I am with you always
"Jesus said to his disciples: 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you for ever.'" [John 14:15-16]
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." [John 15:26]
"Jesus ordered the disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said. 'You heard from me; for John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'" [Acts 1:4-5]
"When the day of Pentecost arrived, the Apostles were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." [Acts 2:1-2,4b]
"O God, who have brought us to rebirth by the word of life,
pour out upon us your Holy Spirit,
that, walking in oneness of faith, we may attain in our flesh
the incorruptible glory of the resurrection."
[Roman Missal, Prayer after the Third Reading for the Vigil of the Mystery of Pentecost]
"On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again,
'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me,
even so I am sending you.'
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
'Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any,
they are forgiven them;
if you withhold forgiveness for any,
it is withheld.'" [John 20:19-23]
"Jesus said:
'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him
and make our home with him.
These things I have spoken to you
while I am still with you.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
he will teach you all things
and bring to your remembrance
all that I have said to you.'" [John 14:23,25]
"Thus says the Lord:
'I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old shall dream dreams,
and your young shall see visions.
And it shall come to pass
that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD
shall be saved." [Joel 2:28,32]
"The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. It is He who explains to the faithful the deep meaning of the teaching of Jesus and of His mystery. It is the Holy Spirit who, today just as at the beginning of the Church, acts in every evangelizer who allows himself to be possessed and led by Him. The Holy Spirit places on his lips the words which he could not find by himself, and at the same time the Holy Spirit predisposes the soul of the hearer to be open and receptive to the Good News and to the kingdom being proclaimed." ["Evangelii Nuntiandi", 75 ]
"The Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God." [Romans 8:26-27]
Evangelii Nuntiandi ("In Proclaiming the Gospel")
Apostolic Exhortation, Pope Paul VI, 8th December 1975
© The Holy See
​​
75. Evangelization will never be possible without the action of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit descends on Jesus of Nazareth at the moment of His baptism when the voice of the Father- "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased"[Matthew 3:17]- manifests in an external way the election of Jesus and His mission. Jesus is "led by the Spirit" to experience in the desert the decisive combat and the supreme test before beginning this mission.[Matthew 4:1] It is "in the power of the Spirit"[Luke 4:14] that He returns to Galilee and begins His preaching at Nazareth, applying to Himself the passage of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." And He proclaims: "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled."[Luke 4:21] To the disciples whom He was about to send forth He says, breathing on them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."[John 20:22]
In fact, it is only after the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost that the apostles depart to all the ends of the earth in order to begin the great work of the Church's evangelization. Peter explains this event as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel: "I will pour out my spirit."[Acts 2:17] Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit so that he can speak to the people about Jesus, the Son of God.[cf. Acts 4:8] Paul too is filled with the Holy Spirit[cf. Acts 9:17] before dedicating himself to his apostolic ministry, as is Stephen when he is chosen for the ministry of service and later on for the witness of blood.[cf. Acts 6:5,10; 7:55] The Spirit, who causes Peter, Paul and the Twelve to speak, and who inspires the words that they are to utter, also comes down "on those who heard the word."[Acts 10:44]
It is in the "consolation of the Holy Spirit" that the Church increases.[Acts 9:31] The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. It is He who explains to the faithful the deep meaning of the teaching of Jesus and of His mystery. It is the Holy Spirit who, today just as at the beginning of the Church, acts in every evangelizer who allows himself to be possessed and led by Him. The Holy Spirit places on his lips the words which he could not find by himself, and at the same time the Holy Spirit predisposes the soul of the hearer to be open and receptive to the Good News and to the kingdom being proclaimed.
The most perfect preparation of the evangelizer has no effect without the Holy Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit the most convincing dialectic has no power over the heart of man.
Without Him the most highly developed schemas resting on a sociological or psychological basis are quickly seen to be quite valueless.
You can access the full Exhortation on the Vatican website:
​Evangelii Gaudium ("The Joy of the Gospel")
Apostolic Exhortation on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today's World - Pope Francis, 2013
​© The Holy See
​​
CHAPTER II - AMID THE CRISIS OF COMMUNAL COMMITMENT
50. Before taking up some basic questions related to the work of evangelization, it may be helpful to mention briefly the context in which we all have to live and work. Today, we frequently hear of a “diagnostic overload” which is not always accompanied by improved and actually applicable methods of treatment. Nor would we be well served by a purely sociological analysis which would aim to embrace all of reality by employing an allegedly neutral and clinical method. What I would like to propose is something much more in the line of an evangelical discernment. It is the approach of a missionary disciple, an approach “nourished by the light and strength of the Holy Spirit”.[John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation "Pastores Dabo" ("I will give you shepherds"), 25 March 1992, 10]
259 Spirit-filled evangelizers means evangelizers fearlessly open to the working of the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, the Spirit made the apostles go forth from themselves and turned them into heralds of God’s wondrous deeds, capable of speaking to each person in his or her own language. The Holy Spirit also grants the courage to proclaim the newness of the Gospel with boldness (parrhesía) in every time and place, even when it meets with opposition. Let us call upon him today, firmly rooted in prayer, for without prayer all our activity risks being fruitless and our message empty. Jesus wants evangelizers who proclaim the good news not only with words, but above all by a life transfigured by God’s presence.
260 In this final chapter, I do not intend to offer a synthesis of Christian spirituality, or to explore great themes like prayer, Eucharistic adoration or the liturgical celebration of the faith. For all these we already have valuable texts of the magisterium and celebrated writings by great authors. I do not claim to replace or improve upon these treasures. I simply wish to offer some thoughts about the spirit of the new evangelization.
261 Whenever we say that something is “spirited”, it usually refers to some interior impulse which encourages, motivates, nourishes and gives meaning to our individual and communal activity. Spirit-filled evangelization is not the same as a set of tasks dutifully carried out despite one’s own personal inclinations and wishes. How I long to find the right words to stir up enthusiasm for a new chapter of evangelization full of fervour, joy, generosity, courage, boundless love and attraction! Yet I realize that no words of encouragement will be enough unless the fire of the Holy Spirit burns in our hearts. A spirit-filled evangelization is one guided by the Holy Spirit, for he is the soul of the Church called to proclaim the Gospel... I invoke the Holy Spirit. I implore him to come and renew the Church, to stir and impel her to go forth boldly to evangelize all peoples.
You can access the full Exhortation on the Vatican website:
​Lumen gentium ("The Light of Nations")
Dogmatic Constitution on the Nature of the Church, from the Second Vatican Council
​© The Holy See
​​
CHAPTER I - THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH
4 When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth (cf. John 17:4) was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that He might continually sanctify the Church, and thus, all those who believe would have access through Christ in one Spirit to the Father.(cf. Ephesians 1:18) He is the Spirit of Life, a fountain of water springing up to life eternal.(cf. John 4:14; 7:38-39) To men, dead in sin, the Father gives life through Him, until, in Christ, He brings to life their mortal bodies.(cf. Romans 8:10-11) The Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful, as in a temple.(cf. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19) In them He prays on their behalf and bears witness to the fact that they are adopted sons.(cf. Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:15-16, 26) The Church, which the Spirit guides in way of all truth(cf. John 16:13) and which He unified in communion and in works of ministry, He both equips and directs with hierarchical and charismatic gifts and adorns with His fruits.(cf. Ephesians 1:11-12; 1 Corinthians 12:4; Galatians 5:22) By the power of the Gospel He makes the Church keep the freshness of youth. Uninterruptedly He renews it and leads it to perfect union with its Spouse. The Spirit and the Bride both say to Jesus, the Lord, "Come!"(cf. Revelation 22:17)
CHAPTER III - ON THE HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH
19 The Lord Jesus, after praying to the Father, calling to Himself those whom He desired, appointed twelve to be with Him, and whom He would send to preach the Kingdom of God;(Mark 3:13-19; Matthew 10:1-42) and these apostles(Luke 6:13) He formed after the manner of a college or a stable group, over which He placed Peter chosen from among them.(John 21:15-17) He sent them first to the children of Israel and then to all nations,(Romans 1:16) so that as sharers in His power they might make all peoples His disciples, and sanctify and govern them,(cf. Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45-48; John 20:21-23.) and thus spread His Church, and by ministering to it under the guidance of the Lord, direct it all days even to the consummation of the world.(cf. Matthew 28:20) And in this mission they were fully confirmed on the day of Pentecost(cf. Acts 2:1-26) in accordance with the Lord's promise: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and even to the very ends of the earth".(Acts 1:8) And the apostles, by preaching the Gospel everywhere,(cf. Mark 16:20) and it being accepted by their hearers under the influence of the Holy Spirit, gather together the universal Church, which the Lord established on the apostles and built upon blessed Peter, their chief, Christ Jesus Himself being the supreme cornerstone.(cf. Revelation 21:14; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20.)
CHAPTER V - THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS IN THE CHURCH
42 "God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God and God in Him".(1 John 4:16) But, God pours out his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us;(cf. Romans 5:5) thus the first and most necessary gift is love, by which we love God above all things and our neighbour because of God. Indeed, in order that love, as good seed may grow and bring forth fruit in the soul, each one of the faithful must willingly hear the Word of God and accept His Will, and must complete what God has begun by their own actions with the help of God's grace. These actions consist in the use of the sacraments and in a special way the Eucharist, frequent participation in the sacred action of the Liturgy, application of oneself to prayer, self-abnegation, lively fraternal service and the constant exercise of all the virtues. For charity, as the bond of perfection and the fullness of the law,(Colossians 3:14; Romans 13:10) rules over all the means of attaining holiness and gives life to these same means. It is charity which guides us to our final end. It is the love of God and the love of one's neighbour which points out the true disciple of Christ.