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In discussing Catholic doctrine on the Blessed Trinity, Leo noted that "The Church is accustomed most fittingly to attribute to the Father those works of the Divinity in which power excels, to the Son those in which wisdom excels, and those in which love excels to the Holy Ghost." He emphasized however the unity of the three Divine Persons, who are not to be honored separately in divine worship, nor to be considered as acting separately in the work of sanctification.
“We ought to pray to and invoke the Holy Spirit, for each one of us greatly needs His protection and His help. The more a man is deficient in wisdom, weak in strength, borne down with trouble, prone to sin, so ought he the more to fly to Him who is the never-ceasing fount of light, strength, consolation, and holiness.”
The encyclical has the following parts:
- The Holy Ghost and Incarnation
- The Holy Ghost in the souls of the just
- On devotion to the Holy Ghost
- An annual novena decreed
Divinum illud munus follows and expands upon Leo's Provida Matris ("on the Devotion to the Holy Spirit"), a much shorter letter issued May 5, 1895, in which he first introduces the idea of a Pentecost novena.
Therefore, to all those who, for nine continuous days before Pentecost, will address some particular prayers to the Holy Spirit on a daily and devoted basis, either in public or private, we grant for each day the indulgence of seven years and as many quarantines; and a plenary indulgence for one time only in any of the aforementioned days or on the day of Pentecost or in one of the following eight days, provided they confessed and communicated pray to God according to Our intention, expressed above. We also concede that if someone, by his pity, again pray with the same conditions in the eight days following Pentecost, he may again profit from the same indulgences. Moreover we decree and declare that such indulgences can also be applied as a suffrage for the holy souls of Purgatory, and that they also last for all the years to come; without prejudice to any customary and legal requirements. [5]
A mortal sin, in Christian theology, is a gravely sinful act which can lead to damnation if a person does not repent of the sin before death. It is alternatively called deadly, grave, and serious; the concept of mortal sin is found in both Catholicism and Lutheranism. A sin is considered to be "mortal" when its quality is such that it leads to a separation of that person from God's saving grace. Three conditions must together be met for a sin to be mortal: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent." The sin against the Holy Spirit and the sins that cry to Heaven for vengeance are considered especially serious. This type of sin is distinguished from a venial sin in that the latter simply leads to a weakening of a person's relationship with God. Despite its gravity, a person can repent of having committed a mortal sin. Such repentance is the primary requisite for forgiveness and absolution.
The following are Roman Catholic prayers to Saint Joseph.
Divino afflante Spiritu is a papal encyclical letter issued by Pope Pius XII on 30 September 1943 calling for new translations of the Bible into vernacular languages, using the original languages as a source instead of the Latin Vulgate.
Immortale Dei written in 1885 is one of five encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII on Church-State relations.
Catholic devotions are particular customs, rituals, and practices of worship of God or honour of the saints which are in addition to the liturgy of the Catholic Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops describes devotions as "expressions of love and fidelity that arise from the intersection of one's own faith, culture and the Gospel of Jesus Christ". Devotions are not considered part of liturgical worship, even if they are performed in a church or led by a priest, but rather they are paraliturgical. The Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican publishes a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy.
In Christian theology, a private revelation is an instance of revelation, in a broader sense of the term, of divine reality to a person or persons. It contrasts with revelation intended for humanity at large, which is sometimes termed public revelation.
Quas primas was an encyclical of Pope Pius XI. Promulgated on December 11, 1925, it introduced the Feast of Christ the King.
Prayer in the Catholic Church is "the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." It is an act of the moral virtue of religion, which Catholic theologians identify as a part of the cardinal virtue of justice.
Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on canonical scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholic Church. This article serves as an introduction to various topics in Catholic theology, with links to where fuller coverage is found.
Ad Caeli Reginam is an encyclical of Pope Pius XII, given at Rome, from St. Peter's Basilica, on the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the eleventh day of October, 1954, towards the end of the Marian year, in the sixteenth year of his Pontificate. The encyclical is an important element of the Mariology of Pope Pius XII. It established the feast Queenship of Mary.
The Mariology of the popes is the theological study of the influence that the popes have had on the development, formulation and transformation of the Roman Catholic Church's doctrines and devotions relating to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Mariological papal documents have been a major force that has shaped Roman Catholic Mariology over the centuries. Mariology is developed by theologians on the basis not only of Scripture and Tradition but also of the sensus fidei of the faithful as a whole, "from the bishops to the last of the faithful", and papal documents have recorded those developments, defining Marian dogmas, spreading doctrines and encouraging devotions within the Catholic Church.
Maximum illud is an apostolic letter issued by Pope Benedict XV on 30 November 1919. As is traditional with such documents, it takes its title from the opening words of the original Latin text, meaning "that momentous". Benedict begins by recalling "that momentous and holy charge" found in Mark 16:15: "Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to all creation."
Mirae caritatis is an encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Holy Eucharist given on 28 May 1902. Its theme is mainly the marvelous effects of devotion to the Holy Eucharist in the moral and spiritual life of the faithful.
Quamquam pluries is an encyclical on Saint Joseph by Pope Leo XIII. It was issued on August 15, 1889 in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Augustissimae Virginis Mariae is an encyclical by Pope Leo XIII. It was issued 12 September 1897 in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome and encouraged faithful Catholics to enroll in the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary.
The different Denominations of Christianity have variations in their teachings regarding the Holy Spirit.
Saint Elena Guerra, OSS was an Italian Catholic religious sister who founded the Oblates of the Holy Spirit. Guerra was a strong proponent of the Holy Spirit as a motivation to do pious works. She dedicated her life particularly to the education of Chinese and African girls.
The encyclical Magnae Dei Matris was issued on 8 September 1892. It is subtitled "The Rosary and Christian Life" and discusses the relation of the rosary to faith and morality.
Vi è ben noto is an encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, dated 20 September 1887, written to the Italian Episcopate for the dedication of the entire month of October to the prayer of the Holy Rosary in order to improve the situation of the Church in Italy and the freedom of the Pontiff.
