November 26, 2025 • 23 mins
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate source of unity in the Church and in the world, being the love within the Trinity and the source of love that binds people together and overcomes sinful divisions. St. Paul emphasizes the Spirit is the “love of God poured into our hearts” (Rom. 5:5).
He urges all in the Church to “be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). Also highlighted are a 1990 and 1993 catechesis of Pope St. John Paul II on the Holy Spirit and unity, and Vatican II’s teaching on the Holy Spirit and the quest for the unity of Christians, or ecumenism.
Listen to more The Spirit and The Bride episodes and discover other Catholic podcasts, videos, and resources at Faith and Reason.
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(00:00):
Greetings. This is Dr.
Alan Schreck speaking today on our podcastseries spirit and the bride.
We're looking at the Holy Spiritin the writings
of the New Testamentand focusing now on Saint Paul.
Today I'd like to focus onthe theme of unity as we see it in
Scripture and especially in the writingsof Saint Paul.
(00:22):
You know, to begin, if one were to ask
if you were to identify one characteristic
of a community of peoplethat would be the most reliable
or the surestsign, of the presence of the Holy Spirit?
What would it be?
You know, there are many possible answers.
You could say, well,I look for an abundance of
(00:45):
outpouring of the charisms,the spiritual gifts.
Or I could say I look at the ministries
if I see people servingothers, the poor outcasts, sacrificially,
that would certainly be a suresign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
What about worship?
What if you saw a community that praisedGod exuberantly whenever they met,
(01:07):
or which spent hoursin silent prayer and meditation,
you could say, well,the Holy Spirit must surely be present.
Or let's say a community
that has powerful ministriessuch as healing, where people were healed,
and even other signsof the presence of God.
Isn't that a suresign of the presence of the Holy Spirit?
(01:27):
Well, I could go on, and there is no doubt
that if these observations were true,
it would be they would be signsof the presence of the Holy Spirit.
But I'd like to propose thateven the greatest sign, perhaps the surest
sign of the presence of the Holy Spiritin a group or a community,
(01:48):
if you're getting to know themwell, is if they are
deeply united in heart and mind.
And you could see that in the waythey relate to each other,
and even intense situations, they wouldrelate with love and respect and
they would quickly resolve disagreementsor come to agreements peacefully.
(02:08):
I contend that their lived unity of mindand heart, even in difficult situations
and in daily life,would be the surest sign
of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
In a sense, I'm saying thatprobably one of the most difficult things
to maintain, in any communityor group, is a deep unity.
(02:31):
Doesn't mean thateveryone thinks exactly the same way,
but you could just tell there'sa unity of mind and heart
and I'm reminded of the description of,the first Christians
in the acts of the apostles in Actschapter 4 verse 32, and following.
“Now the company of those who believedwere of one heart and soul,
(02:54):
and no one said that any of the thingswhich he possessed was his own.
But they had everything in common.”
And so the idea of those who believedwere of one heart and soul,
and even to the extent as a sign of that,they even,
shared their possessions in common.
These are indicationsof the presence of the Holy Spirit.
(03:15):
And so in this podcast,I'd like to talk about the Holy Spirit
as the source of unity.
And we’regoing to mainly look at Saint Paul.
But remember we've already seensome of this in our previous,
teaching in John's gospel where Jesus
prayed in this great high priestly prayerin the Last Supper in John 17.
(03:37):
Father, may they all be one,as you and I are one that they may become
perfectly one, so that the worldmay believe that you have sent me.
So Jesus desires this unity.
He prays for this unityfor all of his followers,
and in fact, it's to bea sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
(03:57):
It says in John 13:35, All will know that
you are my disciplesif you have love for one another.
And we've talked abouthow the Holy Spirit is
the love,the love uniting the father and the son.
we're going to look at specific passagesin Saint Paul,
but I'd like to quote a few thingsfrom a catechesis of Pope Saint John Paul
(04:19):
the second that he gave on Decemberfifth, 1990.
And the title,the topic was The Spirit of Unity.
And so he says, the Holy Spiritis the soul of the church, according
to the Christian tradition foundedon the teaching of Christ in the apostles.
But we must immediatelyadd that Saint Paul,
(04:39):
in drawing his analogy of the churchas a human body,
emphasizes for us that and he quotesone Corinthians 12:13,
emphasizes for us that in one spiritwe were all baptized into one body,
and we were all givento drink of one spirit.
And Saint John Paul goes on,if the church is like a body,
(05:01):
the Holy Spirit is like her soul.
That is the principle of her divine life.
On the other hand,on the day of Pentecost, the spirit
established the church by descendingon the primitive community in Jerusalem.
From that day on and for all generationsthat enter the church, he,
the Holy Spirit, cannot failto be the principal and source of unity,
(05:22):
as the soul is for the human body.
But then he qualifies.
Let us say right off that accordingto the text of the gospel in Saint Paul,
this is a matter of unityand multiplicity.
And then he quotes again, Saint Paul one
Corinthians 12:12 as the body is one,though it has many parts
and all parts of the body, thoughmany are one body in Christ.
(05:45):
So again, this unity is not uniformitythat everyone thinks and acts
and looks exactly the same way.
But there's a depth of unitythat's a work of the Holy Spirit.
And he says, it is apparent, Saint
John Paul says in that catechesishe quotes Ephesians 4:3,
(06:06):
strive to preserve the unity of the spiritthrough the bond of peace.
And then he says,it is apparent that this is not a question
of a mechanical unity,nor merely of an organic one
like that of every living being,but rather a spiritual unity
which entails an ethical involvement.
So, we have to be engagedto open ourselves
(06:28):
to the Holy Spiritto bring up, about that, that unity.
And and yetthis is what we are called to do.
We see this in Saint Paul'sletter to the Ephesians which Pope
Saint John Paul the second quoteshe says, he quotes
Ephesians 2:19 through 22.
So then, and this is how God bringsunity of all people,
(06:49):
bringing together in the early church,Jews and non-Jews, Jews and Gentiles.
Saint Paul'ssays, quote, Ephesians 2:19 through 22.
So then you are no longerstrangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizenswith the holy ones and members
of the household of God,built upon the foundation of the apostles
(07:10):
and prophets,with Jesus Christ Himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is heldtogether and grows into a temple
sacred to the Lord in himyou also, that is, all those converted
are being built together into a dwellingplace of God in the spirit.
(07:30):
So it is, thatthe image of the church is a temple
in which God dwells,but called a dwelling place
for of God in the spirit, and he goes onand says, the model of this unity
is the Trinity itself,that the ultimate unity,
is the unity of the fatherand the son and the Holy Spirit,
(07:51):
which is, as we've seen, the Holy Spiritbeing the bond of love between the father
and the son, in the son in the father,Saint John Paul writes here, the unity
of the ecclesial communion is an imageof the communion of the Trinity,
the summit of infinite height,to which it looks at all times.
The church looksat the unity of the Trinity.
(08:13):
And then he mentions that we see this
quotingSaint Paul, in the liturgy of Vatican two,
which are the words of Saint Paul himself,two Corinthians 13:13.
At the end of Second Corinthians, Paulsays, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the fellowshipof the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
(08:36):
We know that wordfellowship is the Greek word koinonia.
It could be translated
as your fellowship of the Holy Spiritor communion of the Holy Spirit,
or just simply and the unityof the Holy Spirit, who with all of you,
John Paul goes on and says, these words
contain the truth about the unityin the Holy Spirit
as the unity of the church,which Saint Augustine commented on.
(08:59):
As followsthe communion of the church's unity
is, as it were,a work of the Holy Spirit himself,
with the participation of the fatherand the son, because in a way
the Spirit himself is the communionof the father and the son.
The fatherand the son have the spirit in common,
because he is the spirit of themboth, unquote.
(09:20):
That's all from Saint Augustine.
So, so there are many textsand many of these are drawn
from the writings of Saint Paulabout unity.
Saint John Paul quotes later,as the apostle says, one body, there's one
body and one spirit, as you areall called to the one hope of your call.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
(09:42):
one God and Father of us all, who is aboveall and works in holiness through all.
Ephesians chapter four, four and five.
So the one body and the one spirit.
And of course, the binding work ofthis is love,
the love that bindsthe father and the son together.
And it's the lovewhich is at the center of the church.
In our last podcast,
(10:03):
we talked about Saint Paul, talking about,you know, there are a variety of gifts,
but the key is that love
is the thingthat binds all together in perfect unity.
Saint John Paul quotes.
According to Saint Paul, this love isthe supreme gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now, of course there's a problem,because John Paul goes on to say,
(10:23):
unfortunately, this unity,even in the Holy Spirit, which is proper
to the body of Christ,runs up against sin.
So we are definitely awarethat it is the work of Satan
to divide that is,you know, the spirit brings unity.
Satan's work is always to bring about,division.
(10:44):
So, we are in a spiritual battle.
And so, as Satan wishes to bring us
to tear us apart,to bring us into conflict with each other,
the Holy Spirit wants to overcome that,to bring about,
a communion of people in the church, and,and with each other.
And of course, the lovewhich is I got the love, not the feeling.
(11:07):
Love.
John Paul ends his catechesis onthe spirit is the source of unity.
Well, he quotes Saint Augustine.
He says
that the gift of grace added to natureis knowing and expressing certain truths,
and especially the truths of faithto which the Apostle is referring,
when he affirms that no one can sayJesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
(11:29):
So the Holy Spirit wants us to bring usa unity in truth,
a unity of faith, and acknowledging Godas Father, son, and spirit.
And then, he ends this catechesis.
It is a Holy Spiritwho pours himself out into the church,
his love, the saving force,
which tends to draw together all peopleand of all creation.
(11:50):
This energy of love ends up overcomingall resistance,
even though, as we know all toowell from the experience,
our experience in history,it must continually struggle against sin
and everything there is in human beingwhich is opposed to love.
That is selfishness,hatred, jealousy, destructive rivalry.
But the Apostle assuresus, Saint Paul says love builds up.
(12:13):
One Corinthianseight one in that fuller quote he says,
knowledge, puffs up with pride,but love builds up,
and this building of the church
in unity is a constant,work of the Holy Spirit.
Now, Saint John Paul talksquite a bit about this,
and we've already seen in our lastcatechesis about the body of Christ
(12:35):
how you know this more excellent waySaint Paul speaks about in one Corinthians
12:31 is the most excellent way
is the way of love,faith, hope, and love abide.
But the greatest of these are love.
So we are to do everythingwithin the church,
to build one another up, to edify oneanother.
(12:58):
Let's just continue just by reviewing,
some of those important textsfrom Scripture, from Saint Paul about the,
the unity of the Holy Spirit,from his letter to the Galatians,
chapter five, verses 25 and 26
and 6:10 Saint Paul's told the Galatians
if we live by the spirit,let us also walk by the spirit.
(13:21):
Let us have no self conceit, no provokingof one another, no envy of one another.
As we have opportunity,let us do good to all men,
and especially to thosewho are of the household of faith.
So working at unity is an ongoing work.
If we're to,we have to walk by the spirit in the sense
of cultivatethose things that promote unity.
(13:42):
As he's urging the Galatians to do.
in his letter to Colossians,he talks about
Christ as the head of the body,which is the church,
the beginning and firstborn of the dead,that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in Christthe fullness of God was pleased to dwell
in through himto reconcile all things to himself,
(14:03):
whether on earth or in heaven,making peace by the blood of his cross.
So Christ has defeated the power of sin
so that we can live in unityin the Holy Spirit.
We can seein, his letter to the Ephesians, Saint
Paul writes 4:1-6
He urges us to lead a lifeworthy of the calling
(14:23):
to which you have been called,with all lowliness, meekness,
with patience,forbearing one another in love.
And this line always strikesme eager to maintain
the unity of the spiritin the bond of peace.
He goeson, there is one body and one spirit,
just as you are called to the one hopethat belongs to your call.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,one God and Father of us all,
(14:46):
who is above all and through alland in all.
So, he urges us to,in Ephesians also be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving oneanother as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32.
To preserve unity,Christians are to be subject
to one another out of reverencefor Christ.
Ephesians 521.
(15:07):
So there are many exhortations
in Saint Paul, two to work for unity
as a gift of the Holy Spirit to really,put that grace to work.
As he says to the Philippians,he urges them in the Philippians
1:27 and 2:1-4,if there is any encouragement in Christ,
(15:29):
any incentive of love,
any participation in the spirit,
any affection and sympathy, completemy joy by being of the same mind,
having the same love, being in full accordand of one mind.
Do nothing from selfishness or conceit,but in humility count
others as better than yourselves.
Let each of youlook not only to his own interests, but
(15:51):
also to the interests of others.
So the idea of this is, if you haveany participation in the spirit,
seek to, be of the same heart,the same mind having the same love.
This is somethingwhich is an ongoing task.
And of course, you know,we see how there is
so much division in the world,in the church, even that, you know,
(16:14):
do people look at Catholics and say,oh, see how they love one another?
You know, this should be thissurest sign of, the presence of God,
that is to convince people that Jesus isLord, as is Jesus says in John's gospel,
they'll know you're my disciplesby your love for one another.
Not how much you argue with one another.
Another teaching of John Paulthe second about the need for unity
(16:37):
in Christian lifewas he gave this in January 20th, 1993.
It says the adoption of these interiordispositions,
conforming the believerever more closely to Christ,
impels him toward an ever deeper communionwith his brothers and sisters.
Christ is indeed one, as is the spirit
who is the source of these interiordispositions.
(16:59):
Therefore gifts charisms and virtueswhen they are authentic.
Ten concordinnately and harmoniously toward unity.
In presenting this broad list of virtues,the Apostle Paul
significantly calls each of themthe fruit whole karpos of the spirit.
All these various virtuesin their diversity come together
(17:21):
in one fruit of the spirit, which is love.
Saint Paul explains thisto the first Christians of Rome.
The love of God has been poured outinto our hearts
through the Holy Spirit,that who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5 and this is our calling,John Paul, he goes on, the love of God.
This agape love is shown by self-controland gentleness, in understanding
(17:44):
one's neighbor, in cordial relationship,and in willingness to forgive.
These are the essential prerequisitesfor truly seeking unity.
So we might say that,unity is both a gift.
A gift of the Holy Spiritis the love of God poured into our hearts.
But it is also a task, an ongoing,
(18:06):
need for us to follow these exhortations
of Saint Paul and of Jesus to put on love,you know, to exercise,
to seekthe unity that comes from the Holy Spirit.
And I'm going to close by mentioningthe important impact
of this regarding the movement,in the church known as ecumenism.
(18:28):
In our previous podcast series, I talkedabout the Vatican II decree on ecumenism.
What is ecumenism?
Well, the beginning of that decreegives, a definition of this.
And it says ecumenism is, a movementfostered by the grace of the Holy Spirit
for the restoration of unityamong all Christians.
(18:50):
So, it's related specifically
to the idea that Christians, thosewho believe in Jesus Christ,
have an obligation to seek the unityfor which Jesus prayed
at the Last Supperwhen he said, May they all be one father.
And, I'm not going to go at lengthinto this,
(19:10):
but I urge you perhaps to read the SecondVatican Council,
short decree on ecumenism,and it talks about how
we can open ourselves more to the grace
of the Holy Spirit to desire unity
with our separated Christian brethren,as it says, we call them that heretics.
(19:31):
schismatics, they are our separatedbrothers and sisters in Christ,
and that as Saint Johnthe 23rd, who called the Second
Vatican Council,said, that we have much more in common
with these other Christiansthan what divides us.
But, you know, it's very easy to sort of
just not really believe that unityamong all Christians is possible.
(19:55):
And you know,that's seems to be true in some ways.
How can all after centuries of division
with Catholics, with the Orthodoxand other, Protestant and other
Christian groups, how can we come togetherto reflect the unity
that God desires for his church,for the body of Christ?
Well, the last, paragraph
(20:18):
of the decree on ecumenism addresses this,
and it really is a call to prayerand a call to hope.
So I'll just to close I'll read thislast paragraph of the decree on ecumenism.
This Sacred Councilfirmly hopes that the initiatives
of the sons of the Catholic Churchjoin with those of the separated brethren.
(20:38):
We'll go forward without obstructingthe ways of divine providence
and without prejudging the futureinspirations of the Holy Spirit.
Further, this Council declaresthat it realizes that this holy objective,
the reconciliation of all Christiansin the unity of the one
and only Church of Christ, transcendshuman powers and gifts.
(21:02):
You know we can't do it.
It goes on.
It therefore places its hope entirelyin the prayer of Christ for the church
in the love of the father for us,
and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And it quotes Romans 5:5and hope this hope for unity
and hope does not disappoint,
because the God's lovehas been poured forth in our hearts
(21:26):
through the Holy Spirit,who has been given to us.
So we're really coming to a closeof my presentations
of the Holy Spiritin the writings of Saint Paul,
we'll proceed to look at, just 1or 2 more podcasts on, the Holy Spirit.
In the otherwritings of the New Testament,
we've looked at the Gospels,the acts of the apostles,
(21:46):
and now the writings of Paul.
And so soonwill be bringing this to an end.
But as we've been discussing today,let us pray together
for, the Holy Spirit to be poured outto create greater authentic unity.
First of all, in our homes,certainly in our communities,
our local communities, of our parishesand in among Catholics,
(22:09):
so that we are not divided, by,secondary issues
that we recognize the unity of faithand the unity that we share,
in the essential thingsof the Catholic Church,
that these would come forthand also praying that, in a way
unknown to us,that God would bring about the restoration
(22:29):
of unity of all Christiansso that the world may believe
that God has sent Jesusto bring about the salvation of all.
Let us pray.
Come, Holy Spirit,fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in usand in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your spirit,and they shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.
(22:51):
Oh God, who
by the light of the Holy Spirit,and instruct the hearts of your faithful,
granted by that same Holy Spirit,we may be truly wise
and ever rejoice in his consolationsthrough Christ our Lord.
Amen. God bless you.
Greetings. This is Dr.
Alan Schreck speaking today on our podcastseries spirit and the bride.
We're looking at the Holy Spiritin the writings
of the New Testamentand focusing now on Saint Paul.
Today I'd like to focus onthe theme of unity as we see it in
Scripture and especially in the writingsof Saint Paul.
(00:22):
You know, to begin, if one were to ask
if you were to identify one characteristic
of a community of peoplethat would be the most reliable
or the surestsign, of the presence of the Holy Spirit?
What would it be?
You know, there are many possible answers.
You could say, well,I look for an abundance of
(00:45):
outpouring of the charisms,the spiritual gifts.
Or I could say I look at the ministries
if I see people servingothers, the poor outcasts, sacrificially,
that would certainly be a suresign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
What about worship?
What if you saw a community that praisedGod exuberantly whenever they met,
(01:07):
or which spent hoursin silent prayer and meditation,
you could say, well,the Holy Spirit must surely be present.
Or let's say a community
that has powerful ministriessuch as healing, where people were healed,
and even other signsof the presence of God.
Isn't that a suresign of the presence of the Holy Spirit?
(01:27):
Well, I could go on, and there is no doubt
that if these observations were true,
it would be they would be signsof the presence of the Holy Spirit.
But I'd like to propose thateven the greatest sign, perhaps the surest
sign of the presence of the Holy Spiritin a group or a community,
(01:48):
if you're getting to know themwell, is if they are
deeply united in heart and mind.
And you could see that in the waythey relate to each other,
and even intense situations, they wouldrelate with love and respect and
they would quickly resolve disagreementsor come to agreements peacefully.
(02:08):
I contend that their lived unity of mindand heart, even in difficult situations
and in daily life,would be the surest sign
of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
In a sense, I'm saying thatprobably one of the most difficult things
to maintain, in any communityor group, is a deep unity.
(02:31):
Doesn't mean thateveryone thinks exactly the same way,
but you could just tell there'sa unity of mind and heart
and I'm reminded of the description of,the first Christians
in the acts of the apostles in Actschapter 4 verse 32, and following.
“Now the company of those who believedwere of one heart and soul,
(02:54):
and no one said that any of the thingswhich he possessed was his own.
But they had everything in common.”
And so the idea of those who believedwere of one heart and soul,
and even to the extent as a sign of that,they even,
shared their possessions in common.
These are indicationsof the presence of the Holy Spirit.
(03:15):
And so in this podcast,I'd like to talk about the Holy Spirit
as the source of unity.
And we’regoing to mainly look at Saint Paul.
But remember we've already seensome of this in our previous,
teaching in John's gospel where Jesus
prayed in this great high priestly prayerin the Last Supper in John 17.
(03:37):
Father, may they all be one,as you and I are one that they may become
perfectly one, so that the worldmay believe that you have sent me.
So Jesus desires this unity.
He prays for this unityfor all of his followers,
and in fact, it's to bea sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
(03:57):
It says in John 13:35, All will know that
you are my disciplesif you have love for one another.
And we've talked abouthow the Holy Spirit is
the love,the love uniting the father and the son.
we're going to look at specific passagesin Saint Paul,
but I'd like to quote a few thingsfrom a catechesis of Pope Saint John Paul
(04:19):
the second that he gave on Decemberfifth, 1990.
And the title,the topic was The Spirit of Unity.
And so he says, the Holy Spiritis the soul of the church, according
to the Christian tradition foundedon the teaching of Christ in the apostles.
But we must immediatelyadd that Saint Paul,
(04:39):
in drawing his analogy of the churchas a human body,
emphasizes for us that and he quotesone Corinthians 12:13,
emphasizes for us that in one spiritwe were all baptized into one body,
and we were all givento drink of one spirit.
And Saint John Paul goes on,if the church is like a body,
(05:01):
the Holy Spirit is like her soul.
That is the principle of her divine life.
On the other hand,on the day of Pentecost, the spirit
established the church by descendingon the primitive community in Jerusalem.
From that day on and for all generationsthat enter the church, he,
the Holy Spirit, cannot failto be the principal and source of unity,
(05:22):
as the soul is for the human body.
But then he qualifies.
Let us say right off that accordingto the text of the gospel in Saint Paul,
this is a matter of unityand multiplicity.
And then he quotes again, Saint Paul one
Corinthians 12:12 as the body is one,though it has many parts
and all parts of the body, thoughmany are one body in Christ.
(05:45):
So again, this unity is not uniformitythat everyone thinks and acts
and looks exactly the same way.
But there's a depth of unitythat's a work of the Holy Spirit.
And he says, it is apparent, Saint
John Paul says in that catechesishe quotes Ephesians 4:3,
(06:06):
strive to preserve the unity of the spiritthrough the bond of peace.
And then he says,it is apparent that this is not a question
of a mechanical unity,nor merely of an organic one
like that of every living being,but rather a spiritual unity
which entails an ethical involvement.
So, we have to be engagedto open ourselves
(06:28):
to the Holy Spiritto bring up, about that, that unity.
And and yetthis is what we are called to do.
We see this in Saint Paul'sletter to the Ephesians which Pope
Saint John Paul the second quoteshe says, he quotes
Ephesians 2:19 through 22.
So then, and this is how God bringsunity of all people,
(06:49):
bringing together in the early church,Jews and non-Jews, Jews and Gentiles.
Saint Paul'ssays, quote, Ephesians 2:19 through 22.
So then you are no longerstrangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizenswith the holy ones and members
of the household of God,built upon the foundation of the apostles
(07:10):
and prophets,with Jesus Christ Himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is heldtogether and grows into a temple
sacred to the Lord in himyou also, that is, all those converted
are being built together into a dwellingplace of God in the spirit.
(07:30):
So it is, thatthe image of the church is a temple
in which God dwells,but called a dwelling place
for of God in the spirit, and he goes onand says, the model of this unity
is the Trinity itself,that the ultimate unity,
is the unity of the fatherand the son and the Holy Spirit,
(07:51):
which is, as we've seen, the Holy Spiritbeing the bond of love between the father
and the son, in the son in the father,Saint John Paul writes here, the unity
of the ecclesial communion is an imageof the communion of the Trinity,
the summit of infinite height,to which it looks at all times.
The church looksat the unity of the Trinity.
(08:13):
And then he mentions that we see this
quotingSaint Paul, in the liturgy of Vatican two,
which are the words of Saint Paul himself,two Corinthians 13:13.
At the end of Second Corinthians, Paulsays, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the fellowshipof the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
(08:36):
We know that wordfellowship is the Greek word koinonia.
It could be translated
as your fellowship of the Holy Spiritor communion of the Holy Spirit,
or just simply and the unityof the Holy Spirit, who with all of you,
John Paul goes on and says, these words
contain the truth about the unityin the Holy Spirit
as the unity of the church,which Saint Augustine commented on.
(08:59):
As followsthe communion of the church's unity
is, as it were,a work of the Holy Spirit himself,
with the participation of the fatherand the son, because in a way
the Spirit himself is the communionof the father and the son.
The fatherand the son have the spirit in common,
because he is the spirit of themboth, unquote.
(09:20):
That's all from Saint Augustine.
So, so there are many textsand many of these are drawn
from the writings of Saint Paulabout unity.
Saint John Paul quotes later,as the apostle says, one body, there's one
body and one spirit, as you areall called to the one hope of your call.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
(09:42):
one God and Father of us all, who is aboveall and works in holiness through all.
Ephesians chapter four, four and five.
So the one body and the one spirit.
And of course, the binding work ofthis is love,
the love that bindsthe father and the son together.
And it's the lovewhich is at the center of the church.
In our last podcast,
(10:03):
we talked about Saint Paul, talking about,you know, there are a variety of gifts,
but the key is that love
is the thingthat binds all together in perfect unity.
Saint John Paul quotes.
According to Saint Paul, this love isthe supreme gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now, of course there's a problem,because John Paul goes on to say,
(10:23):
unfortunately, this unity,even in the Holy Spirit, which is proper
to the body of Christ,runs up against sin.
So we are definitely awarethat it is the work of Satan
to divide that is,you know, the spirit brings unity.
Satan's work is always to bring about,division.
(10:44):
So, we are in a spiritual battle.
And so, as Satan wishes to bring us
to tear us apart,to bring us into conflict with each other,
the Holy Spirit wants to overcome that,to bring about,
a communion of people in the church, and,and with each other.
And of course, the lovewhich is I got the love, not the feeling.
(11:07):
Love.
John Paul ends his catechesis onthe spirit is the source of unity.
Well, he quotes Saint Augustine.
He says
that the gift of grace added to natureis knowing and expressing certain truths,
and especially the truths of faithto which the Apostle is referring,
when he affirms that no one can sayJesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
(11:29):
So the Holy Spirit wants us to bring usa unity in truth,
a unity of faith, and acknowledging Godas Father, son, and spirit.
And then, he ends this catechesis.
It is a Holy Spiritwho pours himself out into the church,
his love, the saving force,
which tends to draw together all peopleand of all creation.
(11:50):
This energy of love ends up overcomingall resistance,
even though, as we know all toowell from the experience,
our experience in history,it must continually struggle against sin
and everything there is in human beingwhich is opposed to love.
That is selfishness,hatred, jealousy, destructive rivalry.
But the Apostle assuresus, Saint Paul says love builds up.
(12:13):
One Corinthianseight one in that fuller quote he says,
knowledge, puffs up with pride,but love builds up,
and this building of the church
in unity is a constant,work of the Holy Spirit.
Now, Saint John Paul talksquite a bit about this,
and we've already seen in our lastcatechesis about the body of Christ
(12:35):
how you know this more excellent waySaint Paul speaks about in one Corinthians
12:31 is the most excellent way
is the way of love,faith, hope, and love abide.
But the greatest of these are love.
So we are to do everythingwithin the church,
to build one another up, to edify oneanother.
(12:58):
Let's just continue just by reviewing,
some of those important textsfrom Scripture, from Saint Paul about the,
the unity of the Holy Spirit,from his letter to the Galatians,
chapter five, verses 25 and 26
and 6:10 Saint Paul's told the Galatians
if we live by the spirit,let us also walk by the spirit.
(13:21):
Let us have no self conceit, no provokingof one another, no envy of one another.
As we have opportunity,let us do good to all men,
and especially to thosewho are of the household of faith.
So working at unity is an ongoing work.
If we're to,we have to walk by the spirit in the sense
of cultivatethose things that promote unity.
(13:42):
As he's urging the Galatians to do.
in his letter to Colossians,he talks about
Christ as the head of the body,which is the church,
the beginning and firstborn of the dead,that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in Christthe fullness of God was pleased to dwell
in through himto reconcile all things to himself,
(14:03):
whether on earth or in heaven,making peace by the blood of his cross.
So Christ has defeated the power of sin
so that we can live in unityin the Holy Spirit.
We can seein, his letter to the Ephesians, Saint
Paul writes 4:1-6
He urges us to lead a lifeworthy of the calling
(14:23):
to which you have been called,with all lowliness, meekness,
with patience,forbearing one another in love.
And this line always strikesme eager to maintain
the unity of the spiritin the bond of peace.
He goeson, there is one body and one spirit,
just as you are called to the one hopethat belongs to your call.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,one God and Father of us all,
(14:46):
who is above all and through alland in all.
So, he urges us to,in Ephesians also be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving oneanother as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32.
To preserve unity,Christians are to be subject
to one another out of reverencefor Christ.
Ephesians 521.
(15:07):
So there are many exhortations
in Saint Paul, two to work for unity
as a gift of the Holy Spirit to really,put that grace to work.
As he says to the Philippians,he urges them in the Philippians
1:27 and 2:1-4,if there is any encouragement in Christ,
(15:29):
any incentive of love,
any participation in the spirit,
any affection and sympathy, completemy joy by being of the same mind,
having the same love, being in full accordand of one mind.
Do nothing from selfishness or conceit,but in humility count
others as better than yourselves.
Let each of youlook not only to his own interests, but
(15:51):
also to the interests of others.
So the idea of this is, if you haveany participation in the spirit,
seek to, be of the same heart,the same mind having the same love.
This is somethingwhich is an ongoing task.
And of course, you know,we see how there is
so much division in the world,in the church, even that, you know,
(16:14):
do people look at Catholics and say,oh, see how they love one another?
You know, this should be thissurest sign of, the presence of God,
that is to convince people that Jesus isLord, as is Jesus says in John's gospel,
they'll know you're my disciplesby your love for one another.
Not how much you argue with one another.
Another teaching of John Paulthe second about the need for unity
(16:37):
in Christian lifewas he gave this in January 20th, 1993.
It says the adoption of these interiordispositions,
conforming the believerever more closely to Christ,
impels him toward an ever deeper communionwith his brothers and sisters.
Christ is indeed one, as is the spirit
who is the source of these interiordispositions.
(16:59):
Therefore gifts charisms and virtueswhen they are authentic.
Ten concordinnately and harmoniously toward unity.
In presenting this broad list of virtues,the Apostle Paul
significantly calls each of themthe fruit whole karpos of the spirit.
All these various virtuesin their diversity come together
(17:21):
in one fruit of the spirit, which is love.
Saint Paul explains thisto the first Christians of Rome.
The love of God has been poured outinto our hearts
through the Holy Spirit,that who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5 and this is our calling,John Paul, he goes on, the love of God.
This agape love is shown by self-controland gentleness, in understanding
(17:44):
one's neighbor, in cordial relationship,and in willingness to forgive.
These are the essential prerequisitesfor truly seeking unity.
So we might say that,unity is both a gift.
A gift of the Holy Spiritis the love of God poured into our hearts.
But it is also a task, an ongoing,
(18:06):
need for us to follow these exhortations
of Saint Paul and of Jesus to put on love,you know, to exercise,
to seekthe unity that comes from the Holy Spirit.
And I'm going to close by mentioningthe important impact
of this regarding the movement,in the church known as ecumenism.
(18:28):
In our previous podcast series, I talkedabout the Vatican II decree on ecumenism.
What is ecumenism?
Well, the beginning of that decreegives, a definition of this.
And it says ecumenism is, a movementfostered by the grace of the Holy Spirit
for the restoration of unityamong all Christians.
(18:50):
So, it's related specifically
to the idea that Christians, thosewho believe in Jesus Christ,
have an obligation to seek the unityfor which Jesus prayed
at the Last Supperwhen he said, May they all be one father.
And, I'm not going to go at lengthinto this,
(19:10):
but I urge you perhaps to read the SecondVatican Council,
short decree on ecumenism,and it talks about how
we can open ourselves more to the grace
of the Holy Spirit to desire unity
with our separated Christian brethren,as it says, we call them that heretics.
(19:31):
schismatics, they are our separatedbrothers and sisters in Christ,
and that as Saint Johnthe 23rd, who called the Second
Vatican Council,said, that we have much more in common
with these other Christiansthan what divides us.
But, you know, it's very easy to sort of
just not really believe that unityamong all Christians is possible.
(19:55):
And you know,that's seems to be true in some ways.
How can all after centuries of division
with Catholics, with the Orthodoxand other, Protestant and other
Christian groups, how can we come togetherto reflect the unity
that God desires for his church,for the body of Christ?
Well, the last, paragraph
(20:18):
of the decree on ecumenism addresses this,
and it really is a call to prayerand a call to hope.
So I'll just to close I'll read thislast paragraph of the decree on ecumenism.
This Sacred Councilfirmly hopes that the initiatives
of the sons of the Catholic Churchjoin with those of the separated brethren.
(20:38):
We'll go forward without obstructingthe ways of divine providence
and without prejudging the futureinspirations of the Holy Spirit.
Further, this Council declaresthat it realizes that this holy objective,
the reconciliation of all Christiansin the unity of the one
and only Church of Christ, transcendshuman powers and gifts.
(21:02):
You know we can't do it.
It goes on.
It therefore places its hope entirelyin the prayer of Christ for the church
in the love of the father for us,
and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And it quotes Romans 5:5and hope this hope for unity
and hope does not disappoint,
because the God's lovehas been poured forth in our hearts
(21:26):
through the Holy Spirit,who has been given to us.
So we're really coming to a closeof my presentations
of the Holy Spiritin the writings of Saint Paul,
we'll proceed to look at, just 1or 2 more podcasts on, the Holy Spirit.
In the otherwritings of the New Testament,
we've looked at the Gospels,the acts of the apostles,
(21:46):
and now the writings of Paul.
And so soonwill be bringing this to an end.
But as we've been discussing today,let us pray together
for, the Holy Spirit to be poured outto create greater authentic unity.
First of all, in our homes,certainly in our communities,
our local communities, of our parishesand in among Catholics,
(22:09):
so that we are not divided, by,secondary issues
that we recognize the unity of faithand the unity that we share,
in the essential thingsof the Catholic Church,
that these would come forthand also praying that, in a way
unknown to us,that God would bring about the restoration
(22:29):
of unity of all Christiansso that the world may believe
that God has sent Jesusto bring about the salvation of all.
Let us pray.
Come, Holy Spirit,fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in usand in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your spirit,and they shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.
(22:51):
Oh God, who
by the light of the Holy Spirit,and instruct the hearts of your faithful,
granted by that same Holy Spirit,we may be truly wise
and ever rejoice in his consolationsthrough Christ our Lord.
Amen. God bless you.
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