The principle of secularism conceived by the Republic a few years ago was intended to appease the exclusivist wave of a very important and present monotheistic religion.
This space, in which the Christian religion could no longer find a place, was predictably invaded by the dialogue on Judaism and Islam.
Other subjects, obviously of major importance and interest, have overshadowed or even rendered obsolete any discussion or exchange on our religion.
Political interests have closed the circle, making believers in these two religions subjects to be preserved, as if their cultures were on the verge of extinction.
The result is that today Christianity is beginning to retreat, and public space is off-limits to it.
With this brief and sincere premise, which doesn’t call for a religious-political response, I’m simply asking you to put some subjects back on the agenda that we should have been talking about, without forgetting that the last generation doesn’t know the basics of our religion and its social code, nor the initiation to the faith.
Over the last few years I’ve been thinking a lot, automatically and subconsciously, about the mystery of the Trinity and in particular about the essence and importance of the Holy Spirit.
Far from wanting to understand and unravel the subtlety of one of the most profound mysteries of our religion, I’ve really been wondering about the role and necessity of having our God, his Son and the Holy Spirit.
Allow me to express myself in a rather innocent and not irreverent way.
You can guess implicitly under each of my sentences the “I think”, because far be it from me to teach you or to support any cause whatsoever.
Even less to blaspheme.
I’m the father of 4 children and, like every parent, I’ve always wondered about the duties, rights and limits of action of a parent in his or her role as educator, or perhaps quite simply as guide to his or her own children on the path of life.
The Creator is the father, the inexhaustible source of unconditional love.
The gift of life follows the gift of Creation.
In his infinite power, God leaves us free will and real autonomy in the choice of whether or not to accept him in our lives, which is nonetheless a gift.
I’ve often imagined transforming myself into something to accompany my children on their journey through life, accompanying them without imposing myself, because my constant presence would significantly hinder the development of their autonomy and, above all, would stop them in their human and social evolution.
I imagined giving them an extra brother, one who would be supportive, discreet, strong and reassuring, a guide and adviser, capable of loving and surrounding them with a silent, unfailing love.
Such a simple and simplistic comparison can be understood and imagined.
The presence of an additional son remains a major act of love, in the understanding that this son himself emanates from the father while being his son.
Could we imagine a part of ourselves being entrusted to a child because the gift of life alone did not serve to reassure him and keep him on the path of faith?
The son in question, subject, at least initially, to the rules of earthly life, would soon be obliged, in practice after a generation, to step aside at the risk of being recognised as a supernatural being and thus preventing people from recognising him at the end of the path of faith.
So God created the Holy Spirit, a tangible, concrete, physical and metaphysical force, fuel for the soul in God’s grace.
Our religion teaches us to give, and we will receive as we go along.
I like to think of the power of God’s love as an electric current, and the gift between humans as the difference in potential that allows us to receive, in a quantity comparable to the gift.
The power of the Holy Spirit therefore lies in his omnipresence, in the fact that he lives in every human being on earth, and in his characteristic, which in my humble opinion earns him the adjective “elegant”…..
In fact, its presence, already useful and exponential, is, to an umpteenth power, driven by the imploring of the believer.
In this electronic and computerised world, the word “activation” will speak to many of you.
Activating the Holy Spirit through prayer gives the soul and heart of the believer the opportunity to recharge in a profound and unparalleled way.
I’ll come back to the power of the Holy Spirit later.
Social silence, imposed or secondary to a change in lifestyle, prevents generational renewal within the church.
Dialogue about faith is losing its legitimacy in our town halls, schools and homes.
The cross-cultural social agenda of all political persuasions has lost this balance and the direction given by faith….
Growth, competition and ultraliberalism, unbalanced by established social thinking, are taking us back to the abyss of danger…
Our generation knows the Church, knows the difference between faith and the thinking of men.
Our generation knows the difference when the church is attacked or denigrated.
However, our generation has left the witness somewhere at the back of the sacristy, has abandoned the church by the wayside, believing that the rest would be down to who knows who.
Believe, live and dare in your heart, in your body, in your family, in your work and in your “little” everyday world.
Reinstate Christian dialogue, make it legitimate, interesting, modern, strong and irreplaceable.
Our fellow citizens belonging to other cultures or religions can only rejoice at this new-found attitude.
What we are criticised for, and often fail to do, is a lack of courage in supporting our beliefs and an inability to express our faith socially.
I have my own practice, in which I have hung a cross in every consulting room.
These are small but very important signs of faith, designed to protect the place and its occupants, and to allow me to manifest and exist as I am in the eyes of my very respectful patients…
Incidentally, I’ve never had a negative comment from our brothers or sisters of another faith…
ever.
The only ones who have thought to criticise me are fellow citizens like you and me, who were wondering about the potential aggressiveness of this visible sign of God.
Obviously, we’ve forgotten that the strength of the cross is that it is itself a sign of love, respect and giving, and that help, tolerance and support are things that God asks of us every day.
So let’s get back to a healthy, constructive debate.
Let’s get back to conveying a message of peace, of social construction and of coming together, a very fashionable word.
But “coming together” does not mean forgetting who we are, forgetting our religion and therefore our history.
French schools and society were built on faith, strength and sacrifice….
Today, as mere spectators, we are witnessing its total dismantling.
It’s difficult to get the dialogue back on track.
The task is great, the path will outlive us, but our covenant will make this effort more joyful, and then we will be proud of this useful sacrifice.
The Holy Spirit accompanies us in our small and infinitesimal existence every step of the way.
Let’s return to prayer and invocation.
Strength will return, your bodies will be more resistant and temptations will be rare.
Let us return to a constructive and respectful social path.
May the Holy Spirit invade you.
