Charity as the Basis and Source of the Spirituality of the Religious Life 41 Spirit changes the disposition of sinful people into love towards himself, as he did with the Apostles. While they were without him, tongues like fire appeared to them; when he was within them, their hearts were set on fire.”35 In this way, Fr. Papczyński states, ordinary human love also attains a new dimension: it becomes a supernatural, Divine love (divinus amor).36 Humility and gratitude combined with frequent thanksgiving to God for His gifts, the ability to recognize them and nurture the memory of “celestial benefits” or the love of God, the goodness andmercy whichman experiences in various circumstances of his life, as well as the desire to respond to “divine love” with “equal love” (pari amore)37 are the external manifestation and “the infallible evidence” that someone possesses “true divine love hidden within us and of the good Spirit dwelling within us.” It is insufficient to “abide in the love of Christ.” It is necessary to perform works of love. On the other hand, self-love, carnal desires, 35 IC, Sunday of Pentecost, AHC, pt. 3. It is worth noting that in Latin, this sentence reads as follows: “Spiritus namque Sanctus mentes carnalium in sui amorem permutat…”The mentes carnalium means not so much “souls of sinful men” (as W. Makoś’s translation provides), but rather “souls of carnal [men].” Therefore, we may infer that by the use of this concept, Papczyński wishes to emphasize the supernatural aspect of the virtue of love granted by the Holy Spirit as opposed to a purely human love, which lacks the theological virtue of love. The same contrast appears in Papczyński’s Inspectio cordis, when the author speaks about “carnal love” (amor carnis) and “spiritual love” (amor spiritus). IC, see Feast of St. John Evangelist, BHC, pt. 1. 36 IC, see III Sunday of Lent, AHC, pt.3; Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord, BHC, p. 2; Sunday in the Octave of Ascension, BHC, pt. 3; Sunday of Pentecost, BHC, pt. 3; and others. 37 IC, Sunday of Pentecost, BHC, pt. 2. In his Inspectio cordis, Papczyński thus speaks about the role of the Holy Spirit: “Consider that the Holy Spirit comes to us for a threefold reason: 1) to stimulate; 2) to console; 3) to convict. He stimulates the frigid and the lukewarm, whereby they advance more fervently on the path of virtue. He consoles the afflicted, whereby, realizing his rather great care and goodness with respect to them, they love the most gracious God more. He convicts the disobedient, the sinners, the wicked, whereby they more quickly come to their senses, give up their depraved conduct, avoid lying and adhere to truth. As for you, beseech that the grace of the Holy Spirit may always rest in you, so that if you should become lukewarm, inflamed by this grace, you may be ardent; if you should be distressed by grief, obtaining a consolation from it, you may burst forth in ever more remarkable acts of divine love; if you should turn away from the path of virtue and from attachment to truth, led back there and convicted by this grace, you may say: if the Lord had not helped me, if he had not convicted me, little was wanting, lest my soul would have remained in hell (cf. Ps 93:17). And for the future, by raising your spirits more bravely, you may be able to advance continuously in the path of God’s commandments.” IC, Sunday in the Octave of the Assumption, BHC, pt. 1.
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