Father Casimir Wyszynski

102 Z YGMUNT P ROCZEK , MIC, P H D life. Saint John Paul II, as Pope, clearly explained this during his general audience onOctober 21,1998: “The life of Christians, who through faith and the sacraments are inwardly united with Jesus Christ, is ‘life in the Spirit.’ Indeed, the Holy Spirit, poured out in our hearts (cf. Gal 4:6), becomes in us and for us ‘a spring of water welling up to eternal life’ (Jn 4:14). “We must therefore let ourselves be guided docilely by God’s Spirit, to become ever more fully what we already are through grace: sons of God in Christ (cf. Rom 8:14-16). ‘If we live by the Spirit,’ St Paul urges us again, ‘let us also walk by the Spirit’ (Gal 5:25). “This principle is the foundation of Christian spirituality, which consists in accepting the fullness of life that the Spirit gives us. This concept of spirituality protects us from the misunder- standings that sometimes obscure its true nature. “Christian spirituality does not consist in an effort to perfect oneself, as if man could further his overall personal growth and achieve salvation by his own strength. The human heart, wounded by sin, is healed only by the grace of the Holy Spirit and only if sustained by this grace can man live as a true son of God . “Nor does Christian spirituality consist in becoming ‘immate- rial,’ disembodied as it were, without responsible involvement in human affairs. Indeed, the Holy Spirit’s presence in us, far from urging us to seek an alienating ‘escape,’ penetrates andmoves our entire being— intellect, will, emotions and bodily nature, so that our ‘new nature’ (Eph 4:24) will imbue space and time with the newness of the Gospel.” 53 Christian spiritual life is based on the word of God, by which God calls us to a community of friendship and love. “In the strict sense, it is possible to speak of spiritual life, when a man recog- nizing this call, responds in a free manner to the love of God which is imparted in Christ, with his own faith, hope and love.” 54 53 Sain t John Paul II, General Audience on W ednesday, October 21, 1998 (from: w2.vatican.va/holy_father_john_paul_ii) 54 J.W. Gogola, Teologia komunii z Bogiem …, 23 .