Church Document
Divinum Illud Munus
Encyclical of Leo XIII (1897)
Divinum illud munus is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 9, 1897. In the encyclical, Leo addresses "the indwelling and miraculous power of the Holy Ghost; and the extent and efficiency of His action, both in the whole body of the Church and in the individual souls of its members, through the glorious abundance of His divine graces." As such it serves as one of the precursors to the Catholic pneumatological renaissance of the twentieth century.
Excerpt
Divinum illud munus quod humani generis causa a Patre acceptum Iesus Christus sanctissime obiit, sicut eo tamquam ad ultimum spectat, ut homines vitae compotes fiant in sempiterna gloria beatae, ita huc proxime attinet per saeculi cursum, ut divinae gratiae habeant colantque vitam, quae tandem in vitam floreat caelestem. Quamobrem omnes ad unum homines cuiusvis nationis et linguae Redemptor ipse invitare ad sinum Ecclesiae suae summa benignitate non cessat: Venite ad me omnes; Ego sum vita; Ego sum pastor bonus . Hic tamen secundum altissima quaedam consilia, eiusmodi munus noluit quidem per se in terris usquequaque conficere et explere; verum quod ipse traditum a Patre habuerat, idem Spiritui Sancto tradidit perficiendum. Atque iucunda memoratu ea sunt quae Christus, paulo ante quam terras relinqueret, in discipulorum coetu affirmavit: Expedit vobis ut ego vadam: si enim non abiero, Paraclitus non veniet ad vos; si autem abiero, mittam eum ad vos (Ioann. XVI, 7).
Key themes
- Holy Spirit
Document type
Encyclical
Issuing authority
Leo XIII
Issued date
Content subtype
encyclical