GOD'S SELF-GIFT - "Another Paraclete"

By Fr (Dr) Fiorello Mascarenhas SJ, D.Min. & Sister (Dr) Renu Rita Silvano OCV, STD

ST PAULS, 58/23rd Road, TPS III, Bandra West, 

Mumbai 400050, India

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ISBN 978-81-19597-13-0 | Pp 142 | Rs 180

According to the Christian Creed, firstly, God's nuclear family comprises of three Persons viz. the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and secondly, with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is worshipped and glorified. But while prayer-filled worship of the Father and the Son is commonplace, most Christians remain mystified by the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Son, having come to birth on Earth as a human being, is picturised in his human form, while the Father is sketched as an old paternal figure. But how does one worship a 'dove' (the most popular symbol of the Holy Spirit), no matter how holy? Worse still, if we translate "Holy Spirit" as "Holy Ghost," is praying to a 'ghost' (however holy!) imaginable at all to even the most pious believer? There has thus been (until not so long ago) an almost complete neglect of the third Person of the Trinity; the situation, however, began to change for the better with the rise of the Charismatic Renewal some six decades ago, as seen in GOD'S SELF-GIFT – "Another Paraclete". 

Fully Catholic in content, this new book from the charismatic duo, Father (Dr) Fiorello Mascarenhas SJ, D.Min. and Sister (Dr) Renu Rita Silvano OCV, STD is solidly rooted in the riches of the Bible, Vatican II documents, recent Papal encyclicals, as well as in the amazing personal experiences of scores of believers. It masterfully introduces the Divine Person who is God's new Self-Gift to humanity, and lucidly shows His continual and active presence as "another Paraclete" [=advocate] who, dwelling in every Christian, influences history and society. 

A cursory look at the 'Contents' pages would adequately convince the reader as to how the presentation of the text in five chapters is set to thrill the reader with an enrichment of his/her prayer life! The first chapter dwells at length on God's self-gift to us as the Paraclete, and the sense of holiness that He infuses in those who care to understand and worship Him, imbibing His holiness. Chapters 2 and 3 reveal the effect of the Spirit's relationship with the Father and the Son that made both Creation and Redemption so eminently possible. The 4th chapter explains the link between the Spirit and the Church in relation to Mary, the Cross, the Word and the Sacraments. The concluding chapter speaks of the Spirit's connection with the world at large that includes His missionary fruitfulness from which flows a new civilisation of love, baring the need of a new evangelization.

Factually, the building of the faith of any reader of GOD'S SELF-GIFT – "Another Paraclete" is in safe hands, given that the co-authors, Father Fio and Sister Renu are, respectively, Emeriti Chairman and Director of the Catholic Bible Institute, Mumbai. Holding as they do doctorates in Biblical Spirituality (Chicago) and Sacred Theology (Rome), they have authored/co-authored 28 best-sellers on Charismatic, Marian, and Biblical themes, apart from having spoken at Leaders' Conferences worldwide, and preached Retreats for clergy, religious, laity and youth.

LADISLAUS LOUIS D'SOUZA