Christian Art | The Holy Spirit At Pentecost | Prayer
Office Of Readings | Eastertide Week 7, Wednesday | A Reading From The Constitution Of The Second Vatican Council On The Church | The Mission Of The Holy Spirit
‘On the mission of the Holy Spirit in the Church.’
The Holy Spirit Was Sent At Pentecost
This passage from Lumen gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church promulgated at the Second Vatican Council, is a profound exposition on the life-giving, unifying and guiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church. It articulates not only doctrinal truths about the Spirit’s nature and mission but also gives pastoral encouragement to the faithful to discern and receive the Spirit’s activity in their lives.
The constitution begins by affirming that the Holy Spirit was sent at Pentecost, not merely as a final act of Christ’s mission, but as the beginning of a new age in the Church. The Spirit is described as the one who ‘sanctifies the Church unceasingly’ — not just on one historic occasion but continuously, enabling believers to access the Father ‘through Christ in the one Spirit’. This Trinitarian emphasis is vital: all Christian life and prayer is directed to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit.
The Spirit is the ‘fountain of water welling up to give eternal life’, drawing from Christ’s words in John’s Gospel (Jn 4:14). This rich imagery of life-giving water invites reflection on the regenerative grace of baptism and the sustaining presence of the Spirit in the sacramental life of the Church. The phrase evokes not only vitality and freshness but constancy — an unceasing wellspring of divine life.
Jesus Sends The Holy Spirit To The Church
Moreover, the Spirit is said to ‘dwell in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful as in a temple’, echoing Pauline theology (cf. 1 Cor 3:16; Rom 8:9–11). This indwelling points to both the communal and personal dimensions of holiness: the Church as the Body of Christ, and the individual believer as the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’. It is the Spirit who ‘prays in them’, as Romans 8:26 declares, and who ‘bears witness’ to their divine adoption — another deeply Pauline motif. Through this divine indwelling, the Spirit creates a new identity for the faithful: not merely followers, but sons and daughters of God.
The unity of the Church is shown to be a direct consequence of the Spirit’s action: he ‘leads the Church into all truth’ and provides ‘unity in communion and in service’. The Holy Spirit, while fostering diversity through a range of gifts, ministries and charisms, ultimately builds up one Church. The document’s reference to the ‘hierarchical and charismatic gifts’ reminds us that both institutional structure and spontaneous spiritual grace are expressions of the same Spirit. This insight, revitalized at Vatican II, helps to heal false dichotomies between order and freedom, office and inspiration.
Unity In Jesus In Christian Faith
The Spirit’s work is not static but dynamic: by ‘the power of the Gospel’ he makes the Church ever young, ever renewed, and always in expectation of the coming of the Lord. The citation ‘The Spirit and the Bride say to the Lord Jesus: ‘Come!’’ (cf. Rev 22:17) places this mission within an eschatological horizon. The Church is not merely preserving a tradition but yearning for the fulfilment of all things in Christ.
In one of the most striking affirmations of the Council, Lumen gentium proclaims that ‘the whole company of the faithful … cannot err in faith’. This infallibility is not located in individual brilliance but in the sensus fidei, the ‘supernatural instinct of faith’ which arises from the anointing of the Spirit. This instinct enables the whole Church, ‘from the bishops to the most ordinary lay person’, to express a collective fidelity to revealed truth. This is both a theological and a pastoral affirmation: it encourages a listening Church, where the voices of the faithful — grounded in prayer, sacraments and obedience — matter profoundly in discerning God’s will.
This sensus fidei is not a vague intuition, but is ‘awakened and kept in being by the Spirit of truth’. It ensures continuity with apostolic faith, while allowing for deeper penetration into its meaning and more faithful application in daily life. Importantly, this faithful discernment happens ‘under the guidance of the sacred teaching office’, preventing a collapse into mere subjectivism.
The Church Is The Body Of Jesus Christ
The document concludes with a reference to the charisms — the spiritual gifts poured out ‘on the faithful of every state of life’. These may be simple or remarkable, but all are necessary for the life and mission of the Church. The invocation of 1 Corinthians 12:7 — ‘To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for a good purpose’ — underscores that the gifts of the Spirit are never for personal prestige but for building up the Body of Christ.
Here, then, the Council offers a vision of a vibrant, Spirit-filled Church: doctrinally faithful, communally united, personally sanctified, spiritually renewed, and eschatologically oriented. It reminds us that the Holy Spirit is not an abstract force or optional extra, but the very breath of the Church, her energy, her memory and her hope.
A Reading From The Constitution Of The Second Vatican Council On The Church | The Mission Of The Holy Spirit
When the Son completed the work with which the Father had entrusted him on earth, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost to sanctify the Church unceasingly, and thus enable believers to have access to the Father through Christ in the one Spirit. He is the Spirit of life, the fountain of water welling up to give eternal life. Through him the Father gives life to men, dead because of sin, until he raises up their mortal bodies in Christ.
The Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful as in a temple. He prays in them and bears witness in them to their adoption as sons. He leads the Church into all truth and gives it unity in communion and in service. He endows it with different hierarchical and charismatic gifts, directs it by their means, and enriches it with his fruits.
By the power of the Gospel he enables the Church to grow young, perpetually renews it, and leads it to complete union with its Bridegroom. For the Spirit and the Bride say to the Lord Jesus: ‘Come!’
In this way the Church reveals itself as a people whose unity has its source in the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The whole company of the faithful, who have an anointing by the Holy Spirit, cannot err in faith. They manifest this distinctive characteristic of theirs in the supernatural instinct of faith (‘sensus fidei’) of the whole people when, from the bishops to the most ordinary lay person among the faithful, they display a universal agreement on matters of faith and morals.
This instinct of faith is awakened and kept in being by the Spirit of truth. Through it the people of God hold indefectibly to the faith once delivered to the saints, penetrate it more deeply by means of right judgement, and apply it more perfectly in their lives. They do all this under the guidance of the sacred teaching office: by faithful obedience to it they receive, not the word of men but in truth the word of God.
Moreover, the Holy Spirit not only sanctifies and guides God’s people by the sacraments and the ministries, and enriches it with virtues, he also distributes special graces among the faithful of every state of life, assigning his gifts to each as he chooses. By means of these special gifts he equips them and makes them eager for various activities and responsibilities that benefit the Church in its renewal or its increase, in accordance with the text: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for a good purpose.
These charisms, the simpler and more widespread as well as the most outstanding, should be accepted with a sense of gratitude and consolation, since in a very special way they answer and serve the needs of the Church.
Glossary Of Terms
Lumen gentium: Latin for ‘Light of the Nations’, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church from the Second Vatican Council (1964). It presents the Church’s nature and mission in light of Christ’s role as the light of humanity.
Pentecost: The fiftieth day after Easter, marking the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and traditionally seen as the birth of the Church.
Trinitarian: Referring to the doctrine of the Trinity — one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Sanctify: To make holy; the action of the Holy Spirit in transforming individuals and the Church into the likeness of Christ.
Indwelling: The presence of the Holy Spirit within the Church and within individual believers.
Sons (and daughters) of God: A term that reflects the Christian belief in divine adoption through the Spirit (see Romans 8:15).
Hierarchical gifts: Spiritual gifts related to leadership and governance in the Church, typically exercised by ordained clergy.
Charismatic gifts: Gifts or charisms bestowed by the Holy Spirit on individuals for the benefit of the Church, including healing, prophecy, teaching, and more.
The Spirit and the Bride say: ‘Come!’: A phrase from Revelation 22:17, expressing the longing of the Church (the Bride) and the Spirit for the return of Christ.
Sensus fidei: Latin for ‘sense of the faith’, the spiritual instinct by which the faithful, as a whole, discern what is truly of God in matters of belief and morals.
Sacred teaching office (Magisterium): The official teaching authority of the Church, exercised by the Pope and the bishops in communion with him.
Charisms: Special gifts or graces of the Holy Spirit given to individuals to build up the Church. Can range from simple service to extraordinary abilities like prophecy or healing.
Supernatural instinct of faith: Another way to describe sensus fidei, the Spirit-led capacity of all the faithful to adhere to the truth of the Gospel.
The Word of God: Both Sacred Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ; also refers to authoritative Church teaching in fidelity to divine revelation.
Prayer With Jesus
Prayer to the Holy Spirit for the Church
Holy Spirit,
Breath of the Living God,
You who dwell in the Church as in your temple,
sanctify us anew with your presence.
Pour out upon us your gifts of unity and peace.
Guide our hearts into all truth,
and draw us into deeper communion with the Father,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Awaken in us the sensus fidei,
that supernatural instinct of faith,
so we may faithfully receive, live, and share
the Gospel entrusted to the saints.
Kindle again the charisms you have scattered across your people—
simple or great, hidden or public—
that we may use them not for ourselves,
but for the good of the Church and the glory of God.
Come, Spirit of the Bride, and renew your people.
Come, Spirit of holiness, and make us ready
for the return of the Lord of glory.
Amen.
Christian Art | George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner Lord, how I am all ague, when I seek What I have treasur’d in my memorie! Since, if my soul make even with the week, Each seventh note by right is due to thee. I finde there quarries of pil’d vanities, But shreds of holinesse, that dare not venture To shew their face, since crosse to thy decrees. There the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre. In so much dregs the quintessence is small: The spirit and good extract of my heart Comes to about the many hundredth part. Yet Lord restore thine image, heare my call: And though my hard heart scarce to thee can grone, Remember that thou once didst write in stone. George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner The poet reflects on his spiritual state, describing a struggle with weakness, sin, and the desire for divine alignment. The poem opens with the poet addressing God, expressing discomfort, likened to an ‘ague’ (fever or chill), when he searches his memory for spiritual treasures. This ‘ague’ suggests both a physical and spiritual unease, revealing the tension the poet feels in self-examination. The second line conveys a sense of regret as the poet searches for ‘treasur’d’ holiness in his memory. He recognizes that, although he might strive to keep his soul ‘even with the week’, dedicating every seventh day to God, he falls short. This phrase reflects the expectation to honour the Sabbath, but the poet’s efforts are met with disappointment in their perceived spiritual emptiness. The poet goes on to examine his inner self, describing ‘quarries of pil’d vanities’ that dominate his mind. Here, ‘quarries’ implies an overwhelming quantity of earthly or superficial concerns, while ‘vanities’ suggests that these concerns are meaningless in the context of divine expectation. In contrast, he finds only ‘shreds of holinesse’, fragmented attempts at righteousness, which he hesitates to bring forward as these elements are ‘crosse to thy decrees’, or in opposition to God’s laws. This imagery underscores the poet’s internal conflict and recognition of shortcomings. Further, the poet contrasts earth and heaven, saying that ‘the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre.’ This phrase symbolizes the poet’s focus on worldly concerns (the circumference) that orbit around a neglected spiritual core (the heavenly center). The poet reflects that his life is filled with ‘dregs’, the lesser, unrefined aspects of his being, while ‘quintessence’, or the purest part of himself, is scarce. This ‘quintessence’ is described as the ‘spirit and good extract’ of the poet’s heart, amounting to a ‘many hundredth part’ — a small fraction of life’s essence. The poet realizes that, despite attempts to cultivate holiness, his internal state largely lacks spiritual substance. The final lines shift to a plea for restoration. The poet calls on God to ‘restore thine image’, asking for renewal and transformation. This restoration request implies a yearning to reflect God’s nature more fully, as humanity is believed to be made in God’s image. The poet acknowledges that his heart ‘scarce… can grone’ to God, reflecting the difficulty he feels in truly connecting with or petitioning the divine. The poem ends with reference to the biblical account of the Ten Commandments, when God ‘didst write in stone’. This allusion serves as both a reminder of God’s past willingness to communicate directly and a plea for a similar intervention to etch divine law into the poet’s heart. The poem examines themes of introspection, human fallibility, and a longing for divine transformation. The poet’s self-examination reveals struggle to balance earthly concerns with spiritual commitments, culminating in a plea for God’s direct action to restore spiritual integrity.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, the image of a woman giving birth is often used to express great pain. It is also often used, especially by the prophets, to signify the birth of the new messianic people – see, for example, Isaiah. Jesus recalls both the pain of the Old Testament and the hope and fulfilment expressed through the prophets. The new birth is imminent. Through the sorrow and pain of the crucifixion, we are called to God [ … ]
Sometimes, when I read my Bible, I pause in the reading and say to myself: ‘This bit’s real.’ It would be fair to say, I have issues with Mary, because, contrary to what we are taught to say, Mary isn’t my mother. Rather: Mum is. One bit of the Bible-text says this: And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, “He is beside himself.” … And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mark 3: 21; 31-35.) Here she comes. She is in considerable distress. I can imagine that. I can relate to that. To save her boy from whatever he’s got himself into this time. And you’re not telling me there isn’t something inside that. Her boy is beside himself. Radical. Radicalized. Radicalizing. A misunderstood word. /ˈradɪk(ə)l/ adjective & noun. 1 Forming the root, basis, or foundation; original, primary. 2a Inherent in the nature of a thing or person; fundamental. b Of action, change, an idea: going to the root or origin; far-reaching, thorough. c Advocating thorough or far-reaching change. d Characterized by departure from tradition; progressive; unorthodox. ‘He has a demon! And he is mad!’ – thus ‘the Jews’. (e.g. John 10: 20.) Come home! It’s all she wants. His family want him back now. But it is an exclusive cult: there is an inside and there is an outside; and on the outside, they are not meant to understand, lest they be converted. He has defined himself as different from anything she was. Only at the end does Jesus say to his Mum – and with savage, bitter irony: ‘Woman, behold your son.’ And then he dies. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. We ask that we might find Mary in our hearts as a Yes! place for Jesus. It is also recommended that we pray to Jesus that we may be further in oneness with Mary. It is self-emptying, such that we only exist insofar as we are responsive to God’s Word. * Last term, and put-out to pasture, the old Archbishop Emeritus came over to stay for a few days and did the odd class with us. He spoke of Yes! as the meaning of Mary’s virginity. And we were not very nice about him. One or two took umbrage. One or two got the hump. In a sense, his Grace, the Arch, basically wanted to move anyone he’d ever known from a high-place – a mountain – received theological ‘truth’ – to an imminent, human plane. Earthing the spiritual. Recalibrating metrics of life’s believability toward a spiritual sense of things. He might have asked the impermissible question: what happened? His Grace described it. God’s love as a cloud. This descended upon Mary – and subsumed her. Within the cloud, Mary capitulated utterly. She became only and purely a response to God’s love. As he spoke, the Arch cradled her. He carried her in his lap – in his hands. His Grace was a consecrated bishop. He was faith. He sat squat, a rounded man, hands cupped and ankles crossed, fingers interlocked, with parted thighs. Rumpled, washed, speckled. A lifetime’s skin… There could be no doubt His Grace spoke through long-term personal relationship with Mary. It was Julian went for him: ‘So are you saying Mary was a Virgin? Or are you not saying Mary was a Virgin?’ Nasty. No, it wasn’t pretty. Julian twisting his silver ring. For a moment, what Julian had said to the Arch simply failed to communicate. No, for a moment, that dumped on the air meant nothing. Then His Grace said: ‘There is a range of possible meanings we may understand in the question of Mary’s virginity. For example, there are understandings of the word virginity entailed in the action of giving birth.’ Julian said: ‘Duh! So had she had sex or hadn’t she?’ Trigger words. No, it wasn’t pretty. On that went for a little while. At length, Julian’s point seemed reluctantly conceded. Then the Arch told us a new story, an additionally human event, the more to baffle us. Controversially, he told us that Mary could not have been Joseph’s first wife, for this would not have been the way of things in the society of that time. His belief was that Joseph must have taken Mary into his household through pity. That would be normal, he said, for Joseph to bring a young, vulnerable girl, who is about to have a baby, within his protection, not meaning to enjoy with her marital relations, but through kindness. ‘And this story of the inn and stable,’ the Archbishop said, ‘it can’t have been like that really. Joseph has travelled with Mary to stay with his family, at home in Bethlehem, and they don’t want Mary in their house, for reasons which I am sure we can understand. It must have been there was considerable resistance to Mary. But Mary gives birth, and who can resist a baby? That’s what happened. It must have been. ‘I’m convinced that must have been how it happened really.’ Later that term, toward the beginning of Advent, we met boys who had been here before, in Valladolid, and now were in regular seminary. They had heard and recited verbatim all the Archbishop had said to them. Their spot-on impressions of each of the fathers were scathing. […]
