Without Holy Spirit, Church would be just another organization, Pope says
June 01, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI compared the life of the Holy Spirit to oxygen in his homily on Pentecost Sunday, May 31. And as the supply of oxygen is endangered by pollutants, he said, "so there is a pollution of the heart which mortifies and poisons spiritual existence." The Pope also invoked the image of fire, noting that fire can be destructive when it is improperly used; he cited the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as an immoral use of human power.
Following the morning Mass, the Pope continued his reflections on the role of the Holy Spirit during his midday Angelus audience. Speaking to about 30,000 people in St. Peter's square, he said that the Holy Spirit is "the soul of the Church," and makes the Church different from any purely human organization. The Pontiff continued:
Without It what would the Church be reduced to? Certainly it would be a great historical movement, a complex and solid social institution, perhaps even a type of humanitarian agency. In truth many regard the Church in this way because they observe it from outside the viewpoint of the faith. Yet in reality, its true nature and its real historic presence has ceaselessly been guided and formed by the Spirit and the Lord.For the Mass in St. Peter's basilica, the Cologne chamber orchestra and cathedral choir performed Haydn's last Mass, as part of the observance of 200th anniversary of the composer's death.
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Further information:
- The infinite love of the Holy Spirit does not abandon us (VIS)
- Without the Spirit the Church would only be a humanitarian agency, says Pope (AsiaNews)
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