Jan 18, 2026 Written by 

Blasphemy does not consist in offending the Holy Spirit with words

And when he foretells to his disciples that persecution awaits them, with imprisonment and interrogation, he adds: "Do not worry about what you will have to say, but say what will be given you at that hour: for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit" (Mk 13:11). "The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you have to say" (Lk 12, 12).

5. The synoptic Gospels record another statement by Jesus in his instructions to the disciples that cannot fail to impress. It concerns "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit". He says: "Whoever speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven him, but whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven him" (Lk 12:10; cf. Mt 12:32; Mk 3:29). These words create a problem of greater theological and ethical magnitude than one might think, on the surface of the text. "Blasphemy" (of which we are speaking) does not really consist in offending the Holy Spirit with words; it consists, instead, in refusing to accept the salvation that God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, and which works by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross. . If blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be remitted either in this life or in the life to come, it is because this 'non-remission' is linked, as its cause, to 'non-penitence', that is, the radical refusal to be converted . . . Now blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the sin committed by man, who claims his supposed 'right' to persevere in evil - in any sin - and thus refuses redemption . . . (It) does not allow man to come out of his self-prison and open himself to the divine sources of purification of conscience and remission of sins' (Dominum et vivificantem, 46). This is the exact inversion of the condition of docility and communion with the Father, in which Jesus lives in prayer and action, and which he teaches and recommends to man as an inner attitude and as a principle of action.

6. In the whole of the preaching and action of Jesus Christ, which flows from his union with the Holy Spirit-Love, is contained an immense richness of heart: "Learn from me, who am meek and humble of heart," he exhorts, "and you will find rest for your souls" (Mt 11:29), but present at the same time is all the firmness of the truth about the kingdom of God, and therefore the insistent invitation to open one's heart, under the action of the Holy Spirit, to be admitted to it and not be excluded from it.

In all of this, the "power of the Holy Spirit" is revealed, and indeed the Holy Spirit Himself is manifested by His presence and action as the Paraclete, the comforter of man, the confirmer of divine truth, the eradicator of the "master of this world".

[Pope John Paul II, General Audience 25 July 1990]

0 Last modified on Sunday, 18 January 2026 04:09
don Giuseppe Nespeca

Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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«The "blasphemy" [in question] does not really consist in offending the Holy Spirit with words; it consists, instead, in the refusal to accept the salvation that God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, and which works by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross [It] does not allow man to get out of his self-imprisonment and to open himself to the divine sources of purification» (John Paul II, General Audience July 25, 1990)
«La “bestemmia” [di cui si tratta] non consiste propriamente nell’offendere con le parole lo Spirito Santo; consiste, invece, nel rifiuto di accettare la salvezza che Dio offre all’uomo mediante lo Spirito Santo, e che opera in virtù del sacrificio della croce [Esso] non permette all’uomo di uscire dalla sua autoprigionia e di aprirsi alle fonti divine della purificazione» (Giovanni Paolo II, Udienza Generale 25 luglio 1990)
Seen from the capital Jerusalem, that land is geographically peripheral and religiously impure because it was full of pagans, having mixed with those who did not belong to Israel. Great things were not expected from Galilee for the history of salvation. Instead, right from there — precisely from there — radiated that “light” on which we meditated in recent Sundays: the light of Christ. It radiated right from the periphery (Pope Francis)
Vista dalla capitale Gerusalemme, quella terra è geograficamente periferica e religiosamente impura perché era piena di pagani, per la mescolanza con quanti non appartenevano a Israele. Dalla Galilea non si attendevano certo grandi cose per la storia della salvezza. Invece proprio da lì - proprio da lì - si diffonde quella “luce” sulla quale abbiamo meditato nelle scorse domeniche: la luce di Cristo. Si diffonde proprio dalla periferia (Papa Francesco)
Christ and his intimates tried to strengthen the sense of sharing, returning to the profound spirit of what once the clan, the family, the community were - expressions of God's love that manifests itself...
Cristo e i suoi intimi tentavano di rafforzare il senso di condivisione, tornando allo spirito profondo di ciò che un tempo erano appunto il clan, la famiglia, la comunità - espressioni dell’amore di Dio che si manifesta…
The Church was built on the foundation of the Apostles as a community of faith, hope and charity. Through the Apostles, we come to Jesus himself. Therefore, a slogan that was popular some years back:  "Jesus yes, Church no", is totally inconceivable with the intention of Christ (Pope Benedict)
La Chiesa è stata costituita sul fondamento degli Apostoli come comunità di fede, di speranza e di carità. Attraverso gli Apostoli, risaliamo a Gesù stesso. È pertanto del tutto inconciliabile con l'intenzione di Cristo uno slogan di moda alcuni anni fa: "Gesù sì, Chiesa no" (Papa Benedetto)
Intimidated by the nightmare of demons and concrete dangers, the crowds could not see the possibility of emancipation from an existence of obsessions - slavish, frightened, lost, overwhelmed...
Intimidite dall’incubo di demoni e pericoli concreti, le folle non riuscivano a vedere possibilità di emancipazione da un’esistenza di ossessioni - pedissequa, spaventata, smarrita, sopraffatta…
Justification incorporates us into the long history of salvation that demonstrates God’s justice: faced with our continual falls and inadequacies, he did not give up, but wanted to make us righteous (Pope Francis)
La giustificazione ci inserisce nella lunga storia della salvezza, che mostra la giustizia di Dio: di fronte alle nostre continue cadute e alle nostre insufficienze, Egli non si è rassegnato, ma ha voluto renderci giusti (Papa Francesco)

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