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The Age of the Holy Spirit
Pastoral Letter by His Excellency
Paul Tchang-Ryeol Kim
Bishop of the Cheju Diocese, Korea
Easter Sunday * 1999
+ Praise Jesus
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord! I extend my heartfelt
greetings to eachand every one of you on this great feast of the
Lord'sResurrection.
I would like to convey to you a strong inspiration that Ireceived
from the Lordduring this Lent, which is the time for preparing for
Easter Sunday andthe Easter season. I think that it will be the
best Paschal giftthat I can give you to write this letter and,
thereby, help youmeditate on the profound meaning of the Easter
season whichbegins on Easter Sunday, continues on through the Feast
of the Ascension,and ends on Pentecost. I feel much joy in having
this opportunityto reveal to you the profound mystery of what
happened on thePentecost, which marked the grand finale of the
Easter season,because I have never issued a pastoral letter on the
Pentecost.
THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS THE GRAND FINALE
OF THE PASCHAL CELEBRATION
Dear brothers and sisters! First, let us listen to St. Paulthe
Apostle: If theSpirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you,the one who raised Christ from the dead will give
life to yourmortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in
you (Romans8:11). From these words, we can tell that the Holy
Spirit who wasinvolved in the Resurrection of Jesus will also be
involved in ourown resurrection. Therefore, it is necessary that
the Holy Spirittake us as his own for us to be able to celebrate
the Resurrectionof Jesus properly and to actually receive the grace
of salvation thatcomes from His Resurrection (cf. Romans 4:25).
After His resurrection, Jesus left us. During my childhood, Iused
to feel muchsadness when any of my family or relatives who had been
staying with uswere leaving. I was standing sadly, watching them
leave, until theydisappeared from my sight. After they left, I
continued missingthem for some time. When I meditate on the event
of Jesus comingto this world and leaving it, I sometimes share the
feeling ofsadness that the Apostles must have felt when they were
lookingabsent-mindedly at the sky even after the Lord disappeared
from their sight.One might think how wonderful it would have been
if Jesus did notascend into Heaven after the Resurrection but
continued to liveon earth. However, if that happened, there would
not have been anyPentecost.
What would have been the consequence? The Lord'swork of
salvation wouldhave become fruitless and every work that He
accomplishedwould have become useless. The Church
and theSacraments would have been powerless. Jesus allowed
us to call HisFather our Father, but we could not have felt or served Him as
our Father.Besides, we could not have truly accepted Jesus as our
Lord or Savior,either. We would have been leading our life of faith
like the Apostlesduring the forty days before the Pentecost, seeing
the resurrectedJesus occasionally. Fortunately for us, however, the
Holy Spirit cameto this world and took it as His own after Jesus
had merited thesalvation for us and left. This is what Jesus had
predicted beforeHis departure from the world. He even explained the
reason by sayingthat it would be better for us if He left, and that
the Paracletewould not come if He did not leave. He also gave us
the pledge thatthe Paraclete whom He will ask the Father to send us
would remain withus forever (cf. John 16:7, 14:16).
Now we can see that it is through the Holy Spirit that Jesuswill
remain with usuntil the end of the world. We can see that Jesus
sent us the HolySpirit that we may not suffer from the sorrows of
orphans whilewaiting for His return which He promised by saying: I
will not leaveyou orphans. I will come to you (John 14:18). We can
also understandthe reason why the Holy Spirit is called the
Paraclete. Wealso acquire a deep understanding that as the Father
Himself did notcome as the Savior but accomplished that work
through the Son,the Son handed over to the Holy Spirit the work of
accomplishingsalvation, which He earned, in individual humans.
Truly Jesus gave us the revelations on the new life andopened the
way for us toattain it, but did not accomplish it Himself.
Completion andaccomplishment come with the Holy Spirit, the
Paraclete. TheHoly Spirit will continue the work of Jesus and
spread it to theentire world.
A visionary who lived in the 12th Century (Joachim of Fiore)
classified thehistory of salvation into three ages: the age of the
Father, the ageof the Son, and the age of the Spirit. The age of
the Father wassucceeded by the age of the Son, which in turn has
been succeeded bythe age of the Spirit. He predicted that the third
period, namely,the age of the Holy Spirit would be the climax of
the history ofsalvation. Of course, the entire work of salvation is
a common work bythe three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity.
The work of salvation does not just belong to the Father andthe Son
but to theFather, the Son and the Holy Spirit. By the action of the
Holy Spirit, oursalvation and the life of Christianity can reach
their peak.Therefore, we cannot regard as groundless the words of
that visionarythat the age of the Holy Spirit would be the climax
of salvation.
THE SIGNS OF THE AGE OF THE SECOND PENTECOST
The Second Vatican Council was an important council forseveral
reasons. I thinkthe major significance of this Council can be found
in that itprovided momentum for the Second Pentecost. Soon after
his installation,Pope John XXIII received a revelation that the
Church neededreform. It was this revelation that brought about the
opening of theSecond Vatican Council. As he was summoning the new
Council, the Popeoffered a special prayer for the grace of a new
descent of theHoly Spirit. He invoked fervently a new descent of
the Holy Spiritas another Pentecost so that the Church, which had
become stagnant,lost vitality, become rigidified, and lost fervor,
might restorevitality, vigor and warmth. God has granted the Pope
his ferventrequest. It could not have been otherwise, because it
was God Himselfwho gave the revelation to the Pope. This was how
the SecondVatican Council became a council of the Holy Spirit.
After the conclusion of the Council of the Holy Spirit, theChurch
revised themissal before anything else. The Roman Canon with its
long history hadbeen considered unchangeable. But after the Council
it began to becalled the Eucharistic Prayer instead. Besides, three
new forms ofprayer were added. More important than the addition of
three new formsof prayers was the fact that the prayer for the Holy
Spirit wasincluded both before and after the consecration. The
prayer before theconsecration is called the prayer for the
consecration, andthe one after is called the prayer for unity. The
prayer for theconsecration is as follows: We ask you to make them
holy by the powerof your Spirit, that they may become the body and
blood of yourSon, our Lord Jesus Christ. And the prayer for unity
is as follows:Grant that we, who are nourished by his body and
blood, may befilled with his Holy Spirit, and become one body, one
spirit in Christ.As the Holy Spirit intervened when God the Son,
the Second Personof the Blessed Trinity and the Word, took human
flesh, He alsointervenes when bread and wine turn into the flesh
and blood of Godthe Son. We find the words of St. John Damascene in
Article 1106 ofthe Catechism of the Catholic Church:
You ask how the bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine the
Blood of Christ. I shall tell you: the Holy Spirit comes upon them
andaccomplishes what surpasses every word and thought. Let it be
enough for you to understand that it is by the Holy Spirit, just as
it was of the Holy Virgin and by the Holy Spirit that the Lord,
through and in himself took flesh (De fide orth, 4,13).
Thus, he who brings Jesus Christ to the altar is the HolySpirit.
Without the HolySpirit, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass cannot be
offered; nor canthe Eucharist be realized. Neither is unity among
God's people atall possible without the Holy Spirit. Unity through
Holy Communionwill not be possible without the Holy Spirit, either.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us reaffirm this truthat every
Mass and offerthe prayers. I do not hesitate to assert that this
liturgical reformwas the greatest innovation brought about by the
Second VaticanCouncil.
What I perceive in this liturgical reform is the profoundconnection
between the HolySpirit and the Holy Eucharist. When we look back at
our Churchhistory, we find times when the Holy Spirit was
neglected. Thosewere also the times when correct understanding of
and healthydevotion to the Holy Eucharist were lacking. As I
already mentionedin the pastoral letter on Christmas Day of 1994,
our Church hadseverely limited and suppressed Holy Communion by the
faithful and,thereby, made it difficult for them to maintain a
loving andlife-giving contact with Jesus Christ for more than 1,000
years until theend of the 19th Century. Only since the beginning of
the presentcentury have more frequent and even daily Communions
been encouraged,on the condition that proper preparations are made
before Communion.This was fortunate and to be congratulated and was
an epoch-makingreform for the life of the faithful. But the
conditions forreceiving Holy Communion were still difficult. To say
nothing of thespiritual preparation, the fasting which was required
as physicalpreparation involved a superhuman determination and
effort by today'sstandards. After the Second Vatican Council, the
requirement offasting became so lightened that one could say that
it was almostabolished. Furthermore, it has been allowed that one
receive Communionduring Mass twice on the same day. The contrast
between then andnow is so striking. I am inclined to say that such
liturgicalreforms have been the signs of approaching the Second
Pentecost. It isby the Holy Spirit that we realize through faith
the true presenceof Jesus among us and in our lives. I would also
like to emphasizethat such dramatic reform regarding the
Eucharisticdevotion has been the fruit of private revelations
received by holysouls.
We can find another sign of the Second Pentecost in thedocuments of
the SecondVatican Council. The Holy Spirit inspired the Fathers of
the Council toinclude a clear explanation of the relationship
between Him andthe Church and between Him and individual Christians
in the DogmaticConstitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium). In
Article 12 of theDogmatic Constitution on the Church, the Council
clearly teachesthat the Holy Spirit not only works through the
Sacraments andthe hierarchy but also bestows upon all members of
the Churchvarious graces including special charisms for the reform
and moreextensive growth of the Church; that the charisms should be
welcomed withgratitude and a feeling of consolation for the growth
of the Church;that decisions regarding the authenticity and good
use of thecharisms belong to those who govern the Church; and that
the pastors havethe responsibility not to extinguish the fire of
the Holy Spiritbut discern everything and keep what is good. This
same teaching isalso included in Article 3 of the Decree on the
Apostolate of LayPeople (Apostolicam Actuositatem). It is stated in
this article thatthe Holy Spirit bestows graces on each person as
He wishes so thateach person may be the steward of the various
gifts bestowedupon him by God and that discernment of the
authenticity ofthese charisms and decisions on the good use of them
belong to thepastors, not certainly with a view to quenching the
Spirit but totesting everything and keeping what is good.
Thus, the Second Vatican Council not only highlighted therole of
the Holy Spiritand glorified Him but also elevated the position of
the laity. Thiselevation does not necessarily mean a change in
their formalstatus but that lay people became entrusted with many
different tasksby receiving favors and graces from the Holy Spirit
more abundantlythan ever. That these documents may not end up as
mere scraps ofpaper, the Holy Spirit has been pouring down an
unprecedentedabundance of favors and graces directly upon the lay
people. Thanks tothe Council, the Second Descent of the Holy Spirit
has come to theChurch, and diverse charisms, which used to be
old-time stories,have been poured upon the faithful as if the
irrigation gatehas been opened. You all have personally experienced
such graces andare witnesses of these amazing works of the Holy
Spirit.
THE AGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE AGE OF PRIVATE REVELATIONS
I would like to mention one particular charism among manythat have
been generallybestowed upon all the faithful by the Holy Spirit. It
is the charism ofprophecy. A long time ago, God inspired Joel to
prophesy asfollows: I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and
your sons andyour daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall
dream dreams, andyour young men shall see visions. Moreover upon my
servants andhandmaids in those days I will pour forth my spirit
(Joel 2:28,29)This is also a special characteristic of the age of
the SecondPentecost that has been developing since the Second
Vatican Council.The faithful had formerly been just receiving
guidance anddirections. The ordinary faithful could not dare to
dream dreams orprophesy prophecies. Now they can dream dreams, see
visions, andprophesy. They can meditate and pray while receiving
inspirations,speak and teach what they received by revelations, and
receive privaterevelations for themselves and for the communities.
Our age is indeed an age of private revelations. However, ashas
always been thecase, disturbing remarks are now being heard within
the Church inKorea and, especially, words of apprehension are being
uttered by mostof the shepherds. Such apprehension, however, is
groundless,caused by lack of proper understanding of private
revelations. In abroad sense, private revelations are the graces
and privilegesthat any of the faithful can receive. Who can lead a
life of faithwithout private revelations? It will not be possible.
One cannot liveas a Christian without inspirations and revelations.
The Council gave a new clarification on this subject to thepastors
and theologiansin the Church. The reason for the concern about
privaterevelations despite the Council's teaching must be that, as
the number ofprivate revelations has been increasing, false
revelationsunavoidably have been occurring also, causing confusion.
However, should we throw away money because there iscounterfeit
money? Becausethere are false private revelations, should we frown
upon and ignoreprivate revelations and inspirations themselves? All
of the devotionalmovements and apostolates such as the Eucharistic
devotion, thedevotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the devotion to
the ImmaculateHeart of Mary, the Stations of the Cross, the rosary,
novena devotions,Legio Mariae, M.E., Cursilio, Foccolore, Knights
of St. Mary,Third Orders of the Franciscans, of St. Vincent, of St.
Damian, etc.could not have started in the Church without private
revelations.Religious orders could not have been founded, either.
Who could dare found a religious order without revelationsfrom the
Lord? The SecondVatican Council, which we deem so precious, could
not have started,either. That is because that Council was summoned
under theinspiration of a private revelation to Pope John XXIII.
Not only the Second Vatican Council, but how can any councilbe
opened withoutprivate revelations? Without private revelations, I
would not haveanything to say as a pastor. I could write a
theologicaldissertation, but could not write a worthy pastoral
letter. Onecannot lead a life of faith with public revelations
alone. That isbecause the life of faith is a living communion with
God. A churchthat only has organization, dogmas and theology would
be a cold,lifeless organization. The Church can become a living
body filled withvitality only when the Holy Spirit is active in the
Sacraments and inthe hierarchy and also enlightens and guides each
one of thefaithful. This is the very reason why our Church has
untiringlydefended the need for and the important role of private
revelations byboth explanations and actions despite the
persistentlyrecurring false private revelations and their harmful
effects.
St. Paul the Apostle placed prophecy, which is to receiveGod's
words and relaythem to others, at the second highest place in the
rank of charisms(cf. Eph 2:20; 4:11). He also said the following:
Built upon thefoundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being thechief corner stone (Eph 2:20). Article 4 of the
DogmaticConstitution on the Church states:
The Spirit guides the
church in the way of
all truth and . . . bestows upon it different
hierarchic and charismatic
gifts, and in this way directs it and
adornsit with his fruits (Eph 4:11-12; 1 Cor 12:4; Gal 5:22).
Therefore, it can be said that, as the teaching authority is
important,private revelations are also important. That is why St.
Paul urged thefaithful as follows: Pursue love, but strive eagerly
for the spiritualgifts, above all that you may prophesy (1 Cor
14:1). The giftof prophecy for receiving God's will as revelations
and relaying themto others is that important for the life of our
Church. All ofthe Saints received private revelations and are
standard examplesof those who received private revelations. The
privaterevelations they received are products of the heavenly
wisdom and exceedthe extensive scholarly knowledge and
accomplishments.On March 7 of this year, which was the Third Sunday
of Lent, therewas a solemn ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica for the
beatification ofAnna Schaeffer, who was a laywoman in Germany. She
sufferedindescribable physical pains with superhuman patience, but
gave spiritualconsolation and encouragement to others who were in
difficulties withgentle and generous words of heavenly wisdom. She
was able to leadsuch a holy life for 43 years thanks to the words
of Jesus and thevisions (which she called dreams) which she
experienced fromtime to time.
There is something I would like to mention frankly. I amfrequently
more impressed bythe testimonies of lay people than by the writings
of the clergy.While the writings of the clergy are more
rationalized andscholarly, the writings of lay people are mostly
stories about thedreams they dreamt and the prophecies they
received fromGod. The difference between the two is the difference
in inspiration,graces and vitality. The Holy Spirit is truly
pouring down hisgifts indiscriminately upon his servants and
handmaids of thisage.
ONE EVIDENCE OF THE AGE OF PRIVATE REVELATIONS
That the present age of the Holy Spirit is also the age ofprivate
revelations isevidenced by the fact that, within thirty years after
the SecondVatican Council, three women were awarded the title of
Doctor of theChurch, which was unprecedented in Church history. In
1970, as if itwere the opening signal for the age of the Second
Pentecost, St.Teresa of Jesus and, one week later, St. Catherine of
Siena receivedthe title of Doctor of the Church. In 1997, St.
Therese of theChild Jesus was also honored with the title of Doctor
of the Church.Before then, all of the 30 Doctors of the Church had
been men. Toqualify for the title of Doctor of the Church, one must
have bothprofound holiness and outstanding knowledge. These three
women weredeclared Doctors of the Church, because it was recognized
that they metboth criteria. However, even though they had profound
holiness, theydid not study theology; nor had they much scholarly
learning. Ratherthe opposite was true. St. Teresa received some
education, butshe only had knowledge of the Church doctrines. St.
Catherine ofSiena did not attend school at all and was illiterate.
But God taught her how to read and write in a special way inorder
to use her as Hisinstrument for relaying His revelations. St.
Therese ofLisieux entered a cloistered convent when she was 14 and
died when she was24. What theological knowledge can we expect from
her except whatshe learned about Church dogma? The outstanding
knowledge thatthe three women possessed was acquired solely from
privaterevelations. That they were awarded the title of Doctor of
the Church wasbased on private revelations. Thus, the conferment of
the title ofDoctor of the Church on them changed the concept of
knowledge and wasa coronation of private revelations with a golden
crown. Again,these women became Doctors of the Church not by their
profoundtheological knowledge but by the books they wrote under the
inspiration ofprivate revelations. St. Therese of Lisieux wrote in
herautobiography: As I was small and weak, He stooped down to me
and gently taughtme the secrets of His love. If scholars who had
spent their livesin study had questioned me, I'm sure they'd have
been amazed tocome across a fourteen-year-old child who understood
the secrets ofperfection, secrets which all their learning couldn't
reveal to them,for one has to be poor in spirit to understand them
(The Story of aSoul).
Therefore, to view private revelations as taboo is to turnone's
face away fromthe graces of the age of the Holy Spirit, which is
the climax of thehistory of salvation. Looking back at Church
history, we seethat those ages when private revelations were
despised werealso the ages of ignoring the Holy Spirit and the ages
of darkness.Examples are the ages of St. Joan of Arc and St. Teresa
of Jesus.
Joan of Arc began hearing voices (private revelations) sinceshe was
8 and revealedthem when she was 13. She went on to render great
services to hercountry and the Church. However, because of the
voices she heard,she was brought to the court of the Inquisition.
After many tricksand threats for three months in jail, she was
forced to sign afalse confession. According to a premeditated plan,
she wasexcommunicated and sentenced to burning at the stake.
Surprisingly, the chief judge who condemned and sentenced herwas
Bishop PierreCauchon, the Ordinary of the Bauvet Diocese, who had
previously beenthe president of the University of Paris.
Fortunately, however, as truth prevails eventually, the caseof Joan
of Arc wasre-examined eighteen years later. After seven years of
thoroughinvestigation, Joan of Arc was declared innocent.
Furthermore, she was canonized five hundred years later in1920 and
was declared thepatroness of France. What is particularly amazing
is the fact thatshe did not receive any education but is being
recognized as aSaint of great genius. Merezkovkij, a Russian
Orthodox thinkerand a friend of Dostoyevsky's, named five Saints of
great genius inhis book: Between Jesus and Us, which covers the
2,000 yearhistory of the Church. These five Saints were: St. Paul,
St. Augustine,St. Francis of Assisi, St. Joan of Arc, and St.
Therese ofLisieux.
In the case of St. Teresa of Avila, her spiritual writingsbarely
escapedconfiscation by the officials of the Inquisition who did not
understandprivate revelations. By special protection by God, her
writings escapedevery crisis and have been preserved in the Church
as preciousspiritual masterpieces and the Saint herself also
escaped trial bythe Inquisition.
Dear brothers and sisters! Why would I reveal and reiterateto you a
few of thedisgraceful incidents in our Church history? I only have
one purpose,which is, first, to emphasize that when the Holy Spirit
is neglected,private revelations are also despised and, second, to
warn that therealways is the danger that such mistakes can be
repeated,although not necessarily in the same manner in different
local churches.
BEYOND THE BOUNDARY OF THE CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT
As soon as the Second Vatican Council ended, the charismatic
movement was bornin our Church. A good evaluation of that movement
was included inthe address by the Holy Father before an Italian
charismatic groupon April 4 of this year:
The Catholic charismatic movement is one of the many fruitsof the
Second VaticanCouncil, which, like a new Pentecost, led to an
extraordinaryflourishing in the Church's life of groups and
movementsparticularly sensitive to the action of the Spirit. How
can we not givethanks for the precious spiritual fruits that the
Renewal hasproduced in the life of the Church and in the lives of
so many people?How many lay faithful -men, women, young people,
adults and theelderly - have been able to experience in their own
lives the amazingpower of the Spirit and his gifts! How many people
have rediscoveredthe faith, the joy of prayer, the power and beauty
of the Word ofGod, translating all this into generous service in
the Church'smission! How many lives have been profoundly changed!
For all thistoday, together with you, I wish to praise and thank
the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Father added the following advice:
Faith dies when it is reduced to custom, to habit, to a purely
emotional experience.
It needs to be cultivated, helped to grow, at
both the personal and
the community level. I know that Renewal in
the Spirit doesall it can to respond to this need, always seeking
new forms andways that are better suited to the requirements of
people today.
Dear brothers and sisters who are participating in thecharismatic
movement! Whatcan you do for the charismatic movement to be
cultivated andgrow, as emphasized by the Holy Father? I would like
to offer you apiece of advice. Compare today's charismatic
gatherings withthose of 20 or 30 years ago. Has there been any
growth andprogress quantitatively and qualitatively? If the
charismaticmovement has not spread and become popular, could it not
be because of youyourselves? Think about whether it has been you
who have madethose who had been hesitant about opening their hearts
to the HolySpirit become even more closed. If the forms of devotion
that you haveadopted look strange and even disgusting, how can the
graces bedistributed widely among all classes of God's people? Many
of the clergy andlaity have become disgusted with your imprudent
behaviors andeventually become resistant toward the Holy Spirit and
even behaverudely toward Him. How can you be of any service to God
and the Church,as long as you are perceived as unorthodox groups?
Therefore, from now on, remember that the Holy Spirit has toget
involvedeverywhere, for everyone, in every work, and in every
event. The HolySpirit has to intervene in the prayers of
individuals, inhomes, and in communities and also in all your
projects andactivities as members of families, as citizens and as
members of theChurch. This is my ardent desire and advice.
In fact, you haveunintentionally planted a perception of yourselves
as unorthodoxgroups in Christianity in the minds of many of the
faithful. Listento what a priest in the United States is saying:
Catholics these days are truly confused. On the one hand, there are
modernists.On the other, there are the Holy Ghost evangelicals who
behaveas if they had all the gifts of the Holy Spirit!
Such criticisms might have been caused by ignorance,
misunderstanding, prejudice
or even malice, but they certainly
prompt you to re-examine yourselves. St. Paul said, Giving no
offense to any man, that our ministry be not blamed (2 Cor 6:3).
Likewise,I want you to avoid giving offense to others that what you
are doing may not be criticized. Even in the gatherings among the
Protestant denominations
with more established traditions, a
common-sense order
seems to be maintained except among some
fanatical groups.
Dear members of the Diocese! Renewal in the Spirit has been
perceived as amovement by a part of the faithful, but the renewal
in the HolySpirit itself belongs to all Christians. If it is a
movement, it hasto be a movement by the whole Church and by all of
God's people.Whether recognized or not, it is a fact that we have
already enteredthe age of the Second Pentecost, which is the climax
of salvationhistory. This age must continue until the end of the
world. Therefore,we must not close our ears to the whisperings of
the Holy Spiriteven for one moment. We must not refuse the
outstretching ofHis hands, either. I urge you earnestly. Call upon
the Holy Spiritalways. You may sing or recite hymns to the Holy
Spirit. Or youmay offer ejaculatory prayers like: Come, Holy
Spirit! Abba,send us Your Spirit! Come, Holy Spirit, take
possession of myheart and set it on fire with love! Come, Holy
Spirit, andoccupy this time and this place. Call upon the Holy
Spirit at anytime and at any place. Invoke Him at home, in the
church, in themarketplace, at workplace, at school, at playground,
in the car, instreets, in alleys, and everywhere. Then, the Holy
Spirit will fillthat time and that place with Himself. When all of
God's people inour Diocese do so, our Cheju Island will become
enveloped by theHoly Spirit; and Jesus Christ will triumph, rule
and command. Godthe Father's holy name will be glorified, His
Kingdom willcome, and His will shall be done here as in Heaven. At
the same time,the food that we need daily will be secured; we will
forgive and loveone another and, thus, be forgiven by Him; and we
will escape fromthe rule by the force of evil and be protected from
all kinds ofevil.
I would like to tell you a story about myself. I invoke theHoly
Spirit all thetime. At all times and at all places, I call upon
Him. In the Chejubishop's residence, there is a small, beautiful
chapel with atabernacle. Whenever I enter the chapel, I first
invoke the HolySpirit. Then, I offer the prayer to the Spirit which
I began at theage of 13. Thus, the chapel is always under the power
of the HolySpirit and is a place where the true presence of Jesus
and the Father isnaturally felt. I always feel joy and peace of
mind at thisplace. Of course, I firmly believe in the sacramental
Real Presence ofJesus in the Eucharist, but this faith alone does
not fully satisfymy thirst for experiencing Jesus. It is the Holy
Spirit who letsme experience Jesus and feel the Father's presence
filled with loveand mercy. Thus, I gain some understanding of the
words of St.Therese of Lisieux that she did not think that the life
of seeing Goddirectly would be possible only in the next life.
Dear brothers and sisters! We have just begun celebration ofthe
Easter season of50 days. Let us all celebrate the Resurrection of
Jesus togetherwith the Blessed Mother and see Jesus off who is
ascending intoHeaven. Then, together with the Blessed Mother, let
us anxiously waitfor the descent of the Holy Spirit and earnestly
pray for the HolySpirit and His abundant gifts. With such hope in
my heart, I sendmy blessing to you, my brothers and sisters, and to
your homes, inthe name of the Blessed Trinity.
Bishop Paul Tchang Ryeol Kim
Diocese of Cheju, South Korea
Easter Sunday 1999
-from Mary's Touch, July 1999 Newsletter
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