The Wind of the Spirit Upon Benedict

So have you been reading the homilies and speeches of our new Pope Benedict XVI? It is a joy to live in this time, this new springtime of the Church. From his first address after his election, he has uttered with a musical eloquence a beautiful outline of the figure of the Church--an ecclesiology of great beauty and radiance. For example, listen to his words, spoken on the Solemnity of Sts Peter & Paul: "The aim of the mission is a humanity that has itself become a living glorification of God, the true worship that God expects. This is the most profound meaning of catholicity--a catholicity that has already been given to us and toward which we must continue to orient ourselves. Catholicity does not express only a horizontal dimension, the coming together of many people in unity; it also expresses a vertical dimension: only by turning our gaze to God, only by opening ourselves to Him can we truly become only one." Listen to each phrase! We can hear the breath of the Holy Spirit singing and breathing through them--a living glorification of God, horizontal and vertical, many people in unity, turning our gaze to God. Listen--and let's live it!