In the Gospel the Lord invites us to understand our time – indeed it is a time of grace, we live in the time in history after the resurrection – and therefore make the best use of our time! Here is how he presents this necessity:
“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:2–3)
“When you see a cloud rising in the west you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does; and when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be heat,’ and there is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky and the earth; how is it that you do not know how to interpret this present time?” (Luke 12:54-56)
In Vatican II, one of the documents used the expression “signs of the times”: “[…] the Church has always had the duty of scrutinising the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel.” (Vatican II, GS 4)
How can we understand time and history? Read the following article to see the efforts of St. Augustine to reflect on time: The City of God, Understanding Time and History . From St. Augustine we learned that history has a meaning because of Christ, that it is not circular or repetitive, and that we are heading toward the end of times.
As Catholic theology recognises, Christian doctrine unfolds through an authentic development over time. There is a genuine correspondence—and perhaps even more—between this doctrinal development and the historical unfolding of the Church’s growth, the challenges it has encountered, the great councils, and the Magisterium. The development of Christian doctrine, the meaning of the Church’s history, and the meaning of the passage of time are intimately connected.
The argument I wish to advance is that these two developments—doctrinal and historical—not only share a common nature and direction but also follow the fundamental pattern of spiritual growth, its journey, and its stages. This implies that the more clearly we understand the spiritual journey, its stages, its dynamic development, the action of the Holy Spirit, the purifications He seeks to accomplish in each human being, and the further stages of betrothal, spiritual marriage, and eventual participation in the redemptive work of the Lord, the more clearly we are able to discern the inner movement and meaning of Church history and the development of Christian doctrine, as well as the meaning of time and the signs of the times.
In this sense, there is a profound parallel between the baptism of the individual and the growth of that seed, and the life of the Church and the coherent unfolding of Christian doctrine. Christian doctrine exists precisely to sustain and nourish the life of the Church; this is its essential function. As the Fathers often observe, the Scriptures grow with us, accompany us, and provide the nourishment we need at every stage of our journey. Likewise, Christian doctrine grows with the Church, walks with her, and nourishes her throughout her life.
What pattern does the Church follow in her growth? In fact, the Church’s development mirrors the same pattern and journey as the personal spiritual growth of the individual who has been baptised.
Viewed from this perspective, the two millennia of Christian history exhibit a discernible shift in focus. Early centuries concentrated on dogmatic questions such as Christology, the Trinity, and the legitimacy of icons, all of which concern the divine gift itself. Over time, attention increasingly turned towards the human being as recipient of that gift: the theology of grace, the emergence of the modern notion of the human subject (from late mediaeval nominalism through Luther and Kant), the discovery and exploration of the unconscious (Freud and Jung), and the renewed reflection on the Church in the twentieth century, especially in the Second Vatican Council’s Lumen Gentium. This trajectory also includes decisive moments of Marian reflection, such as the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. One might not immediately perceive a single line of development, but it is present: the Church’s attention to the human subject has progressively intensified across the centuries. In this light, it is a genuine sign of the times that Spiritual Theology and Spiritual Formation require renewed depth today.
What are the lessons we can learn from these added elements of discernment, deeper understanding of the development of Christian doctrine? In Fact, Newman distinguished authentic development of Christian doctrine from its corrupt forms. He gave a description of each form and how to discern it. Yet he did not, to my knowledge, specify whether this development possesses an identifiable direction and stages. Proposing that doctrinal development follows the same pattern as the growth effected by the Holy Spirit within us provides a powerful hermeneutical key. Although we cannot foresee concrete details, we can understand our own age—and both past and future periods—because we possess a fundamental criterion of discernment and measurement: the path of spiritual growth and its stages.
The future of the development of Christian Doctrine and of the Church is indicated by the shape itself of the journey of spiritual life.
The diagram that follows outlines five principal stages of the Holy Spirit’s action within us:
Alpha α: This is the period of the Second Conversion, when Jesus draws near and calls the person anew into His life.
Beta β: This is the first phase of structured growth (β1) – purification of the sense – which is then followed by a stabilising phase marked by the Union of Will (β2).
Mu μ: This is the stage of the deepest purification, the purification of the spirit.
Theta θ: This is the moment of Spiritual Betrothal and Spiritual Marriage, characterised by celebration and an intensification of the divine fire.
Omega ω: This is the stage of the Flares of the Holy Spirit and of participation in the redemptive mission of the Lord. This stage culminates in the Death out of Love, that is, the final and most powerful act of the Holy Spirit.
If we understand the manner in which the Holy Spirit works, we gain sufficient insight into the development of both Christian doctrine and the Church. In truth, the future is Jesus, and we are called to enter ever more deeply into Him. The real future consists in discovering new depths of Christ; to move in any other direction is simply to go astray.
Some may say that the future is the Church, or that the ultimate goal is the constitution of the Church (see Bl. Marie-Eugène, I Am a Daughter of the Church). This is true: the Body of Christ must attain its full stature. Yet this, too, is nothing other than Jesus Himself.
Let us also remember that, according to Bl. Marie-Eugène, the true discovery of Mary takes place in the time of the deepest purification, the Dark Night of the spirit. Much still remains for us to discover; Revelation still has to unfold in its fullness.
Growth in the understanding of faith
“Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith can grow in the life of the Church:
— through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts; in particular, theological research deepens knowledge of revealed truth.
— from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which believers experience; the sacred Scriptures ‘grow with the one who reads them’.
— from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth.” (CCC 94)
“Even though Revelation is complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.” (CCC 66)
“The role of private revelations is not to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history.” (CCC 67)
“The Christian tradition of prayer is one of the ways in which the living Tradition of the faith grows, especially through the contemplation and study of believers who treasure in their hearts the events and words of the economy of salvation, and through the deep penetration of spiritual realities experienced by them.” (CCC 2651; cf. DV 8)
See also CCC 2038 on the participation of all the faithful in this effort, and CCC 2518 on the connection between purity of heart and the understanding of faith.
Sources for the doctrinal development of the Church
John Henry Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine (London: 1845). Online: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/development/index.html
Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium (1964), especially ch. 1–2 on the mystery of the Church: https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html
Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum (1965), on the gradual growth of understanding of Revelation: https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html
On the development of Christology and Trinitarian doctrine: J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines (A&C Black, 1958).
On the historical stages of doctrinal definition on Mary: Juniper B. Carol (ed.), Mariology (Bruce Publishing, 1955).
Read Also
The City of God, Understanding Time and History
The Foundations of the Work of the Holy Spirit in Our Life
The Five Modes of Activity of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit in Saint John of the Cross (in English) (in French)
The Spiritual Journey and Spiritual Formation (For a more detailed approach of the stages of growth)
Spiritual Direction and the Three Main Phases of Spiritual Life