Yves Congar's thought on the indwelling spirit as a basis for a true Christian identity

Abstract

Karl Rahner once affirmed that if the Trinity were to be left out of theology. there would be only minor changes in the rest of dogma and the Christian faith at large. The main import of the work of Yves Congar 0.P. (1904-1995) demonstrates a lifelong project dedicated to highlighting and exalting the relevance of the Holy Spirit in the whole of Christian life. This topic was for him so much at heart. Indeed he can be said to be one of the finest pneumatologists of the twentieth century, and much is owed to him for having revived an awareness of the personal presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of persons and in the Church. It must be said that one cannot treat the mystery of divine indwelling if the Church at large is not taken into account The ekklesia is in fact seen by Congar as a prolonged epiclesis, a continual advent of the Spirit The two are so combined that one one may say that "a true personal Christian identity" and "'being a true Church" are in fact interchangeable. Thus, in these circumstances, looking into the ecclesiology of Congar can be seen to be not merely an enticing supplement to dogma but rather an imperative exercise. Congar was a prolific writer indeed, and fertile material on the ecclesio pneumatological dimension of the Christian life blots several of his pages. albeit not always consistently or at length. Nevertheless, two basic texts are his trilogy I Believe in the Holy Spirit (London/New York, 1983) and The Mystery of the Temple (London, 1962). Other valuable sources are Lay People in the Church (London 1985), The Word and the Spirit (London 1986), and several articles which Congar wrote, for the review Nouve/ le Revue Theologique.