Reflection Starter from Blessed Pope John Paul II

"On Pentecost the Holy Spirit descends and the Church is born. The Church is the community of those who are 'begotten from above', 'by water and the Spirit', as we read in John’s Gospel (cf. John 3:3, 5). The Christian community is not primarily the result of the free decision of believers; at its origin there is first and foremost the gratuitous initiative of the Love of God, who offers the gift of the Holy Spirit. The assent of faith to this gift of love is a 'response' to grace and is itself motivated by grace. Therefore, between the Holy Spirit and the Church there exists a deep and indissoluble bond." - Blessed Pope John Paul II (General Audience, 17 June 1998)