The Trinitarian Context of Spirituality 157 the reader: “…implore that the grace of the Holy Spirit may rest in you always: if you become lukewarm, may you be inflamed by this grace; if grief distresses you, may you burst forth in ever more remarkable acts of divine love, having been comforted by the Spirit; if you divert from the path of virtue and the pursuit of truth, may you be brought back on it and convicted by this grace.”119 Living “according to the Spirit” also has a community-creating trait in relation to both God and man. Papczyński points out that the Church – and a religious community within it – is also built that way, because it is united by “the same Spirit” and “the love of the only God.” The Marian Founder recognizes the icon of the early Church (Acts 4:32) as the example and also the biblical ideal.120 Therefore, the ability to build a community in unity and true mutual love – charitas are visible traits of the authenticity of living “according to the Spirit.” It should be noted that – according to Saint Stanislaus Papczyński’s teaching – the Holy Spirit is the efficacious cause of man’s sanctification at all stages of the spirituality of the religious life. First, He appears as the source of the religious life and the associated gifts and charisms; then He becomes the inner principle and origin of the spiritual transformation which awakens in the heart of the religious a desire for conversion and an ample response to His grace in order to become fully similar to Christ. And finally, the Holy Spirit is the guide that leads to “the house of the Father,” as the Marian Founder’s wish is fulfilled “that we live and die according to the Holy Spirit.”121 Stanislaus Papczyński’s views on the role of the Holy Spirit in the spirituality of the religious life greatly deviate from the main theological trend of his times. The research conducted by the historians of spirituality did not demonstrate that the theologians in Papczyński’s time had any special interest in the matter under present discussion. There was an opinion, set forth by Tomasz Młodzianowski, SJ, that the forms of piety which define Catholic spirituality should not differ significantly from 119 IC, Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension, BHC, pt. 1. 120 Cf. NV II 4; IC, Meditation IX, pt. 1. 121 IC, Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the BVM, BHC, pt. 2.
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