The Soul of Our Soul

Holy Spirit as "the soul of our soul"

Vatican, Nov. 15 (CWNews.com) - At his weekly public audience on November 15, Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) continued his reflections on St. Paul, with a special focus on what the Apostle said about the Holy Spirit in the life of Christians.

St. Paul, the Pope remarked, does not depict the Holy Spirit merely as an influence on the Christian's life, but as a transforming power, who has an "influence not only upon the activities of Christians but also upon their being."

Speaking to about 15,000 people who had gathered in St. Peter's Square on a sunny Wednesday, the Holy Father said that the Spirit, as St. Paul relates, lives within the baptized faithful, giving the, "rich and fruitful interior life," and establishing "a filial relationship with God."

The Holy Spirit lives within each Christian, the Pope continued, and "there is no true prayer without the presence of the Spirit within us." The Spirit, he said, is "like the soul of our soul."

St. Paul also draws a clear link between the presence of the Holy Spirit and the love that Christians bear for each other, the Pope observed. In that sense, he said, "the Spirit is a creator of communion within the Christian community." The November 15 audience marked the third consecutive Wednesday on which the Pope dedicated his catechetical talk to the writings of St. Paul. These talks are part of a broader series on the Church of the apostles.