THE PEDAGOGUE OF GOD

A Christian is a human being, plus the Holy Spirit.

C. Péguy

The Spirit is our pedagogue—according to Jesus’ words—the One who guides us into the fullness of truth (cf. Jn 16:13). Let us try to understand. First of all, the Greek noun aletheia (truth) is not to be understood in a philosophical sense (that was Pilate’s mistake) but in a Christological one. In other words: truth is Jesus. He himself will say: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). Thus, the Spirit progressively leads us to the knowledge of Christ; that is, he helps us to internalize his mystery. But take note: the knowledge of Christ to which the Spirit leads us is not quantitative (knowing many things) but qualitative. And how can we define qualitative knowledge? Simple: it is that knowledge which—in our case—  leads us from the absence of evidence of Christ to a living and real experience of him. It is this transition that makes the difference. It is that knowledge—to use an expression dear to Job—that takes us from hearsay to seeing. And this applies not only to Christ. For example, it is the Spirit who helps us to see the Church not as a mere organization but as an icon of the Trinitarian communion; it is the Spirit who helps us to embrace Christian morality not as a law for slaves but as good news for the children of God. The Spirit thus gives us a new way of seeing and living. The Spirit also leads us to a new way of encountering our neighbor. And here I would like to recall a well-known testimony, that of Francis of Assisi when he encountered the leper on his way. Francis was initially afraid and, faced with that “horrible-looking” figure, fled, until one day he gathered his courage, dismounted from his horse, and kissed the leper. And here he made a surprising discovery: that leper was Christ. Yes, it was truly him beneath the veil of a devastating disease. And when did he clearly realize this? When that leper in turn returned Francis’s kiss. It was the crucified Christ calling him to repair his house, the Church, which was crumbling… even today we sometimes feel that the Church is crumbling… but there are these little ones, like Francis—small yet in reality great because they are animated by the Spirit—who support the walls of Peter’s house on their fragile shoulders. Love, which comes from God, is always creative, and always radiates beauty. This love not only conforms us to the one we love, Christ, but fulfills us as men and women to the extent that we love.

Commentary by d. Sandro Carotta, osb
Abbazia di Praglia (Italia)