Third Personof the Trinity

Giver of tife
The Holy Spirit is the only Person
of the BlessedTrinity who is calledthe Giver of
Life.This is true for a number of reasons.Probably
the most important reasonis that the Holy Spirit
dwells in us through sanctifiiinggrace.This means
that we sharein the divine life through the power
of the Holy Spirit. SaintPaulexplainedthis truth
anotherway. In 1 Corinthians6:19,he reminded
the early Christiansthat they were templesof the
Holy Spirit.

Sometimescalledthe forgotten Personof the

BlessedTrinity, the Holy Spirit is the Lord and
Giver of Life. Why "forgotten"?Why "Lord"?
Why "Giver of Life"?
Forgotten
When you think of God,how often
do you think aboutthe Holy Spirit?Perhapsnot
very often. Most peopleprobably think about God
the Father or God the Sonwhen they think of God.
Even in the celebrationof the liturgy, we tend to
think of our prayersasaddressedto God the Father
throughJesusChrist our Lord.But when we do this,
we forget that there is another part to the prayersof
the Church: We alwayspray to the Father,through
the Son,in the Holy Spirit.

Thereis somethingelseimportantto think about.

Did you know that you cannothave faith unlessthe
Holy Spirit givesit to you? We do not usuallythink
of faith in this way, but this is one more reasonwhy
we call the Holy Spirit the Giver of tife. The Church
teachesthat without the Holy Spirit we cannothave
faith, we cannotbelieve.This Catholic truth is stated
dramaticallyin the New Testament.Therewe read,
"No one cansay,Jesusis Lord,'exceptby the holy
Spirit" (1 Corinthians72:3).

The Holy Spirit, the third Personof the Blessed

Trinity, may alsobe forgotten for a simple reason.
It may be easierfor human beingsto seethe Father
and the Son asdivine Persons.Even traditional
artworks may have contributedto the problem.How
many times havewe seenthe Holy Spirit pictured
asa dove?The doveis a wonderful symbolfor the
Holy Spirit, of course,becauseit comesfrom the
Bible itself. Neverthelessit may makeit harder for
someto relateto the Holy Spirit asa divine Person.
Lord One of the titles for God with which we
aremost familiar is "Lord."Justthink how often
the title is usedin the Old Testament.Ratherthan
referringto God asYahweh,
the sacrednameof
Godthat was given to Moses,the Old Testament
writers often usedLord.rhis was done out of
reverencefor God'sname.

What doesthis meanfor our lives?Actually a great

deal.Our life of faith comesto us from the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit, therefore,is closerto us and
more important to us than most of us realize.The
Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life. Knowing
all this, will you think differently aboutthe Holy
Spirit from now on? Don't let the Holy Spirit
remain the forgotten Personof the BlessedTrinity
for you.

*\ I J ,

How canyowrecogni<e
thepresence
of
. "q4/
theHoly Spiritin your life?
t

Christiansknow the Lord God of the Old Testament

asGod the Father.And becauseJesusis the only
Sonof God,he,too,is Lord.But do Catholicsusually
think of the Holy Spirit asthe Lord?Perhapsnot
oftenenough.Remember,the Personsof the Blessed .:'I
il
Trinity are distinct but equal.If the Fatherand the
Sonareboth Lord, the Holy Spirit must be Lord, too.
a
'19.
Inrd is a title that refersto divinity. Eachtime we
.ir
recitethe NiceneCreed,we recall that the Holy
t
Spirit "is worshipedand glorified" with the Father
;i
andthe Son.
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27

The t-lolySpirit in Scripture

Have you ever heard anyonesay,"Where there
is life, there is breath"?Considerthe simple act
of taking a deepbreath.At that moment our
lungs are filled with life-giving oxygen.Without
breathing,we would not stay alive very long.
Breathis essentialto life.
The biblical writers thought about the life of the
world in much the sameway. They saidthat the
"breath," or Spirit, of Yahweh was present at
creation and kept it in existence.The world would
be lifelesswithout this Spirit of God.That is why
the phrase Spiyitof Ya,hweh
is found frequently in
the Old Testament.
What did the word spiritmean for the biblical
writers? It had a variety of meanings:breath,
wind, life, soul,mind, and power.At the beginning

of the Old Testament,God'swork is describedas

a wind that "sweptover the waters"at creation
(GenesisI:2) andas "the breath of life" giving
life to Adam (Genesis2:7). Godis seenas acting
through his Spirit.
Later in the Old Testament,the Spirit of yahweh
gavethe early leadersof Israelgreatpower and
strength.In helping to form God'speople,they were
ableto do marvelousdeedsonly becauseGod'sSpirit
was with them.Think aboutSamson.who rescued
God'speoplefrom their Philistine enemies.One
accountaboutthis legendarystrongmanexplained
the reasonfor his strength.As the story goes,one
day Samsonwas attackedby a roaring lion. "But the
spirit of the Lonn cameupon Samson,and although
he had no weapons,he tore the lion in pieces"
(Judges14:6).

w*#ffi

*;

"{**ffi

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

28

Alive in the $pirit

of the Bible,
In one of the best-knownpassages
the prophet Ezekielwrites aboutan unusualvision
he had.In the vision the Spirit of Yahwehleads
Ezekielto the centerof a plain filled with dried
human bones.Suddenlythe bonesbegin to rattle
asthey cometogether.After they are coveredwith
flesh,the Spirit of God entersinto them.Then they
comealive and stand.By sharingthis vision of the
bones,Ezekielis sayingthat the Spirit of Yahweh
giveslife-and can evengive life to the dead
(Ezekiel37:I-L4).
Another passagein the Bible, this one from the
prophetJoelin the Old Testament,helpsus to
discovermore aboutthe Spirit of God for our own
day.Joel speaksabout the future and the time of
the promisedMessiah.Here the Spirit of God is
describedasGod'sgift to thosewho act on his
God is saying,
behalf.In this famouspassage
Then afterward t will pour out
my spirit upon all mankind.
Your sonsand daughtersshall prophesy,
your old men shall dreamdreams,
your young men shall seevisions.
Then everyoneshall be rescued
who callson the nameof the Lono.
J o e l 3 : 15,

In everyageGod'sSpirit is given to thosewho

sharein God'swork.

f:fi:irf!:"'!'rr"'"r+tr'rr-!:':t':r:+rf
tii

'

passage
asthisfamous
*LLt
ffpossible,listen
isreadaloud.An oldspiritwal
retells
thestoryand

hasasil repeiltingrefrain:"Now hearthewotrdof

i
,-:i theLord!"What "wordof theLord"did you hear?
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29

Christiansknow thesewords ofJoelvery well, for

they appearagainin the secondchapterof the Acts
of the Apostles.The apostlePeterquotedthese
words on the day of Pentecost.
He tried to explain
that the time of the Messiahhad come,that God's
work had now beenbrought to completioninJesus
Christ. Peterand the other disciplesreceivedthe
Holy Spirit becausethey were the followersof the
risen Christ. Ledby the Spirit, they would now
sharein Jesus'work on earth.

ftIf;
!tr

Do yowthinkof yourselfassomeone
on
. \ i j
whom
the
poured,
Spirit
of
the
Loydhasbeen
u;'"
out?Whflt doesthat mef,nto yow?WriteVourthoughts
in yowrjournal.

Saint Paul useda rich imageto describeChristians.

In 1 Corinthians6:19 he calledeachone of us a
"temple" of the Holy Spirit. When he wrote this,
Paul was thinking about the Temple oflerusalem
and how important it was inJewish life.
Beforethe Templewas evenbuilt, the ark of the
covenant,the symbolof God'spresencewith his
people,was placedin a tent. A tent was used
becausethe Israeliteswere nomads,wandering
from placeto place.Finally, after they had settled
in the promisedland, they constructeda pemanent
dwelling for the ark. This was the magnificent
TempleofJerusalem.There the ark of the covenant
was placedin the holy of holies,the very heart of
the Temple.This placewas so sacredthat the high
priest alonecould enter it.

,'ry

,i

:f,

The Templewas reveredby all the peopleas the

placewhere God dwelled amongthem in a special
way. Knowing this, we can seewhat Saint Paul
had in mind when he said that we are templesof
the Holy Spirit. God'sdwelling placeis no longer
to be regardedasbeing in one building. Now the
Holy Spirit dwells in eachof us. Can you imagine
what the world would be like if all the followers
ofJesuswere to understandand appreciatewhat
this meansfor their lives? It would changethe
world overnight!

&,*ry'$''**
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30

:t F#-

gi
'
'
A
i f someone nasra inted, we are told, "Stand back' Give him air'"
air into her lungs'
irowning person is resuscitated by someone breathing
they are
Mountain climbers reach heightswhere the air is so thin that
\7e simply cannot exist without pure
disoriented and lose consciousness.
air. It's a biologicalnecessitY.

Xxlll lookedatthe Churchandsaid,"lwantto opena

In 1960PopeJohn
air
window and let the air in."He wastalking,of course,about the fresh
of God'
of the Holy Spirit. \(/e cannot survivewithout that livingbreath
ways does
What does the Spirit, the Breath of God, do for us? In what
us to
the Holy spirit affect our lives?make us more aware? awaken
God's presence in our lives?

(
o

J
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t
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n
ir
s
tl
ir

-T-fu*
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Modern Catholicsmay be surprisedto find out
how closelyinvolved the Holy Spirit was in the life
of Jesus.From the very beginning it was the Holy
Spirit who cameupon the BlessedVirgin Mary
beforeJesus'blrth ltuke 1:35).Eachtime we recite
the Nicene Creed,we professour belief that at the
incarnation the Son of God was born of the Virgin
Mary "by the power of the Holy Spirit'"

34

Later when John the Baptist baptizedJesusat the

again'
JordanRiver, the Holy Spirit was present
A dove was the sign of the Holy Spirit's presence'
AfterJesus'baptismthe Holy Spirit drew him into
the desert;there Jesusovercamethe temptations
Satan.ThenJesusbeganhis public life "in the
power of the Spirit" (Luke 4:14). On returning to
Nazareth,his hometown,Jesusannouncedthe
fulfillment of Isaiah'sprophecy.Jesussaid:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

becausehe 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 oppressedgo free,
and to proclaim ayear acceptableto the Lord."
Luke 4:18-19
On the night before he died, Jesuspromised his
apostles that a new Helper would come to them.
Jesustold them, "I will ask the Father, and he will
give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of rrurh" (John L4:L6-L7).
To understand whatJesus is saying to us, we must
know the meaning of the wordadvocate.Inthe
New Testament the word advocate,or parilclete,has
many meanings. It certainly can mean helper, but
it means much more. An advocateis someonewho
speaksfor others, who defends others and pleadsfor
them. An advocate is also a comforter, a consoler, an
intercessor,and a teacher.The Holy Spirit, then, is
our intercessor,consoler,and teacher.He is the
Advocate promised by the risen Lord to be with
and for his disciples.

i*g-

rhi,nkofthne
waystheHroty
spirit has

- your defendea
comforter,
beenyour advocate
intercessor,
teacher.
Write a prayerof
consoler,
tto,
or
gratitwd,e
to
the
Holy
Spirit.
Ur, Ort

:t

The comingof the Holy Spirit was describedin

John'sGospelastaking placeon Easter.After Jesus'
deathand resurrection,his apostleswere afraid
that they, too, would be killed. Sothey hld behind
lockeddoors.John explainswhat happenednext:
Jesuscameand stoodin their midst and said to
them, "Peacebe with you." When he had said
this, he showedthem his handsand his side.
The disciplesrejoicedwhen they saw the Lord.
Jesussaid to them again,"Peacebe with you.
As the Fatherhas sent me, so I sendyou." And
when he had said this, he breathedon them
and said to them, "Receivethe holy Spirit."
John2O:79-22

r-

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il,qruHcpLerTm&ffihllNffi
About the Holy Spirit
How do we know the Holy Spirit, and
how do we keep the Holy Spirit central
in our lives?The Catechisn(688) lists
different ways.Theseinclude:
. SacredScripture,which was inspired by
the Holy Spirit
o the tradition of the Church
o the teaching authority of the Church,
which the Holy Spirit guides
. the sacramentsand liturgy of the Church,
in which we pray and worship together
through the power of the Holy Spirit,
who sanctifiesus
. all our prayers,in which the Holy Spirit
intercedesfor us
o the lives of the saints and the ministries
of the Church,in which the Holy Spirit
brings us his holiness.

:$

35

Pentecost
Luke's account in the Acts of the Apostles describes
the coming of the Holy Spirit in a differenr way, a
description more familiar to most people. In Acts
the Holy Spirit comes upon the community of
Christians in Jerusalemon the Jewish harvest feast
of Pentecost (Acts 2:I-II).Ir
was the fiftieth day
after Passover,a time for the Jews to rejoice at the
rich blessings God had bestowed upon Israel.
With the coming of the Holy Spirit, pentecost would
now take on new meaning for Christians. Luke said
that "suddenly there came from the sky a noise like
a strong driving wind." Then he said that ,,tongues
as of fire" came to rest on each of the disciples. *They
were all filled with the holy Spirir" (Acts 2:2-4).
For the first Christians this day of pentecostwas
the occasionforJesus to pour out the Holy Spirit
uoon them, giving them an abundanceof the gifts
of the Spirit. The risen Christ was sharing his life
with them-and with us-in the power of the Holy
Spirit. Pentecost,therefore, was the completion of
Christ's passover.The coming of the Holy Spirit is
the completion of the paschal mystery-all that
JesusChrist did for us.

36

Ig
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Havetherebeentimesin yowrlife when

of theHoly Spirit?Write
, Vouhavefek thetrtower
aboutthemhereor in vouriournal.

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w'r""
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rl&Sswindowt
in
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main altar

i"i''do*b*t:ljllj
Saint Peter's

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creation'ht?"?n:1"d5r" Af,!"
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flood, Noah

biblical
the
In tne i*r' of
Book of Genesis'
,.-'^?^;^" not the land has

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releases

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Guidedby the Splnit

Filled with the Holy Spirit, the early Christians

went out with great excitementto bring Christ to
others.Theseonce-frighteneddiscipleswere given
great power, courage,strength,and authority by the
Holy Spirit.Jesushad told them, "Youwill receive
power when the holy Spirit comesupon you, and
you will be my witnessesinJerusalem,throughout
Judeaand Samaria,and to the endsof the earth"
(Acts1:B).
Although the apostleshad spentsomeof the best
daysof their liveswithJesus,they did not know him
asful1yasthey thought.Jesushimself understood
this.That is whyJesussaidto them,"I havemuch
more to tell you, but you cannotbearit now. But
when he comes,the Spirit of truth, he will guide
you ro all trurh" (John I6:L2-13).

qe*

The coming of the Holy Spirit madea big difference

in the livesof the apostles.
Because
Jesussentthe
Holy Spirit to them, they were now readyto grasp
all that he wanted them to know. RecallJesus'
words
to the apostles,"The Advocate,the holy Spirit that
the Fatherwill sendin my name-he will teachyou
everything and remind you of all that I told you"
$ohn 14:26).

with memoriesrefreshedand enlivened

by the Holy Spirit, the apostleswere
ableto give witnessto the Jesusthat
they knew. The man they knew and
with whom they walkedwas the Lord
JesusChrist,the God-Man-not dead,
but alivel The Holy Spirit'scoming
enabledthe apostlesto recalland
presentthe teachingsthatJesus
handedover to them for the Church
throughout the ages.They now knew
and understoodtheir mission.

Today the Holy Spirit is still guiding

It is the Holy Spirit
Jesus'disciples.
who guidesthe missionaryactivity of
the Church.It is the Holv Spirit who
drawsso many peopleto the Church.It is the Holy
Spirit who strengthensmembersof the Church to
speakout againstoppression,injustice,and poverty
in our world.
Are Voueveraw^reof theHoly Spirit
workingin thelife of the Church?Give
oneexample.
Writeit in yowrjowrnal.

I I
, "'\--"*-"'

The Life q:f Srace

We are temples of the Holy Spirit. Through Baptism
we have been initiated into the life of sanctifying
grace, a participation in the very life of Cod'
Our experienceof the Holy Spirit, the sanctifier,
do". not end with sanctifying grace' however' The
Church teaches us that the Holy Spirit is active in
our lives through actual graces.Actual 8r6cesare
interventions of God in our daily lives' These
interventions ale urgings or promptings from the
Holy Spirit. Like sparks that can ignite a fire, these
g"u.", h"lp r'tt to deepen our Christian life and live
t-hugood ,t"-t of 1".us as members of the Church'
There are many examples of actual graces'The Holy
Spirit gives them to us either directly or indirectly
thtongh other people and events in our lives' These
include the good example of others or the awareness
to do good that we might gain from reading a book'
Actual gracesmight also include the feelings that
come spontaneously into our lives and that help lead
us to holiness.

3B

What would happenif the Holy Spirit were

no longer present?Only then might we truly
understandwhat he meansto us. Like a world
without water, we could not really live without
the Holy Spirit. We sometimesforget how
important water is until we do not have it'
Without water, greenflelds dry tp and become
deserts.Without the Holy Spirit, our spiritual
lives would be much the same;they would wither
away and becomedesertlike.The Church reminds
us of this truth when we pray thesewords:
When you hide your face,they arelost'
When you take away their breath, they perish
and return to the dust from which they came'
When you sendforth your breath, they are
created,
and you renew the faceof the earth'
PsalmLO4:29-30