They say that God is present
and exists in all things, "by His power, in so far as all things
are subject to His power; by His presence, inasmuch as all things are
naked and open to His eyes; by His essence, inasmuch as he is present
to all as the cause of their being." (St. Th. Ia, q. viii.,
a. 3). But God is in
man, not only as in inanimate things, but because he is more fully known
and loved by him, since even by nature we spontaneously love, desire,
and seek after the good. Moreover, God by grace resides in the just soul
as in a temple, in a most intimate and peculiar manner. From this proceeds
that union of affection by which the soul adheres most closely to God,
more so than the friend is united to his most loving and beloved friend,
and enjoys God in all fulness and sweetness. Now this wonderful union,
which is properly called "indwelling," differing only in degree
or state from that with which God beatifies the saints in heaven, although
it is most certainly produced by the presence of the whole Blessed Trinity-"We
will come to Him and make our abode with Him," (John xiv. 23.)-nevertheless
is attributed in a peculiar manner to the Holy Ghost. For, whilst traces
of divine power and wisdom appear even in the wicked man, charity, which,
as it were, is the special mark of the Holy Ghost, is shared in only by
the just. In harmony with this, the same Spirit is called Holy, for He,
the first and supreme Love, moves souls and leads them to sanctity, which
ultimately consists in the love of God. Wherefore the apostle when calling
us to the temple of God, does not expressly mention the Father or the
Son, or the Holy Ghost: "Know ye not that your members are the temple
of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God?" (1 Cor.
vi. 19). The fullness of divine gifts is in many ways a consequence of
the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the souls of the just. For, as St.
Thomas teaches, "when the Holy Ghost proceedeth as love, He proceedeth
in the character of the first gift; whence Augustine with that, through
the gift which is the Holy Ghost, many other special gifts are distributed
among the members of Christ." (Summ. Th., la. q. xxxviii., a. 2.
St. Aug. de Trin., xv., c. 19). Among these gifts are those secret warnings
and invitations, which from time to time are excited in our minds and
hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Without these there is no
beginning of a good life, no progress, no arriving at eternal salvation.
And since these words and admonitions are uttered in the soul in an exceedingly
secret manner, they are sometimes aptly compared in Holy Writ to the breathing
of a coming breeze, and the Angelic Doctor likens them to the movements
of the heart which are wholly hidden in the living body. "Thy
heart has a certain hidden power, and therefore the Holy Ghost, who invisibly
vivifies and unites the Church, is compared to the heart."(Summ.
Th. 3a, q. vii., a. I, ad 3). More than this, the just man, that is to
say he who lives the life of divine grace, and acts by the fitting virtues
as by means of faculties, has need of those seven gifts which are properly
attributed to the Holy Ghost. By means of them the soul is furnished and
strengthened so as to obey more easily and promptly His voice and impulse.
Wherefore these gifts are of such efficacy that they lead the just man
to the highest degree of sanctity; and of such excellence that they continue
to exist even in heaven, though in a more perfect way. By means of these
gifts the soul is excited and encouraged to seek after and attain the
evangelical beatitudes, which, like the flowers that come forth in the
spring time, are the signs and harbingers of eternal beatitude. Lastly
there are those blessed fruits, enumerated by the Apostle (Gal. v., 22),
which the Spirit, even in this mortal life, produces and shows forth in
the just; fruits filled with all sweetness and joy, inasmuch as they proceed
from the Spirit, "who is in the Trinity the sweetness of both Father
and Son, filling all creatures with infinite fulness and profusion."
(St. Aug. de Trin. 1. vi., c. 9). The Divine Spirit, proceeding from the
Father and the Word in the eternal light of sanctity, Himself both Love
and Gift, after having manifested Himself through the veils of figures
in the Old Testament, poured forth all his fulness upon Christ and upon
His mystic Body, the Church; and called back by his presence and grace
men who were going away in wickedness and corruption with such salutary
effect that, being no longer of the earth earthy, they relished and desired
quite other things, becoming of heaven heavenly.
On Devotion to the Holy Ghost
10. These
sublime truths, which so clearly show forth the infinite goodness of the
Holy Ghost towards us, certainly demand that we should direct towards
Him the highest homage of our love and devotion. Christians may do this
most effectually if they will daily strive to know Him, to love Him, and
to implore Him more earnestly; for which reason may this Our exhortation,
flowing spontaneously from a paternal heart, reach their ears. Perchance
there are still to be
found among them, even nowadays, some, who if asked, as were those of
old by St. Paul the Apostle, whether they have received the Holy Ghost,
might answer in like manner: "We have not so much as heard whether
there be a Holy Ghost" (Acts xix., 2). At least there are certainly
many who are very deficient in their religious practices, but their faith
is involved in much darkness. Wherefore all preachers and those having
care of souls should remember that it is their duty to instruct their
people more diligently and more fully about the Holy Ghost-avoiding, however,
difficult and subtle controversies, and eschewing the dangerous folly
of those who rashly endeavour to pry into divine mysteries. What should
be chiefly dwelt upon and clearly explained is the multitude and greatness
of the benefits which have been bestowed, and are constantly bestowed,
upon us by this Divine Giver, so that errors and ignorance concerning
matters of such moment may be entirely dispelled, as unworthy of "the
children of light." We urge this, not only because it affects a mystery
by which we are directly guided to eternal life, and which must therefore
be firmly believed; but also because the more clearly and fully the good
is known the more earnestly it is loved. Now we owe to the Holy Ghost,
as we mentioned in the second place, love, because He is God: "Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul,
and with thy whole strength" (Deut. vi., 5). He is also to be loved
because He is the substantial, eternal, primal Love, and nothing is more
lovable than love. And this all the more because He has overwhelmed us
with the greatest benefits, which both testify to the benevolence of the
Giver and claim the gratitude of the receiver. This love has a twofold
and most conspicuous utility. In the first place it will excite us to
acquire daily a clearer knowledge about the Holy Ghost; for, as the Angelic
Doctor says, "the lover is not content with the superficial knowledge
of the beloved, but striveth to inquire intimately into all that appertains
to the beloved, and thus to penetrate into the interior; as is said of
the Holy Ghost, Who is the Love of God, that He searcheth even the profound
things of God" (1 Cor. ii., 10; Summ. Theol., la. 2ae., q. 28, a.
2). In the second place it will obtain for us a still more abundant supply
of heavenly gifts; for whilst a narrow heart contracteth the hand of the
giver, a grateful
and mindful heart causeth it to expand. Yet we must strive that this love
should be of such a nature as not to consist merely in dry speculations
or external observances, but rather to run forward towards action, and
especially to fly from sin, which is in a more special manner offensive
to the Holy Spirit. For whatever we are, that we are by the divine goodness;
and this goodness is specially attributed to the Holy Ghost. The sinner
offends this his Benefactor, abusing His gifts; and taking advantage of
His goodness becomes more hardened in sin day by day. Again, since He
is the Spirit of Truth, whosoever faileth by weakness or ignorance may
perhaps have some excuse before Almighty God; but he who resists the truth
through malice and turns away from it, sins most grievously against the
Holy Ghost. In our days this sin has become so frequent that those dark
times seem to have come which were foretold by St. Paul, in which men,
blinded by the just judgment of God, should take falsehood for truth,
and should believe in "the prince of this world," who is a liar
and the father thereof, as a teacher of truth: "God shall send them
the operation of error, to believe lying (2 Thess. ii., 10). In the last
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to spirits of error
and the doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. iv., 1). But since the Holy
Ghost, as We have said, dwells in us as in His temple, We must repeat
the warning of the Apostle: "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby
you are sealed" (Eph. iv., 30). Nor is it enough to fly from sin;
every Christian ought to shine with the splendour of virtue so as to be
pleasing to so great and so beneficent a guest; and first of all with
chastity and holiness, for chaste and holy things befit the temple. Hence
the words of the Apostle: "Know you not that you are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? But if any man violate
the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy,
which you are" (1 Cor. iii., 16-17): a terrible, indeed, but a just
warning.
11.
Lastly, we ought to pray to and invoke the Holy Spirit, for each one of
us greatly needs His protection and His help. The more a man is deficient
in wisdom, weak in strength, borne down with trouble, prone to sin, so
ought he the more to fly to Him who is the never-ceasing fount of light,
strength, consolation, and holiness. And chiefly that first requsite of
man, the forgiveness of
sins, must be sought for from Him: "It is the special character of
the Holy Ghost that He is the Gift of the Father and the Son. Now the
remission of all sins is given by the Holy Ghost as by the Gift of God"
(Summ. Th. 3a, q. iii., a. 8, ad 3m). Concerning this Spirit the words
of the Liturgy are very explicit: "For He is the remission of all
sins" (Roman Missal, Tuesday after Pentecost). How He should be invoked
is clearly taught by the Church, who addresses Him in humble supplication,
calling upon Him by the sweetest of names: "Come, Father of the poor!
Come, Giver of gifts! Come, Light of our hearts! O, best of Consolers,
sweet Guest of the soul, our refreshment!" (Hymn, Veni Sancte Spiritus).
She earnestly implores Him to wash, heal, water our minds and hearts,
and to give to us who trust in Him "the merit of virtue, the acquirement
of salvation, and joy everlasting." Nor can it be in any way doubted
that He will listen to such prayer, since we read the words written by
His own inspiration: "The Spirit Himself asketh for us with unspeakable
groanings" (Rom. viii., 26). Lastly, we ought confidently and continually
to beg of Him to illuminate us daily more and more with His light and
inflame us with His charity: for, thus inspired with faith and love, we
may press onward earnestly towards our eternal reward, since He "is
the pledge of our inheritance" (Eph. i. 14).
12.
Such, Venerable Brethren, are the teachings and exhortations which We
have seen good to utter, in order to stimulate devotion to the Holy Ghost.
We have no doubt that, chiefly by means of your zeal and earnestness,
they will bear abundant fruit among Christian peoples. We Ourselves shall
never in the future fail to labour towards so important an end; and it
is even Our intention, in whatever ways may appear suitable, to further
cultivate and extend this admirable work of piety. Meanwhile, as two years
ago, in Our Letter Provida Matris, We recommended to Catholics special
prayers at the Feast of Pentecost, for the Re-union of Christendom, so
now We desire to make certain further decrees on the same subject.
An
Annual Novena Decreed
13.
Wherefore, We decree and command that throughout the whole Catholic Church,
this year and in every subsequent year, a Novena shall
take place before Whit-Sunday, in all parish churches, and also, if the
local Ordinaries think fit, in other churches and oratories. To all who
take part in this Novena and duly pray for Our intention, We grant for
each day an Indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines; moreover,
a Plenary Indulgence on any one of the days of the Novena, or on Whit-Sunday
itself, or on any day during the Octave; provided they shall have received
the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist, and devoutly prayed
for Our intention. We will that those who are legitimately prevented from
attending the Novena, or who are in places where the devotions cannot,
in the judgment of the Ordinary, be conveniently carried out in church,
shall equally enjoy the same benefits, provided they make the Novena privately
and observe the other conditions. Moreover We are pleased to grant, in
perpetuity, from the Treasury of the Church, that whosoever, daily during
the Octave of Pentecost up to Trinity Sunday inclusive, offer again publicly
or privately any prayers, according to their devotion, to the Holy Ghost,
and satisfy the above conditions, shall a second time gain each of the
same Indulgences. All these Indulgences We also permit to be applied to
the suffrage of the souls in Purgatory.
14.
And now Our mind and heart turn back to those hopes with which We began,
and for the accomplishment of which We earnestly pray, and will continue
to pray, to the Holy Ghost. Unite, then, Venerable Brethren, your prayers
with Ours, and at your exhortation let all Christian peoples add their
prayers also, invoking the powerful and ever-acceptable intercession of
the Blessed Virgin. You know well the intimate and wonderful relations
existing between her and the Holy Ghost, so that she is justly called
His Spouse. The intercession of the Blessed Virgin was of great avail
both in the mystery of the Incarnation and in the coming of the Holy Ghost
upon the Apostles. May she continue to strengthen our prayers with her
suffrages, that, in the midst of all the stress and trouble of the nations,
those divine prodigies may be happily revived by the Holy Ghost, which
were foretold in the words of David: "Send forth Thy Spirit and they
shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth" (Ps.
ciii., 30).
15. As
a pledge of Divine favour and a testimony
of Our affection, Venerable Brethren, to you, to your Clergy, and people,
We gladly impart in the Lord the Apostolic Benediction.
Given
at St. Peter's, in Rome, on the 9th day of May, 1897, in the 20th year
of Our Pontificate.
|