At a mass celebrating the Holy Spirit's approach to mankind after Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, called Pentecost, on May 28, 2023, Pope Francis related that event to the upcoming Bishops' Synod on Synodality (link HERE, the article is first reference at bottom of post):
The Catholic Church's current Synod of Bishops should not be a "parliament for demanding rights," but a journey in accordance with the Spirit.
He emphasized, "the Holy Spirit is the heart of synodality and the driving force of evangelization."
But from the same homily, Francis warned, "We often hear so many so-called thinkers and theologians who give us cold doctrines that seem mathematical because they lack the Spirit."
I'd like to comment on the Pope's statements in a very
abbreviated way. As Francis often does, I'll point out three themes. Though the
subjects are intertwined, it is perhaps easier to think about them distinctly:
the Holy Spirit; Church synods; and certain theologians.
To learn about God, we use the Bible, which has records
of Christ's life on Earth and early Church development. All Christians should
read the Bible, with studies available through Church, schools, and other
sources.
That said, God is a Trinity of one essence and three
Persons: the Father; Jesus Christ the Son; and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is
one Person with two natures, human and divine. Though He is God, He came to
Earth and took on flesh in order to live a perfect life and die in atonement
for our sins, so that a just God would accept us into His presence in Heaven
(to read more, click HERE).
To learn about the Holy Spirit, we can see what Christ
said about Him. In the Bible's book of John, chapter 14, Jesus was talking with
His disciples. He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I
will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you
always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither
sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in
you (John 14:15-17, NABRE).
This is an exciting promise since the Holy Spirit is God
Himself! It should make us pay close attention to what Christ means.
What are Christ's commandments? One is to love one
another, as He tells the same disciples in the previous chapter (John
13:34).
But this is not all, as some seem to think. The other
major commandment is to believe in Jesus Christ Himself. Again in the book of
John at an earlier time, Christ answers a question in an exchange with a crowd
following Him: "So they said to him, 'What can we do to accomplish the works of
God?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you
believe in the one he sent'” (John 6:28-29). He was referring to Himself as both
God and Son of God.
Most of us are familiar with John 3:16, where Christ
tells a Jewish leader that "God so loved the world that He sent His only
begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have
everlasting life.” Belief is crucial.
Throughout the Old Testament, God had a special
relationship with the Jewish people. However, He insisted they worship Him, the
True God, and no false conceptions of other gods. They often failed and
eventually were exiled by God to foreign lands.
Too often today even Christians don't take belief in the Trinity, including Christ, seriously enough. But it is a fundamental element of our relationship with
God. He wants us to know Him, be devoted to Him and worship only Him as the
Lord. Jesus Christ came to Earth, lived a perfect life and died in atonement for our sins,
and our attention should be focused on what this means.
There are more verses about this subject that could
be quoted. But for now, I want to address the other themes I mentioned, namely
Church Synods and certain theologians.
References:
Justin McClellen, "Pope on Pentecost: Synod is a journey in the Spirit, not 'a parliament,'" Catholic News Service, May 28, 2023. https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/pope-pentecost-synod-journey-spirit-not-parliament
“Good News – The Gospel!” Womanatwell Website, March 9, 2023. https://womanatwell.blogspot.com/2023/03/good-news-gospel.html
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