Monday, December 15, 2008

Theology: The Holy Spirit is Love

I'm reading Pope Leo XIII's encyclical on the Holy Spirit, Divinum Illud Munus. He mentions half a dozen times that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Love between the Father and the Son; i.e., that the Holy Spirit is the Person of Love.

Even more, it contains some interesting historical and liturgical information about the Blessed Trinity:
Our predecessor Innocent XII, absolutely refused the petition of those who desired a special festival in honor 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 honored according to His Divine Nature alone. And even the Feast of Pentecost was instituted in the earliest times, not simply to honor 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... (Divinum Illud Munus, n. 3)

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