Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 293

there is the Spirit of God; where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church and

all grace''.10

This leads me to a further reflection about the architecture of this church.

Like all Gothic cathedrals, it is a highly complex structure, whose exact and

harmonious proportions symbolize the unity of God's creation. Medieval

artists often portrayed Christ, the creative Word of God, as a heavenly

''geometer'', compass in hand, who orders the cosmos with infinite wisdom

and purpose. Does this not bring to mind our need to see all things with the

eyes of faith, and thus to grasp them in their truest perspective, in the unity

of God's eternal plan? This requires, as we know, constant conversion, and a

commitment to acquiring ''a fresh, spiritual way of thinking''.11 It also calls

for the cultivation of those virtues which enable each of us to grow in holiness

and to bear spiritual fruit within our particular state of life. Is not this on-

going ''intellectual'' conversion as necessary as ''moral'' conversion for our

own growth in faith, our discernment of the signs of the times, and our

personal contribution to the Church's life and mission?

For all of us, I think, one of the great disappointments which followed the

Second Vatican Council, with its call for a greater engagement in the

Church's mission to the world, has been the experience of division between

different groups, different generations, different members of the same reli-

gious family. We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together to

Christ! In the light of faith, we will then discover the wisdom and strength

needed to open ourselves to points of view which may not necessarily con-

form to our own ideas or assumptions. Thus we can value the perspectives of

others, be they younger or older than ourselves, and ultimately hear ''what

the Spirit is saying'' to us and to the Church.12 In this way, we will move

together towards that true spiritual renewal desired by the Council, a renewal

which can only strengthen the Church in that holiness and unity indispen-

sable for the effective proclamation of the Gospel in today's world.

Was not this unity of vision and purpose - rooted in faith and a spirit of

constant conversion and self-sacrifice - the secret of the impressive growth

of the Church in this country? We need but think of the remarkable accom-

plishment of that exemplary American priest, the Venerable Michael McGiv-

10 Adv. Haer. III, 24, 1. 11 Cf. Eph 4:23. 12 Cf. Rev 2:7.