Transcript of an online discussion 20 May 2023
Rafael. The Spirit is expressed freely through all persons and their life stories, even in points of view that are completely different from our own. This is a mediation of the Spirit that we often forget because it can be uncomfortable to listen to, talk about and discern in common.
Q. Where do people who have disengaged from the church, who no longer attend Mass or participate in the sacraments but would have to be regarded as good Catholics in the sense of living good Christian lives, fit in this discussion?
Rafael. Gaudium et Spes (11) says that the Spirit is found in others, in the world, in society and not simply in the church. When we say we are the faithful, this implies responsibility for listening to God’s voice in the world, outside the church institution. That is a key principle of the gospel. We have to find God in others, not in a self-referential way of living a religion or in an institutional form of expression. We must connect our being human with living our faith and not separating it off.