God is in all people at minimum holding them in being.
He graces some to Indwell as a temple.
He actual graces some for certain actions.
Catholic doctrine teaches that in the justified soul there is a real indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Church also recognizes this as distinct from God’s general omnipresence in all creatures.
God is present to every creature as its Creator and Sustainer (He holds all things in being and acts with providence toward them). That is not “the Holy Spirit as temple-indwelling,” but God’s universal presence and causality.
the Spirit is present and acts throughout the Church, but “the concrete realization of his presence and action happens”in relationship to the human person, in the soul of the just person where he “establishes his dwelling,” illuminating and giving life from within.
A common Catholic way to distinguish these texts is:
• Indwelling: the Spirit’s abiding presence in the soul of the baptized/jutified (sanctifying grace). The Holy Spirit indwells believers in grace in a real, abiding way, “as in a temple.”
• Resting / inspiring / guiding: the Spirit’s particular actual graces (and, in some cases, prophetic illumination) given for a specific mission or moment—like Simeon at the Temple.
So Simeon was not “without the Spirit inside”; rather, Luke highlights an especially visible “upon” action because Simeon’s role was to recognize and proclaim Christ in public salvation-history.
God’s presence to all: sustaining them in being
Catholic teaching holds that God is present to every creature as its Creator and Sustainer (He holds all things in being and acts with providence toward them). That is not “the Holy Spirit as temple-indwelling,” but God’s universal presence and causality.
Indwelling as “a temple”: requires sanctifying grace
The special indwelling of the Holy Spirit is tied to sanctifying grace (habitual grace), i.e., being in grace/justification.
• Sanctifying grace is described as the permanent supernatural quality in the soul by which the soul is made holy and enters “friendship with God.” 1
• In justification, sanctifying grace “crowns and completes” the process, and it includes “the personal indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the soul of the justified.” 2
• The Church also teaches that this is a real “union with the divine Redeemer” and “the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a special way in souls.” 3
Clarification: God’s universal presence is for all; but the Holy Spirit’s “temple” indwelling is for the justified soul (the one in sanctifying grace), not for everyone automatically. 2 1
Actual graces: transient help for particular good actions
Besides sanctifying grace (a permanent state), God also gives actual grace—a supernatural help “for salutary acts”. 4
So it fits your third line: God gives actual graces for particular actions at particular times.
Refined summary
• All people: God is present as Creator who sustains them in being (universal providence).
• Some people (those in sanctifying grace): the Holy Spirit truly indwells as in a temple.
• All people, as needed: God gives actual gracesfor particular good acts (help that is transient).
No comments:
Post a Comment