THE HOLY: Source

of Life and Unity in

the Church
The Action of the Holy Spirit in the
Church

To believe in the Holy Spirit is to profess faith in

the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity
Jesus called him the Paraclete(consoler/advocate)
The Spirit builds, animates and sanctifies the
Church.
The Symbols of the Holy Spirit

Living water
Dove
Fire
Oil
Cloud/Dark/Luminous
Imposition of hands
The Role of the Holy Spirit in the
History of Salvation

– In The Prophets
The term “prophets” means those who were inspired by
the Holy Spirit to speak in the name of God.
John the Baptist – the last prophet in the Old Testament
Under his inspiration, John was sent to prepare for the Lord
a people well disposed.
– In Mary
The Holy Spirit brought to fulfillment in Mary all the
waiting and the preparation of the Old Testament for the
coming of Christ.
In a singular way He filled her with grace and made her
virginity fruitful so that he could give birth to the Son of
God made flesh.
The Role of the Holy Spirit in
the Mission of Christ
– Beginning with His incarnation, the Son of God was consecrated in
His humanity as the Messiah by means of the anointing of the
Spirit. He revealed the Spirit in his teaching, fulfilled the promise
made to the Fathers, and bestowed Him upon the Church at his
birth when He breathed on the apostles after the resurrection.
– In the indivisible Trinity, the Son and the Spirit are distinct buy
inseparable. From the very beginning until the end of time, when
the Father sends His Son he also sends His Spirit who unites us to
Christ in faith so that as adopted sons we can call God “Father”.
– Jesus’ empowerment by the Spirit is recorded in two
preceding incidents and confirmed in a third.
First, at his Baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan, Jesus
was anointed by the Spirit, who descended on him form
like a dove.
Second, immediately after his Baptism, Jesus immediately
after His Baptism, Jesus full of the Holy Spirit was
conducted by the Spirit into the dessert for forty days,
where He overcame the devil’s temptation.
Third, confirming these two experiences was Jesus’
Transfiguration.
– The Holy Spirit was present in the entire mission of Jesus,
strengthening Him always and leading Him towards the
summit of his mission which is His Paschal Mystery.
Since Jesus is a human and divine person, he had
experienced all the struggles of being a human except sin,
but Christ was able to overcome them and had fulfilled his
mission faithfully because of the Spirit working on Him.
The Holy Spirit was ever present until the final phase of his
mission on earth.
The Importance of Receiving the
Holy Spirit
– The apostles received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and
proclaimed the great works of God. They gave the gift of
the same Spirit to the newly baptized by the laying on of
hands.
Down through the centuries, the Church has continued
to live by the Spirit and impart Him to her children.
– Christ communicates his Spirit and the grace of
God through the sacraments to all members of
the Church, who thus bear fruits of the new life of
the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also the Master of
Prayer.
– The effect of Confirmation is a special outpouring of the
Holy Spirit like that of the Pentecost. This outpouring
impresses on the soul in indelible character and
produces a growth in the grace of Baptism. It roots the
recipient more deeply in divine sonship, binds him more
firmly to Christ and to the Church and reinvigorates the
gifts of the Holy Spirit in his soul. It gives a special
strength to witness to the Christian faith.
The Spirit Unifies

– The Spirit Unifies the Church by uniting its members with Christ
and with one another. The Spirit:
 Prepares us to accept Christ, and draws us to Him
 Manifests the Risen Christ to us interiorly, opening our minds and hearts
to Christ’ words and deeds, especially his Passion, Death and Resurrection
 Makes Christ present especially in the Sacraments
 Reconciling and putting us in communion with God
 So we can bear much fruit
 The Holy Spirit Moves to
Ministry
– Finally the Spirit moves the Church toward tis mission and
ministry. PCP II insists that the Holy Spirit:
 Is the principal agent of evangelization
 Continues and brings the work of Christ to perfection
 Precedes, accompanies and fructifies the work of the Church
 Impels each individual to proclaim the Gospel
 Causes the word of salvation to be accepted and understood in the depths of
consciences
 Shows His presence, power, and activity not only in the Church, but in the
signs of the times that mark the contemporary world.