The Holy Spirit's Coming: Let's Get Ready

The Church is nearing the feast of Pentecost. We can tell because the readings for each Sunday are becoming more explicit in their mention of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is preparing to leave his disciples to return to his father. This great discourse in John's gospel that we've been meditating on for the last several weeks is leading us now to focus our reflection on the presence of the Holy Spirit.

In today's gospel, we hear the promise of Jesus to his 11 disciples (Judas had left by now). "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" (John 14:26). This promise takes on two layers of reality in the Church, or two levels of interaction. First, we cannot forget the context in which Jesus is saying these words. He is speaking directly to the 11 here, not to the entire community of disciples. These are his final words to those who would be leading his Church once he ascends to the Father.

These 11 were given this teaching authority. It's throughout the gospels. Jesus gave the authority to teach to these disciples whom he called (Mark 3:13-19). He sent them out over and over again as his representatives, in his person (In Persona Christi). They are the ones especially endowed with the gift to teach his message without error. These readings that we are hearing are the foundation for the teaching of the infallibility of the Pope and College of Bishops. The Apostles were given the authority to teach infallibly the message of our Lord. We see this acted out in a very real way in the first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles. The reading today is an edited version of the story we've been hearing in the daily readings for Mass throughout this week.

The argument arose in the early Church about whether the Gentile converts had to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law in order to be Christian. As you can imagine, the Gentiles weren't crazy about this idea! The Apostles came together, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, gave the teaching that Gentile Christians only had to abstain from illicit marriage, not eat meat that had been sacrficed to idols, and avoid eating meat with blood in it.

The authority of the apostles was handed on to those who would come after them. There is passage after passage in the letters of Paul and James and Peter that describe the passing on of full Apostolic Authority to the Successors of the Apostles, including the authority to teach infallibly. This infallibility must be properly understood, however.

It's actually a misnomer to call it the "Infallibility of the Pope and College of Bishops." It is not the pope and college of bishops who are infallible. It is the teaching they offer that is infallible. The teaching is what is without error, not the teachers. The second thing to remember is that this gift of infallibility is contained to teachings of faith and morality. This why the Galileo debaucle happened. The pope and bishops attempted to impose their teaching on a matter of science. That's outside of their realm of infallibility, and it was proven. We see, however, throughout the history of the Church, that no matter how corrupt the pope or hierarchy may have been, we've never seen them pronounce a teaching of heresy. This is how we account for terrible things like the priest sex abuse scandal. The movement of these priests was not a matter of faith or morality, but an administrative decision. The pope and college of bishops can be in error adminstratively and scientifically. When acting in concert with one another, however, as the Successors of the Apostles, their teachings in matters of faith and morality are infallible.

This is the first level of this gospel reading: the authority of the Apostles (and their Successors) to teach infallibly.

The second layer is this: the promise and gift of the Holy Spirit is given to each of us individually, to guide us in our own private lives. You are temple of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately the presence of the Holy Spirit is a return to the original order of creation, when the Spirit of God was breathed into the first man, and brought him to life. More on this on Pentecost Sunday.

The Holy Spirit is coming! Actually, the Holy Spirit is already with us. We're going to begin a series over the next few Sundays reflecting on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is very important, however, not to lose the importance of the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church. We follow the teachings of faith and morality of the Pope and the College of Bishops. Preparing for the Holy Spirit's presence in our personal lives means also recognizing the power of the Holy Spirit in those who lead us in faith.