In Spirit and Truth: Building What Heaven Begins

Transcript of A Shepherd's Voice - June 30, 2025

“God is a spirit: and they that adore him, must adore him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

“For which of you, having a mind to build a tower, doth not first sit down, and reckon the charges that are necessary, whether he have wherewithal to finish it?” (Luke 14:28).

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Welcome to “A Shepherd’s Voice.”

Today, we begin with two verses that, at first glance, seem to speak to very different things – one of adoration, the other of action. Yet both direct our gaze heavenward. One calls us to worship rightly. The other calls us to build wisely. But both call us to do so in spirit and in truth.

The first reminds us that worship must be genuine – devoid of performance, sentimentality or shallowness. It must be spiritual and grounded in truth. The second reminds us that any endeavor – be it a vocation, a family, a mission, or a life – must be approached with sober discernment, counted cost, and the willingness to complete what God has begun.

In both adoration and action, the tools of Heaven must be used. Not cleverness. Not manipulation. Not human ambition. In spirit and in truth.

To adore in spirit means to forsake appearances. To build in spirit means to renounce self-reliance. And in both, the measure of our worth is not in what others see, but in what we are before God.

St. Francis of Assisi said it well:

“What a man is before God, that he is and no more.”

We must not build with illusions or strive to appear holy, but be holy. For the man who builds on anything but truth is building on sand.

So what happens when we try to build the things of God without the Spirit of God? When we use religious words but lack spiritual fire? When prayer is no longer the foundation?

As St. John Vianney warned:

“Prayer is to our soul what rain is to the soil. Fertilize the soil ever so richly; it will remain barren unless fed by frequent rains.”

Prayer is not one task among many – it is the oxygen of every mission. Without it, the tower collapses. And once Heaven withdraws its blessing, no amount of effort can sustain the structure.

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

To walk in the Spirit means decisions arise from grace, not from panic or strategy. It means obedience, even when the world sees failure. It means fidelity, even when misunderstood. For to build according to the flesh when God has called us to the Spirit is to betray the very mission entrusted to us.

Now let’s look more broadly. This is not only about individuals. This is about the life of the Church.

“… Not with an army, nor by might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zacharias 4:6).

This is not just poetic – it is a divine blueprint. The Church cannot be purified with human means. Not with campaigns. Not with marketing. Not with administrative cleverness. Only by the Holy Ghost.

“ … For without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Not less. Not a little. Nothing.

And yet we see throughout the Church a growing reliance on human methods. Not because we are being persecuted – but because we are being seduced. The Spirit has been traded for strategies. And this has consequences:

· In the Synod on Synodality, we witnessed a shift from sacred discernment to worldly methodology – dialogue, consensus, and political process. Instead of listening to the Holy Spirit through Scripture, Tradition, and prayer, the Synod listened to “the people” – many of whom oppose the very teachings of the One True Faith.

· In Church marketing and rebranding, we see the human method again – PR firms, slogans, campaigns to “re-attract” Catholics. But the Church is not a product to be marketed. She is the Bride of Christ. Souls are won by truth, grace, and sacrificial witness – not by spin.

· In liturgical entertainment, we have traded sacred worship for emotional performance – praise bands, gimmicks, irreverent novelties. The sense of the sacred is often lost. And especially the young are walking away, not because we are too solemn, but because there is a lack of reverence.

· In abuse reform, we see bureaucracy and optics replace penance and prayer. Politics and image management cannot heal what only accountability, repentance, and reparation can address. But these are rarely mentioned.

· In the suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass, we see fear driving decision-making. The TLM is rich soil – drawing vocations, families, and converts who seek the unchanging truths of God. Yet many leaders pave over that ground, rather than tending it. This is not spiritual discernment – it is human control.

· In the pastoral compromise seen in approaches like that of Fr. James Martin, we find a false mercy that offers comfort without conversion. But to affirm sin without calling to holiness is not love – it is spiritual abandonment.

“But if any man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which you are” (I Corinthians 3:17).

This destruction comes when pride replaces prayer, and self-promotion substitutes for sacrifice.

And so I ask: if our hands are not pierced by the nails of renunciation, how will they bear the marks of Christ?

To my brother bishops and priests – We must lay down our metrics, our platforms, our comforts. The mission of Christ is not a campaign – it is a crucifixion.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux reminds us:

“What we love we shall grow to resemble.”

If we love Christ crucified, we will bear His wounds – not just speak His words.

And this is the heart of it: the spiritual tools given by God – prayer, penance, fasting, the sacraments – are not accessories. They are the engine. Without them, we do not build. We collapse.

The early Church had no buildings, no budgets, no platforms – and yet, they turned the world upside down. Why? Because they had fire. They had the Holy Ghost.

“And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak” (Acts 2:4).

And the world, seeing them, feared.

So I leave you with this:

If God has called you to build something eternal – whether it be a vocation, a family, a mission – do not attempt it with human tools. You must fulfill it in spirit and in truth.

Count the cost.

Crucify the flesh.

Let the Spirit lead.

You may never be praised. You may never be understood. But if you finish the tower in the manner God has willed, you will hear the only words that matter:

“ … Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

Do not begin in the Spirit only to end in the flesh. Do not trade grace for gimmicks. Do not look back.

“No man, putting his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus Christ,

Grant us the grace to begin all things in Your Spirit,

To persevere in Your strength,

And to finish in Your truth.

Strip from us all that is flesh,

Clothe us in grace.

Give us endurance, humility, and love,

That whether seen or hidden, we may adore You

In spirit and in truth.

Amen.

You have been listening to “A Shepherd’s Voice.”

Stand firm.

Stay faithful.

Finish the tower.

May Almighty God bless you,

the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Amen.