YOUCAT Question n. 128 - Part II. What does it mean to say that the Church is the “Temple of the Holy Spirit”?
(Youcat
answer - repeated) The Church is the place in the world where the Holy Spirit
is completely present.
A deepening through CCC
(CCC 798)
The Holy Spirit is "the principle of every vital and truly saving action
in each part of the Body" (Pius XII, encyclical, Mystici Corporis: DS 3808). He works in many ways to build up the
whole Body in charity (Cf. Eph 4:16): by God's Word "which is able to
build you up" (Acts 20:32); by Baptism, through which he forms Christ's
Body (Cf. 1 Cor 12:13); by the sacraments, which give growth and healing to
Christ's members; by "the grace of the apostles, which holds first place
among his gifts" (LG 7 § 2); by the virtues, which make us act according
to what is good; finally, by the many special graces (called
"charisms"), by which he makes the faithful "fit and ready to
undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the
Church" (LG 12 § 2; cf. AA 3). 798
Reflecting and meditating
(Youcat comment)
The people of Israel
worshipped God in the Temple of Jerusalem. This temple no longer exists. It has
been replaced by the Church, which is not limited to a particular place.”Where
two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt
18:20). What makes her alive is the Spirit of Christ: He lives in the Word of
Sacred Scripture and is present in the sacred signs of the sacraments. He loves
in the hearts of believers and speaks in their prayers. He leads them and
bestows charisms on them—simple gifts as well as
extraordinary ones. Anyone who enters into a relationship with the Holy Spirit
can experience true miracles even today.
(CCC Comment)
(CCC 809)
The Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the soul, as it
were, of the Mystical Body, the source of its life, of its unity in diversity,
and of the riches of its gifts and charisms.
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