Dominum et Vivificantem
Dominum et Vivificantem (Latin (to) the Lord and Giver of Life ) from May 18, 1986 is the fifth encyclical of Pope John Paul II , it has the subtitle: "On the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and the world". At the same time, he pays tribute to Pope Leo XIII's almost one hundred year old encyclical Divinum illud munus . dated May 9, 1897.
Three big chapters
In the greeting and introduction, the Pope addresses the original source of faith in the Holy Spirit . He points out that “this faith, which the Church continuously professes, must be revived and deepened again and again in the consciousness of the people of God. This has happened several times in the last hundred years: from Leo XIII, who published the encyclical " Divinum illud munus " (1897), which is entirely dedicated to the Holy Spirit, to Pius XII., Who wrote the encyclical " Mystici corporis ”(1943) refers to the Holy Spirit as the life principle of the Church, in which he works together with Christ, the head of the mystical body; to the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, which indicated the need to revisit the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, as Paul VI did. emphasized when he said: 'The Christology and above all the ecclesiology of the Council must now be followed by a new study and a new veneration of the Holy Spirit, just as a necessary complement to the honor of the Council.' "
This letter could not exhaust the extremely rich teaching of the Holy Spirit; But this would not offer a solution to open questions either; It is primarily intended to develop in the Church the awareness "that it is driven by the Holy Spirit to cooperate that the counsel of God, who ordered Christ as the origin of salvation for the whole world, is actually carried out" .
First chapter
This chapter is entitled “The Spirit of the Father and the Son, a gift to the Church” , in it John Paul II wants to explain how the unity of God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit is founded. At the same time he establishes the connection to the church: Standing under the protection of the Holy Spirit, the church receives a great gift. The sending of the Holy Spirit was announced by the risen Christ with the words “Receive the Holy Spirit” and is reflected in the time of the Church.
second chapter
In this chapter, which he headlines with the words “The Spirit who convicts the world of its sin” , the Pope deals with sin and righteousness . He describes the testimony of the day of Pentecost and leads back to the original sin, which was transformed into saving love by the Holy Spirit .
third chapter
The last chapter is about the "spirit that gives life" . He sets out the reason for the 2000 Jubilee and points to the grace of the Spirit. He also explains how the Holy Spirit is to be understood and understood in man's inner conflict in order to then enter into the church and intimate union with God.
Appreciation
With this encyclical, the pneumatology of the Second Vatican Council was already aligned with the Holy Year 2000. The reason given for the jubilee is that grace appeared in Christ, “received from the Holy Spirit”. This Spirit and the Church as the bride of Christ await the return of the Lord and would pray: Maranatha , come.
