Third Person of the TrinitySometimes called the forgotten Person of theBlessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit is the Lord andGiver of Life. Why "forgotten"? Why "Lord"?Why "Giver of Life"?

Forgotten When you think of God, how oftendo you think about the Holy Spirit? Perhaps notvery often. Most people probably think about Godthe Father or God the Son when they think of God.Even in the celebration of the liturgy, we tend tothink of our prayers as addressed to God the FatherthroughJesus Christ our Lord. But when we do this,we forget that there is another part to the prayers ofthe Church: We always pray to the Father, throughthe Son, in the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the BlessedTrinity, may also be forgotten for a simple reason.It may be easier for human beings to see the Fatherand the Son as divine Persons. Even traditionalartworks may have contributed to the problem. Howmany times have we seen the Holy Spirit picturedas a dove? The dove is a wonderful symbol for theHoly Spirit, of course, because it comes from theBible itself. Nevertheless it may make it harder forsome to relate to the Holy Spirit as a divine Person.

Lord One of the titles for God with which weare most familiar is "Lord." Just think how oftenthe title is used in the Old Testament. Rather thanreferring to God asYahweh, the sacred name ofGod that was given to Moses, the Old Testamentwriters often used Lord.rhis was done out ofreverence for God's name.

Christians know the Lord God of the Old Testamentas God the Father. And because Jesus is the onlySon of God, he, too, is Lord. But do Catholics usuallythink of the Holy Spirit as the Lord? Perhaps notoften enough. Remember, the Persons of the BlessedTrinity are distinct but equal. If the Father and theSon are both Lord, the Holy Spirit must be Lord, too.Inrd is a title that refers to divinity. Each time werecite the Nicene Creed, we recall that the HolySpirit "is worshiped and glorified" with the Fatherand the Son.

Giver of tife The Holy Spirit is the only Personof the Blessed Trinity who is called the Giver ofLife. This is true for a number of reasons. Probablythe most important reason is that the Holy Spiritdwells in us through sanctifiiing grace. This meansthat we share in the divine life through the powerof the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul explained this truthanother way. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, he remindedthe early Christians that they were temples of theHoly Spirit.

There is something else important to think about.Did you know that you cannot have faith unless theHoly Spirit gives it to you? We do not usually thinkof faith in this way, but this is one more reason whywe call the Holy Spirit the Giver of tife. The Churchteaches that without the Holy Spirit we cannot havefaith, we cannot believe. This Catholic truth is stateddramatically in the New Testament. There we read,"No one can say, Jesus is Lord,' except by the holySpirit" (1 Corinthians 72:3).What does this mean for our lives? Actually a greatdeal. Our life of faith comes to us from the HolySpirit. The Holy Spirit, therefore, is closer to us andmore important to us than most of us realize. TheHoly Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life. Knowingall this, will you think differently about the HolySpirit from now on? Don't let the Holy Spiritremain the forgotten Person of the Blessed Trinityfor you.

*\ I J ,.

"q4/ How can yow recogni

The t-loly Spirit in ScriptureHave you ever heard anyone say, "Where thereis life, there is breath"? Consider the simple actof taking a deep breath. At that moment ourlungs are filled with life-giving oxygen. Withoutbreathing, we would not stay alive very long.Breath is essential to life.

The biblical writers thought about the life of theworld in much the same way. They said that the"breath," or Spirit, of Yahweh was present atcreation and kept it in existence. The world wouldbe lifeless without this Spirit of God. That is whythe phrase Spiyit of Ya,hweh is found frequently inthe Old Testament.

What did the word spirit mean for the biblicalwriters? It had a variety of meanings: breath,wind, life, soul, mind, and power. At the beginning

of the Old Testament, God's work is described asa wind that "swept over the waters" at creation(Genesis I:2) and as "the breath of life" givinglife to Adam (Genesis 2:7). God is seen as actingthrough his Spirit.

Later in the Old Testament, the Spirit of yahwehgave the early leaders of Israel great power andstrength. In helping to form God's people, they wereable to do marvelous deeds only because God's Spiritwas with them. Think about Samson. who rescuedGod's people from their Philistine enemies. Oneaccount about this legendary strongman explainedthe reason for his strength. As the story goes, oneday Samson was attacked by a roaring lion. "But thespirit of the Lonn came upon Samson, and althoughhe had no weapons, he tore the lion in pieces"(Judges 14:6).

w*#ffi

28

Finish this sentence: The breath o( the Spirit is like . . . .* ;

"{**ffi

l;:

l'.i

i!1i

i1

aj1;

Alive in the $piritIn one of the best-known passages of the Bible,the prophet Ezekiel writes about an unusual visionhe had. In the vision the Spirit of Yahweh leadsEzekiel to the center of a plain filled with driedhuman bones. Suddenly the bones begin to rattleas they come together. After they are covered withflesh, the Spirit of God enters into them. Then theycome alive and stand. By sharing this vision of thebones, Ezekiel is saying that the Spirit of Yahwehgives life-and can even give life to the dead(Ezekiel 37:I-L4).Another passage in the Bible, this one from theprophetJoel in the Old Testament, helps us todiscover more about the Spirit of God for our ownday. Joel speaks about the future and the time ofthe promised Messiah. Here the Spirit of God isdescribed as God's gift to those who act on hisbehalf. In this famous passage God is saying,

Then afterward t will pour outmy spirit upon all mankind.

Your sons and daughters shall prophesy,your old men shall dream dreams,your young men shall see visions.

Then everyone shall be rescuedwho calls on the name of the Lono.

Joel3:1, 5

In every age God's Spirit is given to those whoshare in God's work.

t i i , l f:f i : irf!:" ' ! 'rr" '"r+tr'rr-!: ' :t ' :r:+rf

'

*LLt ffpossible,listen as thisfamous passagei is read aloud. An old spiritwal retells the story andi has as il repeilting refrain: "Now hear the wotrd of,-:i the Lord!" What "word of the Lord" did you hear?

,1'f

;t;f

fiil,",liiij;ii

*i:!*lqtqg*f@S

29

Christians know these words ofJoel very well, forthey appear again in the second chapter of the Actsof the Apostles. The apostle Peter quoted thesewords on the day of Pentecost. He tried to explainthat the time of the Messiah had come, that God'swork had now been brought to completion inJesusChrist. Peter and the other disciples received theHoly Spirit because they were the followers of therisen Christ. Led by the Spirit, they would nowshare in Jesus' work on earth.

. \ i j Do yow think of yourself as someone onu;'" whom the Spirit of the Loydhasbeen pouredout? Whflt does that mef,n to yow? Write Vour thoughtsin yowr journal.

*

ftIf;Saint Paul used a rich image to describe Christians.In 1 Corinthians 6:19 he called each one of us a"temple" of the Holy Spirit. When he wrote this,Paul was thinking about the Temple oflerusalemand how important it was inJewish life.

Before the Temple was even built, the ark of thecovenant, the symbol of God's presence with hispeople, was placed in a tent. A tent was usedbecause the Israelites were nomads, wanderingfrom place to place. Finally, after they had settledin the promised land, they constructed a pemanentdwelling for the ark. This was the magnificentTemple ofJerusalem. There the ark of the covenantwas placed in the holy of holies, the very heart ofthe Temple. This place was so sacred that the highpriest alone could enter it.

The Temple was revered by all the people as theplace where God dwelled among them in a specialway. Knowing this, we can see what Saint Paulhad in mind when he said that we are temples ofthe Holy Spirit. God's dwelling place is no longerto be regarded as being in one building. Now theHoly Spirit dwells in each of us. Can you imaginewhat the world would be like if all the followersofJesus were to understand and appreciate whatthis means for their lives? It would change theworld overnight!

&,* ry'$''** fu-%,

!tr

,,'ryx,i:f,

30

:#t F -gi

' ' inted, we are told, "Stand back' Give him air'" Ai f someone nas rairowning person is resuscitated by someone breathing air into her lungs'

Mountain climbers reach heights where the air is so thin that they are

disoriented and lose consciousness. \7e simply cannot exist without pure

air. It's a biological necessitY.

In 1960 PopeJohn Xxll l looked atthe Church and said, "lwantto open a

window and let the air in." He was talking, of course, about the fresh air

of the Holy Spirit. \(/e cannot survive without that living breath of God'

What does the Spirit, the Breath of God, do for us? In what ways does

the Holy spirit affect our lives? make us more aware? awaken us to

God's presence in our lives?

-T-fu* h$a.r{1r -%6:ir"i"{: *ffi ill$+c"i*f,:'s l--i"$-ciModern Catholics may be surprised to find outhow closely involved the Holy Spirit was in the lifeof Jesus. From the very beginning it was the HolySpirit who came upon the Blessed Virgin Marybefore Jesus' blrth ltuke 1:35). Each time we recitethe Nicene Creed, we profess our belief that at theincarnation the Son of God was born of the VirginMary "by the power of the Holy Spirit'"

34

(o

JIt

Ilt\nirstliro

A

Later when John the Baptist baptized Jesus at the

Jordan River, the Holy Spirit was present again'A dove was the sign of the Holy Spirit's presence'AfterJesus'baptism the Holy Spirit drew him intothe desert; there Jesus overcame the temptationsSatan. ThenJesus began his public life "in thepower of the Spirit" (Luke 4:14). On returning toNazareth, his hometown, Jesus announced thefulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Jesus said:

i*g- rhi,nk of thne ways the Hroty spirit has

been your advocate - your defendea comforter,

consoler, intercessor, teacher. Write a prayer ofUr, Ort tto, or gratitwd,e to the Holy Spirit.

:tJ

e:$

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,to let the oppressed go free,

and to proclaim ayear acceptable to the Lord."Luke 4:18-19

On the night before he died, Jesus promised hisapostles that a new Helper would come to them.Jesus told them, "I will ask the Father, and he willgive you another Advocate to be with you always,the Spirit of rrurh" (John L4:L6-L7).To understand whatJesus is saying to us, we mustknow the meaning of the wordadvocate.IntheNew Testament the word advocate, or parilclete,hasmany meanings. It certainly can mean helper, butit means much more. An advocate is someone whospeaks for others, who defends others and pleads forthem. An advocate is also a comforter, a consoler, anintercessor, and a teacher. The Holy Spirit, then, isour intercessor, consoler, and teacher. He is theAdvocate promised by the risen Lord to be withand for his disciples.

The coming of the Holy Spirit was described inJohn's Gospel as taking place on Easter. After Jesus'death and resurrection, his apostles were afraidthat they, too, would be killed. So they hld behindlocked doors. John explains what happened next:

Jesus came and stood in their midst and said tothem, "Peace be with you." When he had saidthis, he showed them his hands and his side.The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Andwhen he had said this, he breathed on themand said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit."John 2O:79-22

r - . . " 1 t ' , 1

il,qruHcpLerTm&ffihllNffiSAbout the Holy SpiritHow do we know the Holy Spirit, andhow do we keep the Holy Spirit centralin our lives? The Catechisn (688) listsdifferent ways. These include:. Sacred Scripture, which was inspired by

the Holy Spirito the tradition of the Churcho the teaching authority of the Church,

which the Holy Spirit guides. the sacraments and liturgy of the Church,

in which we pray and worship togetherthrough the power of the Holy Spirit,who sanctifies us

. all our prayers, in which the Holy Spiritintercedes for us

o the lives of the saints and the ministriesof the Church, in which the Holy Spiritbrings us his holiness.

35

PentecostLuke's account in the Acts of the Apostles describesthe coming of the Holy Spirit in a differenr way, adescription more familiar to most people. In Actsthe Holy Spirit comes upon the community ofChristians in Jerusalem on the Jewish harvest feastof Pentecost (Acts 2:I-II).Ir was the fiftieth dayafter Passover, a time for the Jews to rejoice at therich blessings God had bestowed upon Israel.

With the coming of the Holy Spirit, pentecost wouldnow take on new meaning for Christians. Luke saidthat "suddenly there came from the sky a noise likea strong driving wind." Then he said that ,,tonguesas of fire" came to rest on each of the disciples. *Theywere all filled with the holy Spirir" (Acts 2:2-4).For the first Christians this day of pentecost wasthe occasion forJesus to pour out the Holy Spirituoon them, giving them an abundance of the giftsof the Spirit. The risen Christ was sharing his lifewith them-and with us-in the power of the HolySpirit. Pentecost, therefore, was the completion ofChrist's passover. The coming of the Holy Spirit isthe completion of the paschal mystery-all thatJesus Christ did for us.

36

." \ I g-*

---\o* Have there been times in yowr life when, Vou have fek the trtower of the Holy Spirit? Write

about them here or in vour iournal.

I

3_,_ -j

l

C

a

tn

V

vTirHa]tcthe!

0

gnizable stained-One of the. mosl 1e-1o" world is theglass windowt \t.llt*-i. al.ar inrl&Ss w'r"" main altar ini"i''do* b*t:ljllj in the Vatican.Saint Peter's Basrlrca

;;;; **dow the """.Y ::'i:'i.*tq''*" t" ":;;;;;s us of Jesus'baPdsm

syrnbolized:t ?*lf,. perhaps even more than this,bv lohn at the ]*"i:;;;i;; *" are macle a newii reminds "' th.u' lt.T;;;"t rl",""b-ltiOTlin"creation'ht?"?n:1"d5r" r"", Af ,!" Y,")biblical symbol ot,-rh; i*r' of the flood, NoahBook of Genesis' In tne ,.-'^?^; ^ " not the land hasreleases a dove to see 1""::1"irT lilrlrr'" a"""

I ',,.'J

with memories refreshed and enlivenedby the Holy Spirit, the apostles wereable to give witness to the Jesus thatthey knew. The man they knew andwith whom they walked was the LordJesus Christ, the God-Man-not dead,but alivel The Holy Spirit's comingenabled the apostles to recall andpresent the teachings thatJesushanded over to them for the Churchthroughout the ages. They now knewand understood their mission.

Today the Holy Spirit is still guidingJesus'disciples. It is the Holy Spiritwho guides the missionary activity of

the Church. It is the Holv Spirit whodraws so many people to the Church. It is the HolySpirit who strengthens members of the Church tospeak out against oppression, injustice, and povertyin our world.

, \ I I Are Vou ever aw^re of the Holy Spirit"' --"*-"' working in the life of the Church? Give

one example. Write it in yowr jowrnal.

Guided by the SplnitFilled with the Holy Spirit, the early Christianswent out with great excitement to bring Christ toothers. These once-frightened disciples were givengreat power, courage, strength, and authority by theHoly Spirit. Jesus had told them, "You will receivepower when the holy Spirit comes upon you, andyou will be my witnesses inJerusalem, throughoutJudea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth"(Acts 1:B).Although the apostles had spent some of the bestdays of their lives withJesus, they did not know himas ful1y as they thought. Jesus himself understoodthis. That is whyJesus said to them, "I have muchmore to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. Butwhen he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guideyou ro all trurh" (John I6:L2-13).The coming of the Holy Spirit made a big differencein the lives of the apostles. Because Jesus sent theHoly Spirit to them, they were now ready to graspall that he wanted them to know. RecallJesus' wordsto the apostles, "The Advocate, the holy Spirit thatthe Father will send in my name-he will teach youeverything and remind you of all that I told you"$ohn 14:26).

qe*

The Life q:f SraceWe are temples of the Holy Spirit. Through Baptismwe have been initiated into the life of sanctifyinggrace, a participation in the very life of Cod'

Our experience of the Holy Spirit, the sanctifier,do". not end with sanctifying grace' however' TheChurch teaches us that the Holy Spirit is active inour lives through actual graces. Actual 8r6ces areinterventions of God in our daily lives' Theseinterventions ale urgings or promptings from theHoly Spirit. Like sparks that can ignite a fire, theseg"u.", h"lp r'tt to deepen our Christian life and livet-hu good ,t"-t of 1".us as members of the Church'

There are many examples of actual graces' The HolySpirit gives them to us either directly or indirectlythtongh other people and events in our lives' Theseinclude the good example of others or the awarenessto do good that we might gain from reading a book'Actual graces might also include the feelings thatcome spontaneously into our lives and that help leadus to holiness.

What would happen if the Holy Spirit wereno longer present? Only then might we trulyunderstand what he means to us. Like a worldwithout water, we could not really live withoutthe Holy Spirit. We sometimes forget howimportant water is until we do not have it'Without water, green flelds dry tp and becomedeserts. Without the Holy Spirit, our spirituallives would be much the same; they would witheraway and become desertlike. The Church remindsus of this truth when we pray these words:

When you hide your face, they are lost'When you take away their breath, they perishand return to the dust from which they came'

When you send forth your breath, they arecreated,

and you renew the face of the earth'Psalm LO4:29-30

3B