Editing and writing to integrate the Classics, 1990s theology, spirituality, and the present. Includes scripture reflections and hagiographical studies to encourage prayer & work for peace and the common good. Books, resources, and additional references for these blog posts: at Librarything.com & cited websites. Posts published in 2025 integrate AI-enabled responses from ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini.
In Western Christianity, the least written about among the three persons of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. However, during preparation of the Jubilee year in 2000 A.D., the year 1998 was dedicated to the person of the Holy Spirit. There is a lot of books and resources that were written on the Holy Spirit during that time. Some of these resources are included in the list given below.
The Wellspring of Love: 30 Days Reflections on the Person of the Holy Spirit [this is an unpublished booklet that was prepared for the year 1998 A.D. in preparation for the Jubilee Year of 2000] written by Rev. Fr. Jose M. Dimaculangan
Spiritual Gifts by Stephen B. Clark
In the Power of the Spirit: Effective Catholic Evangelization by Kevin M. Ranaghan
Still Riding the Wind: Learning the Ways of the Spirit by George T. Montague, S.M.
Resting in the Spirit by Fr. Robert Degrandis
The Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life...prepared by the Theological Commission for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000
The Spirit is Lord and Gives Life...prepared by the Pastoral-Missionary Commission of the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000
The Spirit Broods Over the World by George A. Maloney, SJ
The Holy Spirit Acting in Our Souls by Alexis Riaud
Rebirth in the Holy Spirit by Blessed Elena Guerra
The Acts of the Apostles: A Collegeville Bible Commentary by William S. Kurz
The Gift of God the Holy Spirit by Andrew Apostoli, CFR
Lord and Giver of Life, Dominum et Vivificantem, Encyclical of John Paul II written May 30, 1986
Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration
Leobinus, bishop
Eutychius, martyr
Matilda, widow [1]
St. Leobinus (d. ca. 558 A.D.) worked at the monastery at Noailles and became a hermit with St. Avitus, before entering an abbey near Lyons in France. When raiders attacked this abbey, he was tortured so that he would reveal the treasures of the abbey. He was left almost dead by the raiders but he recovered and rejoined St. Avitus at Le Perche. After the death of St. Avitus, he continued living as a hermit.
Leobinus was eventually ordained and made abbot of Brou. But he resigned to become a monk at Lerins. He returned to Brou at the advice of St. Caesarius. Soon after, he was appointed bishop of Chartres where he instituted reforms and participated in two councils: one at Orleans and the other at Paris. St. Leobinus died on March 14 after a long illness [2].
Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [March 14]
Benedict, Abbot
St. Alexander of Pidna, Priest-Martyr
Today, March 14, the Russian Orthodox Church commemorates St. Benedict of Nursia, abbot. Also commemorated today is St. Alexander of Pidna, Priest-Martyr.
St. Alexander of Pidna was a priest of Pidna, near Thessalonica in Greece. He converted many pagans to the Christian faith, and suffered torture and martyrdom through beheading, during the persecution of Christians in the reign of Emperor Galerius [3].
References: Books, Websites & AI Search Results
[1] Pocket Catholic Dictionary, John A. Hardon
[2] Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney
[3] AI Overview for search query, "st alexander of pidna", Google.com, March 14, 2025
When the "Signs of the Times" become the "Signs are in the Times"
When the Christian faith began among the early communities in the early centuries, everything was perceived and lived as a whole - with theology and spirituality, doctrine and prayer all integrated in the life of the believers. This synthesis was strengthened by the Cappadocians (St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory Nazianzen, and St. Gregory of Nyssa) in the East, and St. Augustine of Hippo in the West. This integration and synthesis continued on into the Medieval times through the Dominican St. Thomas of Aquinas and the Franciscan St. Bonaventure.
As the Catholic faith developed further, the synthesis of theology and the spirituality of prayer began to weaken sometime before the beginning of the Eastern Schism of 1054 A.D. It became even more pronounced during and after the Protestant Reformation. What contributed to this weakening were two trends that "compartmentalized" the faith into theology on one side, and prayer and spirituality on the other. It also contributed to the eventual "forgetfulness" of the significance of the Holy Spirit.
The two trends
First of the trends was the division of dogmatic theology and spiritual theology. The former concentrated on the Church's dogmatic and doctrinal formulations, while the latter (spiritual theology) concerned itself with prayer and the individual Christian's relationship with God.
The second trend consisted in the increasing institutionalization within the Church herself. This created a division between the ecclesiastical members of the Church (the clergy and religious) who are concerned with things of the Spirit, and the lay faithful, who are relegated to temporal and secular concerns.
With the development of these two trends, understanding and living the faith since it was lived as a whole in the early centuries was lost. What was also lost was the full biblical vision of the Holy Spirit as One who renews both the Church, and all things pertaining to secular and temporal realities in the world.
Vatican II's contribution
With the charismatic movement flourishing in the 1960s A.D. and the eventual reformulation of the faith through the Second Vatican Council, the Church began to recapture again the deeper sense of tradition rooted in biblical experience and the teachings of the early Church councils. The Council is aptly described as "a grace of God and a gift of the Holy Spirit". Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Second Vatican Council has begun to integrate once more both experience and doctrine, Church and the world, and the clergy and the lay faithful.
A renewed sense of the Spirit in the world
Vatican II made the Church aware again that the Holy Spirit is present in the world - transforming it and renewing all of life. Because of this renewed understanding and perception, the Church again renewed her responsibility to respond to the needs of the world. Looking at the 'signs of the times', the Church now involves all her members, both clergy and lay faithful, to be actually involved in responsibly taking care of the earth and respecting all forms of life in all its stages.
A world in travail (Rom 8:22ff)
In the time of St. Paul, this holy apostle and missionary already sensed that "the whole creation is still groaning in travail". At the dawn of the third millenium, everyone can sense that what St. Paul said still rings true today. Creation indeed is still groaning in travail as global climactic changes have greatly affected many parts of the world. This reality is causing a renewal of faith in God as the author of all creation. As the Church aptly teaches that we are in the "age of the Spirit", it is but fitting to seek the Holy Spirit who "helps us in our weakness" and "who dost the tongue with power imbue" - especially in these uncertain climatic upheavals.
Sources of this blog post
Dictionary of Theology, by editors Komonchak, Collins, and Lane
