The Holy Spirit who is one of the three persons of the Holy Trinity.. It comes from the Father and the Son. Christ has poured it into our hearts, to make us children of God and so that our lives may be guided, animated and nourished by him.
This is precisely what we mean when we say that the Christian is a spiritual man: a person who thinks and acts following the Holy Spirit who is his inspiration.
But in adoring the life-giving, consubstantial and indivisible Holy Trinity, the faith of the Church also professes the distinction of the Persons. When the Father sends his Word, he also sends his Breath: a joint mission in which the Persons of the Holy Trinity are distinct but inseparable. Without any doubt, Christ is the one who manifests himself, the visible image of the invisible God, but it is the Holy Spirit who reveals him.. Catechism of the Catholic Church 687-689
Before the Ascension, Jesus had commanded the disciples "not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father. For John indeed baptized with water," he told them, "but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. When it has come upon you, you will be witnesses in Jerusalemthroughout all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth".
A few days later, continues St. Luke, "when they were all together, suddenly there came suddenly from heaven a sound as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Y were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues".
On this day, the Holy Trinity is fully revealed. and from that moment the Kingdom announced by Christ is open to all who believe in Him.
Jesus does not fully reveal the Holy Spirit until after his Resurrection. However, he suggests it little by little, even in his teaching to the crowd, when he reveals that his Flesh will be food for the life of the world. He also suggests it to Nicodemus, to the Samaritan woman and to those who participate in the feast of Tabernacles.
To his disciples he speaks of him openly about prayer: St. Luke records this in verse 11 of his GospelIf you who are evil know how to give good things to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him".
And when he explains to them the testimony they will have to give, he says: "When you are arrested, do not worry about what you will say or how you will speak. When that time comes, you will be told what you have to say. For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of the Father who will speak for you". Catechism of the Catholic Church 689-690
The Paraclete who is God himself who gives himself to us to make us sharers in his divine nature. He acts in us by giving us interior consolation, that we can experience as an increase of faith, hope, charity, peace or joy that draws us to Him.
"No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit," says St. Paul in the Epistle to the Corinthians. And in the Epistle to the Galatians: "God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying 'Abba, Father'".
He prepared Mary with his grace. Mary, "full of grace" the Mother of the One in whom "all the fullness of the divinity resides bodily".
In Mary, the Divine Grace fulfills the benevolent plan of the Father.. The Virgin conceives and gives birth to the Son of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. Her virginity becomes a unique fruitfulness through the power of the Spirit and faith.
In short, through Mary, the Holy Spirit begins to put people in communion with Christ. "object of God's benevolent love". Catechism of the Catholic Church 721-726
The knowledge of faith is possible only in Divine Grace. To enter into contact with Christ, it is necessary first of all to have been attracted by Divine Grace. He, with the Most Blessed Trinity, comes to dwell in the soul through the sacrament of Baptism. The Holy Spirit with His grace is the "first" who awakens us to faith. and initiates us into the new life that comes from knowing the one true God and the one God sent to us, Jesus Christ. Catechism of the Catholic Church 737-742
It is impossible to live a Christian life without Divine Grace, for it is our companion and the protagonist of our lives, Pope Francis said during his homily in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta.
"You cannot walk in a Christian life without the Holy Spirit."Pope Francis pointed out, and added that we ask the Lord for the grace to understand this message, because "He is our companion on the journey".
The Holy Father explains that without the Holy Spirit, who is our strength, we can do nothing.The Spirit "makes us rise from our limits, from our dead, because we have so many, so many necroses in our life, in our soul". It is therefore necessary that we Christians make a place for him in our existence.
Moreover, the Pope stressed that a Christian life that does not reserve space for the Holy Spirit and does not allow itself to be guided by Him "is a pagan life, disguised as Christian. He is the protagonist of the Christian life, the Spirit who is with us, accompanies us, transforms us, conquers us".
Francis made a call in Santa Marta to the Pope to all Catholics should be aware "that we cannot be Christians without walking with the Holy Spirit".without acting with Him, without letting Him be the protagonist of our lives".
Pope Francis explains faith in the Holy Spirit.
General Audience: Pope Francis' Catechesis for the Year of Faith.
Water from Baptism means the action of the Divine Grace in the soul.
The fire because in the form of tongues "as of fire" the Spirit rested upon the disciples on the morning of Pentecost and filled them with Him.
La Paloma because when Christ comes out of the water of his baptism, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descends and rests upon him.
The term "Spirit" translates the Hebrew term Ruah, which in its first meaning means breath, air, wind.
Jesus, when he announces and promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, calls him the "Paraclete", which is usually translated as "Comforter". He also calls him "Spirit of Truth".
St. Paul refers to Him as the Spirit of promise, the Spirit of adoption, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of God, and in St. Peter, the Spirit of glory.
On the other hand, the church considers Spirit and Holy One as divine attributes common to the Three divine Persons. But, uniting both terms, Scripture, liturgy and theological language designate the ineffable person of the Paraclete, without any possible ambiguity with the others. The mystery of the cross of Christ and thus the Christian meaning of suffering, are illuminated when we consider that it is the Holy Spirit who unites us in the Mystical Body (the Church).
In 1971 St. Josemaría composed the invocation to Divine Grace, which has been renewed every year since then in all the centers of Opus Dei on the Solemnity of Pentecost.
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of your love.Send your Creator Spirit
and renews the face of the earth.Oh my,
that you have enlightened the hearts of your children
with the light of the Holy Spirit;
make us docile to his inspirations
to always taste good
and enjoy its comfort.Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit infused in the Christian's soul bring the virtues to perfection and make the faithful docile to follow with promptness and love, in their daily actions, the divine inspirations. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1830-1831. Their gifts are given with the Sacrament of Baptism and are reinforced in Confirmation, but we must develop them throughout our Christian life.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, his gifts are seven: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, godliness and fear of God.. They support the moral life of the Christian and make him docile and sensitive to God's will.
St. Paul says that the Christian's existence is animated by Divine Grace and rich in its fruits, which are: "Love, joy, peace, understanding, helpfulness, kindness, goodness, loyalty, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).
The precious gift of the Holy Spirit is the very life of God, inasmuch as we are his true children by his adoption.
"Frequent the dealings of the Holy Spirit...Do not forget that you are a temple of God. The Paraclete is at the center of your soul: listen to him and docilely heed his inspirations."
Camino, 57, San Josemaría.
The moment we welcome him and harbor him in our hearts, the Holy Spirit begins to make us sensitive to his voice and to orient our thoughts, our feelings and our intentions according to the heart of God.
It leads us to direct our inner gaze towards Jesus, as a model for our way of acting and relating to God the Father and to our brothers and sisters.
This gift of the Holy Spirit is related to faith. When the Divine Spirit dwells in our heart and enlightens our mind, He makes us grow day by day in the understanding of what the Lord has said and done.
To understand the teachings of Jesus, to understand the Gospel, to understand the Word of God.
Wisdom as the grace of being able to see everything with the eyes of God: to see the world, to see situations, occasions, problems, everything, with the eyes of God.
There are many men and women who honor our Church because they are strong in leading their lives, their families, their work and their faith. Let us give thanks to the Lord for these Christians who live a hidden holiness: it is the Holy Spirit who leads them.
In Genesis it is emphasized that God is pleased with his Creation, repeatedly underlining the beauty and goodness of everything. At the end of each day, it is written: And God saw that it was good.
If God sees that Creation is a good thing, that it is something beautiful, we must also assume this attitude. Here is the gift of science that makes us see this beauty; let us praise God, let us thank Him for having given us so much beauty.
This gift indicates our belonging to God and our deep bond with Him, a bond that gives meaning to our whole life and keeps us firm, in communion with Him, even in the most difficult and stormy moments.
It is a relationship lived with the heart: it is our friendship with God, given to us by Jesus, a friendship that changes our life and fills us with enthusiasm and joy.
It is the gift of the Spirit that reminds us how small we are before God and his love, and that our good lies in abandoning ourselves humbly, with respect and trust in his hands. This is the fear of God: abandonment in the goodness of our Father who loves us very much.
The guide who leads us along the path of good in our daily life is the Holy Spirit. We depend on his work to live according to the Word, to understand it, to direct our walk on the path of holiness, to act justly. He fills us with love, patience, peace, joy, goodness, meekness, gentleness, kindness and gives us faith.
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