The Trinitarian Context of Spirituality 151 truth, to give us the knowledge of and aversion to our sins, to urge us to improve our life, to illumine our hearts with a special light, to turn the lodging of a demon into the dwelling of God, to infuse holy inspirations, to help us make and carry out good resolutions, and also to accomplish in man’s soul many other works proper to him until he brings the soul to a perfect enjoyment of the Most Holy Trinity.”102 The goal of such actions of the Spirit is to “conform” the religious to Christ. The genuineness of this action and its true initiation in the Holy Spirit are authenticated by man’s desire not only to “contemplate the way of life and the deeds of the Lord, but also to try to imitate them to the best of his ability.” Papczyński finds the example of such an attitude in the attitudes of the Apostles who, becoming like Christ and “stirred up by this heavenly Spirit, immediately began fearlessly preaching the glory of Jesus, and scourged for this preaching “went from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus.” (Acts 5:41), to receive lashes for their witness to the truth.”103 Papczyński also finds similarities as to the Spirit’s actions and man’s response in the lives of biblical saints, especially of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. However, he is very cautious with examples of the Holy Spirit’s working in the life of all other saints known throughout the history of the Church, although he mentions many of them in his Inspectio cordis because of the feasts and the solemnities of the liturgical year. Although in his writings on the religious life, he constantly brings up the need for asceticism and even dedicates a whole chapter to it in his Norma vitae104; he eventually sees man’s inner change as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. The Founder’s teachings show his great concern for having these two elements skillfully merged, but without redefinition of man’s necessary efforts. In the dynamics of the spiritual life, the grace of the Spirit’s presence and work is principal; nonetheless, it needs to be supplemented with a human response and cooperation: “so 102 IC, Trinity Sunday, AHC, pt. 2. 103 IC, Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension, AHC, pt, 1. 104 Cf. NV IV 1-6.
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