During the general audience in the Paul Vl Hall on 27 September the Holy Father continued his series of reflections on the Holy Spirit.

1. We read in the Constitution Lumen Gentium of Vatican Council II: "When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth (cf. Jn 17:4) was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church, and that, consequently, those who believe might have access through Christ in one Spirit to the Father (cf. Eph 2:18). He is the Spirit of life, the fountain of water springing up to eternal life (cf. Jn 4:47; 7:38-39).... The Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful, as in a temple (cf. I Cor 3:16; 6:19). In them he prays, and bears witness to their adoptive sonship (cf. Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15-16 and 26)" (LG, 4).

Therefore, the Church’s birth on the day of Pentecost coincides with the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. For this reason also our reflections on the mystery of the Church in relationship to the Holy Spirit are concentrated around Pentecost.

2.Through an analysis of this event we noted and explained, in the previous reflection, that the Church, through the work of the Holy Spirit, has been "missionary" from the very beginning, and that ever since she has remained in statu missionis in all times and places.

The missionary character of the Church is intimately connected with her universality. At the same time, the Church’s universality implies, on the one hand, a solid unity and on the other, a plurality and a multiformity, that is to say, a diversity, which are not an obstacle to unity, but rather give it the character of "communion". The Constitution Lumen Gentium emphasizes that in a special way when it speaks of the "gift of union in the Holy Spirit" (cf. LG 13), a gift possessed by the Church from the day of her origin in Jerusalem.

Perspective of universality

3. An analysis of the passage of the Acts of the Apostles concerning the day of Pentecost entitles us to state that the Church came into being as a universal Church, and not merely as a particular Church, that of Jerusalem, to which were later added other particular Churches, in other places. Certainly, the Church began at Jerusalem as a small original community of the apostles and of the first disciples; but the circumstances of her birth indicated from the very first moment the perspective of universality. One such circumstance was the apostles’ speaking in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (cf. Acts 2:4), so that people of different nations, present in Jerusalem, heard "the mighty works of God" (cf. Acts 2: II ). They heard them in their own languages, even though the speakers "were Galileans" (cf. Acts 2:7). We have already mentioned this in the previous reflection.

4. Moreover, the fact that the apostles were of Galilean origin is eloquently significant. Indeed, Galilee was a region of heterogeneous population (cf. 1 Mac 5:14-23), where the Jews had much contact with people of other nations. Hence, Galilee was known as "Galilee of the nations" (Is 9: 1, quoted in Mt 4:15; I Mac 5:15), and for this reason it was considered inferior, from the religious point of view, to Judea, the region of the authentic Jews.

The Church, therefore, was born at Jerusalem, but the message of faith was not proclaimed there by citizens of Jerusalem, but by a group of Galileans, and moreover, their preaching was not addressed exclusively to the inhabitants of term Salem, but to Jews and proselytes of whatever origin.

Following upon the witness of the apostles, shortly after Pentecost communities (that is, local Churches) will arise in different places, and naturally also and first of all at Jerusalem. However, the Church which began with the descent of the Holy Spirit, was not merely a Jerusalem Church. From the moment of her birth the Church was universal with an aspect of universality, which would be manifested later by means of all the particular Churches.

5. The Church’s universal opening was confirmed in the so-called "council of Jerusalem" (cf. Acts 15:13-14) of which we read: "After they (Paul and Barnabas) finished speaking, James replied, ‘Brethren, listen to me. Symeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name’ " (Acts 25:13-14). In that "council" it is to be noted that Paul and Barnabas are witnesses of the spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles: James, who then speaks, authoritatively represents the Judaeo-Christian position typical of the Church of Jerusalem (cf. Gal 2:12) of which he wild become the leader upon Peter’s departure (cf. Acts 15: 13: 21 :18); Peter is the herald of the universality of the Church which extends a welcome both to the Chosen People and to the pagans.

Multiplicity of gifts

6. From the beginning the Holy Spirit wills the universality, the catholicity, of the Church in the context of all the local and particular communities (that is, Churches). Thus are fulfilled Jesus’ significant words in his conversation with the Samaritan woman beside the well at Sychar: "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain (that is, Mount Garizim, in Samaria) nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.... But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him" (cf. Jn 4:21, 23).

That "worship of the Father in Spirit and in truth" begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and it cannot be limited to one place because it is inscribed in man’s vocation to recognize and honour the one God who is also Spirit, and is therefore open to universality.

7. Under the action of the Holy Spirit Christian universalism is therefore inaugurated, and it is expressed from the beginning in the multitude and diversity of persons who share in the first radiation of Pentecost, and in a certain way in the plurality of the languages, cultures, peoples and nations represented by the people at Jerusalem on that occasion, and of the human groups and social strata from which the followers of Christ down the centuries will be drawn. Universality does not mean uniformity either for those of the earliest times or for successive generations.

The demands of universality and variety are expressed also in the essential, internal unity of the Church, by means of the multiplicity and diversity of the "gifts" or charisma, and also of ministries and initiatives. In this regard we observe that, on the day of Pentecost, Mary also, the Mother of Christ, received the confirmation of her maternal mission, not only in regard to the Apostle John, but to all the disciples of her Son, and to all Christians (cf. Redemptoris Mater, 24; Lumen Gentium, 59). And of all those assembled on that day in the Upper Room of Jerusalem—both men and women—who were " baptized with the Holy Spirit" (cf. Acts 2:4), it can be said that, following upon this fundamental event, they were endowed with different gifts, of which St Paul would speak later: "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord: and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Cor 12:4-7). God has appointed in the Church first apostles, second prophets. third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues" (1 Cor 12:28). Through this range of charisma and ministries, from the very earliest times, the Spirit gathered together, governed and vivified Christ’s Church.

8. St Paul recognized and emphasized the fact that, due to such a distribution of gifts to believers on the part of the Holy Spirit, there is conspicuous in the Church a diversitv of charisma and ministries for the unity of the entire body. As we read in the Letter to the Ephesians: "And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (4:11-13).

Bringing together the witness of the apostles and of Christian tradition, the Constitution L,umen Gentium synthesizes as follows their teaching on the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church: "Guiding the Church in the way of all truth (cf. Jn 16:13) and unifying her in communion and in the work of ministry, he (the Holy Spirit) bestows upon her varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs her; and he adorns her with his fruits (cf. Eph 4:11-12:1 Cor 12:4: Gal 5:22). By the power of the Gospel he permits the Church to keep the freshness of youth. Constantly he renews her and leads her to perfect union with her Spouse. For the Spirit and the Bridle both say to Jesus, the Lord, ‘Come!’ (cf. Apoc 22:17)" (n. 4).