A LONGTIME theology professor of St. John’s Seminary once gave a homily that struck me. He said that in his forty years of teaching the dogmas of the Catholic Church and serving as a priest, he has seen how the Holy Spirit has played a big part in the life of the church. “Dogmas are important,” he said, “but we can never underestimate how the Holy Spirit can lead us to a deeper understanding of the truth of our faith and how this truth should affect the church and the lives of our people.”
This happened in the ministry of the apostles during the early period of the church. As Paul and his fellow missionaries gained success in converting Gentiles to become Christians, the question of imposing the Mosaic law of circumcision on the Gentile churches arose. To resolve this issue, Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles and elders. After some time, the apostles and elders decided to send representatives along with Paul and Barnabas to the Gentile churches to give them this answer:
“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats and strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right” (Act 15:28-29).
Indeed, the Holy Spirit enlightened the minds of the apostles and gave them wisdom on how to deal with the issues of the growing church. This was a testimony to what Jesus has promised: “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (John 14:26-27).
Today the Catholic Church is dealing with many issues that affect the lives of Catholic Christians around the globe such as same sex marriage, family breakdown, abortion, death penalty, sexual abuse, differences in liturgical viewpoints among clergy and faithful, the role of Church in politics, and scandals in the Vatican Curia. It is our hope and desire that the Holy Spirit continues to guide the Catholic Church in its stand with these challenging issues.
One big manifestation of the present and power of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church is the leadership of Pope Francis. There is no doubt in many faithful Catholics that the Holy Spirit guided the College of Bishops in the election of the Cardinal of Argentina to be the pope in these challenging times. As many people say, including those who are not Catholics, Pope Francis is the best thing that has happened today in the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis’s groundbreaking new document “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”) is absolutely the work of the Holy Spirit. The well-known Jesuit writer, Fr. James Martin, gives a review of the pope’s document in America, The National Catholic Review. He says that the document “asks the church to meet people where they are, to consider the complexities of people’s lives and to respect people’s consciences when it comes to moral decision. The apostolic exhortation is mainly a document that reflects on family life and encourages families. But it is also a reminder that the church should avoid simply judging people and imposing rules on them without considering struggles.”
Fr. James Martin, S.J. delineates ten things to know about the pope’s groundbreaking document:
• The Church needs to understand families and individuals in all their complexity. So pastors are to “avoid judgments which do not take into account the complexity of various situations” (296).
• The role of conscience is paramount in moral decision making. “Individual conscience needs to be better incorporated into the church’s practices in certain situations which do not objectively embody our understanding of marriage” (303).
• Divorced and remarried Catholics need to be more fully integrated into the church. “They are not excommunicated and should not be treated as such, since they remain part” of the church (243).
• All members of the family need to be encouraged to live good Christian lives. Good marriage is a “dynamic process” and that each side has to put up with imperfections. “Love does not have to be perfect for us to value it” (122, 113).
• We should no longer talk about people “living in sin.” “It can no longer be simply said that all those living in any ‘irregular situation’ are living in a state of mortal sin” (301).
• What might work in one place may not work in another. “Each country or region…can seek solutions better suited to its culture and sensitive to its traditions and local needs” (3).
• Traditional teachings on marriage are affirmed, but the church should not burden people with unrealistic expectations. To that end, seminarians and priests need to be better trained to understand the complexities of married lives. “Ordained ministers often lack the training needed to deal with the complex problems currently facing families” (202).
• Children must be educated in sex and sexuality within the “broader framework of an education for love and mutual self-giving” (280).
• Gay men and women should be respected. Families with LGBT members need “respectful pastoral guidance” from church and its pastors so that gays and lesbians can fully carry out God’s will in their lives” (250).
• All are welcome. The family is an absolutely essential part of the church, because after all, the church is a “family of families” (80).
May the Holy Spirit, through the leadership and wisdom of Pope Francis, continue to guide the Catholic Church in leading its people and the whole world to live just, merciful, and decent lives!
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
