The Heart of St. Paul
If the path to salvation is not through the Law, but through Jesus Christ, how is Jesus imprinted in us so that we may follow him? The answer Paul provides in Romans 8 is the Holy Spirit. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of Sonship. When we say ‘Abba ! Father!’ it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may be glorified with him.” (Rom 8: 14-17)
The gift of the Holy Spirit is what enables us to live a life with Christ. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to grow in holiness and turn away from sin. The Holy Spirit fills the believer with filial boldness, which helps us to cry out ‘Abba, Father!’ The person is no longer only a creature, but a child of God, and with that filial adoption comes all the rights that flow from divine sonship. Our inheritance is the sacramental life of the Church. We see fellow believers not as strangers, but as family. We see this world as a preparation for the world to come, and as God’s children, we are obliged to work that the Father’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This work consists of service to others, prayer, sacrifices and love that flows from a profound joy that God has condescended to call us his children.
The Holy Spirit forms Jesus Christ in our hearts that we might manifest Christ through our words and actions. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus has reached us and put us on the path to the Father. We are no longer lost or lacking direction. We have a goal and with the grace of God, we also have the means to achieve it. The response from the heart of Paul is one of praise and thanksgiving for God’s goodness. May it come to be the response of our hearts as well.
