When David repents for his sins in Psalm 50 (http://www.newadvent.org/bible/psa050.htm), his plea is so heartfelt and passionate, I cannot image anything but God smiling at his wayward son. I especially love the request repeated throughout the Psalm that asks God to "blot out my inequities." How often have you felt the same way? I feel like that often, especially when in all of my humanness, I repeat the same sins over and over. In verse 13 he says, "Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me." Can you imagine how dark it would truly be if God did not shine his face down upon us? That must be what is described when the darkness of the Valley of Death is described. The Holy Spirit is probably the least appreciated of the Trinity. We often praise God and pray to Jesus Christ but forget that the Holy Spirit is with us always. The third person of the Holy Trinity is also described as the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Love. Because of the oneness of nature in the Blessed Trinity, the Father is entirely in the Son and in the Holy Spirit; the Son is entirely in the Father and in the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is entirely in the Father and in the Son. No one of the three divine Persons is outside the other, for none precedes the other in eternity, nor surpasses the other in power, nor exceeds the other in any way. This indwelling of one divine Person in the others is called circumincession. The Holy Spirit is always hard at work for us and the sanctification of mankind is attributed to the Holy Spirit because He is the love of the Father and the Son and because the sanctification of man by grace shows forth God's boundless love. St. Augustine called the Holy Spirit the greatest gift from God and I have to agree.
Doctrinal Clarity, Not Change: Unpacking the Note on Marian Titles
The release of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s note, Mater Populi Fidelis , on November 4, 2025, seems to have sparked some immediate and widespread confusion, driven largely by sensationalist headlines from secular sources. In response to requests, particularly surrounding a potential Fifth Marian Dogma of Spiritual Maternity , the DDF addressed the usage of titles like Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix. Unfortunately, this has led to a large contingent online and in the media claiming that the Church has "tossed out" centuries of doctrine, with some outside the Church even proclaiming a "victory" over Catholic teaching (This may be the saddest part of it all, that we as Christians, are "competing" with each other). It is essential to understand that this doctrinal note is fundamentally about titles and clarity, not doctrine and change according to the Vatican News. The true teachings regarding Mary's unique role in salvation remain inviolabl...
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