Leonardo Boff is one of the world's best known theologians and is the author of more than 60 books on liberation theology, ecology, and spirituality. In 2001, Boff received the prestigious Right Livelihood Award. He is featured as one of S&P's Living Spiritual Teachers.
The Spirit, Boff proclaims, was present when matter was brought to life. The same Divine energy was at work in Pentecost and in the changes brought by the Second Vatican Council. And the Spirit is with us now during "the greatest crisis in human history" — the destruction of the planet and its biodiversity.
Boff believes that the rise of women in all spheres of life deserves to be heralded as "a powerful irruption of the Spirit in history." He also sees good coming from the Catholic Charismatic Movement and its call for the hierarchical Church to serve the poor and speak the truth of simplicity.
Catholics are starting to see that the Spirit is present in the language of love, the poetry of nature, the spiritual practice of enthusiasm, prophetic action and the battle against oppression, the ongoing creation, and humanity at large. Boff's chapter on "Philosopher of the Spirit: Men and Women" includes ancient seers and contemporary figures. He describes the Spirit as God's dream: "it builds courage, provokes holy rage against injustice, inspires a cry for liberation, and acts as a power of communion and communication."
According to Boff, we are experiencing the diversity of the gifts of Spirit and exploring a spirituality that sees the sacred in every dimension of our daily lives. Now is the time to cry out: "Come, Holy Spirit, and send forth the radiance of your holy light."
