Pneumatology: A Foundation for the Church's Unity, Sacraments, and Laity

Pneumatology As the Foundation for the Church’s Unity, Sacraments, and Laity

            Prior to both the aftermath of World War II and the gathering of the Second Vatican Council in the mid-twentieth century, the Catholic Church did not connect its ecclesial mystery with the Trinity of God, most specifically with the Holy Spirit. There was a distinct emphasis on God, the Father, as the One who deemed the Church into existence to continue the work of the Son. The Holy Spirit was considered “forgotten” and simply remembered at Pentecost and Confirmation (McBrien 49). Later, after the Second Vatican Council convened and the years following its gathering, then the term “pneumatology,” the study of the Holy Spirit, began to fuse itself into the way Catholic theology and ecclesiology developed further. This study should have been emphasized much earlier on in the Church pre-World War II and Second Vatican Council.

The Spirit in Context of the Word

The mystery of the Trinity, three persons in one God, became more apparent within the context of the Word of God. In Ephesians 1:4-5,10, the Father gathered “all the just” in the universal Church and entrusted it to the Son in order to “restore all things”. Later, in Ephesians 2:18, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to sanctify the Church so that the faithful would be connected to the Father through the Son in one Spirit (McBrien 49). Therefore, the Holy Spirit and charismatic gifts give foundation to the apostolic understanding of the ecclesial mystery. Through a deeper study and understanding of the Spirit’s role, one may see the personal relationship between the Church and the Spirit as expressed through the unity of the Church, the sacraments, and the empowerment of laity.

The Spirit and the Unity of the Church

            First, the unity of the Church is seen through the connection between the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 2:21-22,  the whole structure of the Church is united and develops into a temple that is sacred in the Lord and this dwelling space is built in the Spirit. Furthermore, Jesus himself identified with this specific temple in John 2:19 and the Communal Body of Christ/the Church is the “new” temple as seen in 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16-17 (McBrien 53). This connection between the Body of Christ and The Temple of the Holy Spirit demonstrates the  ecclesial mystery of the Church so it can be understood as a true union between Christian bodies. It is a discovery of kinship between sisters and brothers of Jesus who have become aware of this unity through the Spirit. Because the Church has the oneness of the Trinity, there is a mutual communion between the Three Persons of God and with the faithful Church (Dulles 138-139). As a unified body, the Church is seen as a community of disciples filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit all together (McBrien 55). This is the essence of unity through the Holy Spirit’s involvement.

The Spirit and the Gifts of the Sacraments

            Second, if the Church is to be successful in its efforts to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world and understand what the Spirit is saying, she needs to be empowered, nourished, and sustained by the sacraments. The Church acknowledges the special charismatic gift of the sacrament of Confirmation because it is a direct gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift acts as a beacon of strength to allow its recipient to give true, evangelical witness to their faith within the Church and in the Kingdom of God. Second Vatican Council references this understanding of Confirmation through the perfect bond between the Church and the strength of the Spirit. This is what creates true witnesses of Christ and spread the faith through word and deed (Tkacik and McGonigle 61-62).

            Additionally, Pope John Paul II referenced the Church itself as a sacrament of salvation. He often quoted from the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Church and noted how the Church is a type of sacrament of the unity of children with God and with one another in God. (Dulles 226). The Church is a universal sacrament of salvation and it is an apparent sign and instrument of the grace that saves and sanctifies humanity and brings them into a genuine spiritual unity with God. This sacramentality is linked to the Holy Spirit and Christ because the Church is impacted by the lifegiving actions of the Spirit. Through this power of the Spirit, Christ acts in the Church in a way to make it His own body (Dulles 227). Truly this sacramental gift is a sign of how the Spirit and its charismatic gifts moves the faithful to be servant leaders in the world.

The Spirit and the Empowerment of Laity

            Third, the ecclesial mystery is primarily reflective within the empowerment of the laity. Through the sacrament of Baptism, the lay faithful are connected to the risen Christ and receive His outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that lay Christians are entrusted with the apostolate by God through the virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation that they have the right and duty to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known globally. This gift given to the laity by the Holy Spirit has always empowered them to fulfill the Church’s mission even during the decline of vocations to the priesthood within the twenty-first century (Tkacik and McGonigle 126-127).

The Christian community of each generation is called to receive the apostolic tradition through the assistance of the Holy Spirit because of the evolving and changing needs of the Church is diverse cultural, gender, and social situations. The Holy Spirit is asking for there to be a recovery of the true vision of Spirit-filled Christian communities where the pneumatic gifts of  the laity are fully appreciated along with the pneumatic gifts of the clergy. This empowerment of the laity serves the mission of the Church because they share in this ministry with the clergy. This is a life-giving gift for all within the apostolic communities of the New Testament. Together the laity and clergy express diverse ministries in which the Holy Spirit preserves (Tkacik and McGonigle 129-130). This makes complete sense as the Church of modern day faces a variety of issues forcing a sense of revision, evolution, and positive transformation while still maintaining its duty to be the hands and feet of Jesus within the world.

Facing Modern World Challenges through the Spirit’s Intervention

The magnitude of Pneumatology and its impact upon the Church is evident through such aspects of unity, sacraments, and laity. In this manner, the apostolic/Catholic understanding of the ecclesial mystery is better understood. This understanding is much needed in the issue-stricken world of today. Pope Francis in his interview, A Big Heart Open to God, noted that when there are conversations between the people and the bishops and the pope travels that road genuinely and willingly, then the work of the Holy Spirt is seen. In this way, there is an openness and willingness to listen to others (Gaillardetz and Hahnenberg 101). What an incredible way to become and embrace the premise of a true synodal Church.

Elizabeth Johnson, a feminist theologian, considered the discipline necessary for this active listening, which is prompted by the Spirit, to take place. She notes that there is brokenness and sin everywhere—especially within the roles of gender and laity. However, the Spirit-Sophia is the source of transformational energy among all of humanity. This initiates newness and change to transform what is considered “dead” into new stretches of life (Gaillardetz and Hahnenberg 136). With hope-filled certainty, the Spirit is not “forgotten,” but a crucial part of the foundation of true unity, holiness, and catholicity within the Church. It provides hope, strength, grace, talent, and empowerment in an ever-changing, challenging world while maintaining the dignity, beauty, and loving nature of the Kingdom of God and its gift of salvation to its faithful sisters and brothers.

 Works Cited

Dulles, S.J., Avery. Models of the Church, expanded edition. New York: Doubleday, 2002.

Gaillardetz, Richard R. and Edward P. Hahnenberg, Editors. A Church With Open

             Doors: Catholic Ecclesiology for the Third Millenium. Collegeville:  Liturgical Press, 2015.

McBrien, Richard P. The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism. New York: HarperCollins

            Publishers, 2009.

Tkacik, Michael J. and Thomas M. McGonigle, O.P. Pneumatic Correctives: What is the Spirit

            Saying to the Church of the 21st Century? Lanham: University Press of America, 2006.