Remember the analogy we made in Lesson 5 about the involvement of the Blessed Trinity in our salvation and sanctification. Our coming to form part of God's family in heaven is like one big project. That we be transformed from sinners to saints is, in fact, the most ambitious project ever launched in the whole history of mankind. In this big project, each Person of the Blessed Trinity has a role to play.
In order to understand what the Holy Spirit does for us, it is also necessary to recall Lesson 6, where we learned that God made man according to His image, giving him a spiritual SOUL with an INTELLECT and WILL. The Holy Spirit acts on the soul and on both faculties: He gives life to the soul, light to the intellect and strength to the will.
1.1 The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity
The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCCC 136; cf CCC 683-686) asks: "What does the Church mean when she confesses: 'I believe in the Holy Spirit'?" Then it replies:
To believe in the Holy Spirit is to profess faith in the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity who proceeds from the Father and the Son and "is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son". The Spirit is "sent into our hearts" (Galatians 4:6) so that we might receive new life as sons of God.
1.2 Names and Figures of the Holy Spirit
1.2.1 What names are given to the Holy Spirit?
The CCCC 138 (cf CCC 691-693) says:
"The Holy Spirit" is the proper name of the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Jesus also called him the Paraclete (Consoler or Advocate) and the Spirit of Truth. The New Testament also refers to him as the Spirit of Christ, of the Lord, of God - the Spirit of Glory and the Spirit of the Promise.
What do these terms mean?
Why does the Third Person need many "aliases"? The Holy Spirit has many names and is represented by many symbols because the terms that we use to name or represent Him are very limited in meaning. For example, the idea that "Spirit" gives does not include that of "fire". So we need several terms in order to grasp better His nature and His action in our souls.
1.2.2 What symbols are used to represent the Holy Spirit?
The CCCC (no 139; cf CCC 694-701) explains:
There are many symbols of the Holy Spirit:
2.1 Mission in creation
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 703) affirms that "in the beginning", it was not only the Father who was creating. Both Second and Third Persons were with Him.
The Word of God and his Breath are at the origin of the being and life of every creature.
Here are two important quotations from the Sacred Scripture which prove that both Son and Holy Spirit were already there at the moment of creation.
1* In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God; 3* all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. (John 1:1-3)
1* IN the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)
2.2 Mission during the Messiah's coming
2.2.1 Mary and the Holy Spirit
The action of the Holy Spirit is particularly visible in the Blessed Virgin Mary. The CCCC (no 142; cf CCC 721-726,744) explains:
The Holy Spirit brought to fulfillment in Mary all the waiting and the preparation of the Old Testament for the coming of Christ.
2.2.2 Christ and the Spirit
The CCCC 143 (cf CCC 727-730,745-746) teaches us that through the anointing of the Spirit, Jesus Christ
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 promises made to the Fathers, and bestowed him upon the Church at its birth when he breathed on the apostles after the Resurrection.
2.3 What happened at Pentecost?
The Church was born at Pentecost. Chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles narrates:
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Why fire? While Scripture does not say why God chose this figure, we can at least find meaning in it. Fire symbolises two things: light and heat. This reminds us of what the Holy Spirit does in our souls. He gives light to our understanding and strength to our will. When our minds are clear, and our wills are strong, our ability to make informed and intelligent choices (i.e., our freedom) grows. This is why the presence of the Holy Spirit in our souls makes us more free. As Saint Paul says in his letter to the Romans (8:15,21):
15* For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. ... 21* because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.
The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is the birth of the Church. The CCCC (no 144; cf CCC 731-732,738) says:
Fifty days after the Resurrection at Pentecost the glorified Jesus Christ poured out the Spirit in abundance and revealed him as a divine Person so that the Holy Trinity was fully manifest. The mission of Christ and of the Spirit became the mission of the Church which is sent to proclaim and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity.
The CCCC (no 145; cf CCC 733-741,747) tells us:
The Spirit builds, animates and sanctifies the Church.
As the Spirit of Love, he restores to the baptized the divine likeness that was lost through sin and causes them to live in Christ the very life of the Holy Trinity.
He sends them forth to bear witness to the Truth of Christ and he organizes them in their respective functions so that all might bear "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22).
So where can one find the Holy Spirit?
The CCC (no 688) tells us:
The Church, a communion living in the faith of the apostles which she transmits, is the place where we know the Holy Spirit:
The CCCC (no 146; cf CCC 738-741) asks, "How do Christ and his Spirit act in the hearts of the faithful?" And it replies as follows:
Christ communicates his Spirit and the grace of God through the sacraments to all the members of the Church, who thus bear the fruits of the new life of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also the Master of prayer.
This is why a person who wants to be completely filled with the Spirit has to live an intense sacramental and prayer life. He needs to receive the sacraments, especially those of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist regularly, and has to strive to pray at all times.
4.1 The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The book of the prophet Isaiah (11:2) enumerates for us the gifts of the Holy Spirit that the Messiah will possess:
2* And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition)
Note that "fear of the Lord" is mentioned twice. In older versions of the Bible, one of these was rendered as "piety". (See explanation below.)
The CCC, no 1831, tells us that the seven gifts
complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.
What is the difference between the gifts and the supernatural virtues?
First of all, they are similar in that they are both habits; in other words, they are accidents of the individual. The main difference is that while the supernatural virtues move us by assisting the intellect in its deliberation (through the cardinal virtue of prudence and through the theological virtue of faith) so that it can move the will to act, the gifts of the Holy Spirit (at least in St Thomas Aquinas’ explanation—cf S Th II-II q52 a2), on the other hand, do not require the intellect to intervene. The Holy Spirit makes a conclusion crystal clear without any need for the intellect to deliberate on it. But the Holy Spirit respects our will. We still need to consent, even if the deliberative part has been skipped. (It is as if during an exam the teacher whispers the answer to a student. The only thing the student has to do is to take his pen and write down the answer! In the case of the virtues, it is as if the teacher gives him a clue, or offers him coffee to keep awake. But no help aside from this.)
How does each gift help us? We can see again how the Holy Spirit gives either light for our mind or strength for our will.
4.2 The Fruits of the Holy Spirit
In his letter to the Galatians (5:22-23), Saint Paul gives a list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
The CCC (no 1832) lists twelve gifts:
The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity." [Translation from the Latin Vulgate]
5.1 "Church"
The CCC (no 751) explains:
The word "Church" (Latin "ecclesia", from the Greek "ek-ka-lein", to "call out of") means a convocation or an assembly. It designates the assemblies of the people, usually for a religious purpose [cf Acts 19:39]. Ekklesia is used frequently in the Greek Old Testament for the assembly of the Chosen People before God, above all for their assembly on Mount Sinai where Israel received the Law and was established by God as his holy people [cf Exodus 19]. By calling itself "Church," the first community of Christian believers recognized itself as heir to that assembly. In the Church, God is "calling together" his people from all the ends of the earth. The equivalent Greek term "Kyriake", from which the English word "Church" and the German "Kirche" are derived, means "what belongs to the Lord."
5.2 Symbols of the Church
The CCCC (no 148; cf CCC 753-757) asks, "Are there other names and images with which the Bible speaks about the Church?" Then it explains:
In Sacred Scripture we find many images which bring out various complementary aspects of the mystery of the Church. The Old Testament favors those images that are bound to the people of God. The New Testament offers images that are linked to Christ as the Head of this people which is his Body. Other images are drawn from pastoral life (sheepfold, flock, sheep), from agriculture (field, olive grove, vineyard), from construction (dwelling place, stone, temple), and from family life (spouse, mother, family).
5.3 People of God, Mystical Body of Christ, Spouse of Christ, Temple of the Holy Spirit
5.3.1 People of God
The CCCC (no 153; cf CCC 781,802-804) asks, "Why is the Church the 'people of God'?"
The Church is the 'people of God' because it pleased God to sanctify and save men not in isolation but by making them into one people gathered together by the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
What are the characteristics of the people of God? The CCCC (no 154; cf CCC 782,804) explains:
One becomes a member of this people through faith in Christ and Baptism. This people has
5.3.2 Mystical Body of Christ
Why do we say that the Church is the Body of Christ?
In the letter to the Ephesians (1:22-23), Saint Paul writes:
22* and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23* which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.
St Paul repeats the same idea in Colossians 1:24:
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church...
The CCCC (no 156; cf CCC 787-791,805-806) explains:
The risen Christ unites his faithful people to himself in an intimate way by means of the Holy Spirit. In this way, those who believe in Christ, in as much as they are close to him especially in the Eucharist, are united among themselves in charity. They form one body, the Church, whose unity is experienced in the diversity of its members and its functions.
Furthermore, the CCCC (no 157; cf CCC 792-795,807) explains that this body has no other head than Christ himself.
Christ “is the Head of the body, the Church” (Colossians 1:18). The Church lives from him, in him and for him. Christ and the Church make up the “whole Christ” (Saint Augustine); “Head and members form, as it were, one and the same mystical person” (Saint Thomas Aquinas).
5.3.3 Spouse or Bride of Christ
The Church is also called the "Bride of Christ." The CCCC (no 158; cf CCC 796,808) explains it as follows:
She is called the "Bride of Christ" because the Lord himself called himself her "Spouse" (Mark 2:19). The Lord has loved the Church and has joined her to himself in an everlasting covenant. He has given himself up for her in order to purify her with his blood and "sanctify her" (Ephesians 5:26), making her the fruitful mother of all the children of God. While the term "BODY" expresses the UNITY of the "head" with the members, the term "BRIDE" emphasizes the DISTINCTION of the two in their personal relationship.
5.3.4 Temple of the Holy Spirit
The Church is also called "Temple of the Holy Spirit" because, as the CCCC (no 159; cf CCC 797-798,809-810) says:
the Holy Spirit resides in the body which is the Church, in her Head and in her members. He also builds up the Church in charity by the Word of God, the sacraments, the virtues, and charisms.
But what are charisms?
The CCCC (no 160; cf CCC 799-801) explains that these are
special gifts of the Holy Spirit which are bestowed on individuals for the good of others, the needs of the world, and in particular for the building up of the Church. The discernment of charisms is the responsibility of the Magisterium.
How did the Church come about?
The CCCC (no 149; cf CCC 758-766,778) summarises the doctrine for us when it says,
7.1 One
What do we mean when we say that the Church is one?
We actually mean two things by this affirmation: first, it is united, and second, it is unique. The CCCC (no 161; cf CCC 813-815,866) teaches us that there are three reasons for the Church's unity:
The Church is one because she has as her source and exemplar the unity of the Trinity of Persons in one God. As her Founder and Head, Jesus Christ re-established the unity of all people in one body. As her soul, the Holy Spirit unites all the faithful in communion with Christ.
Furthermore, the same point also explains which aspects of the Church show this unity:
The Church has but one faith, one sacramental life, one apostolic succession, one common hope, and one and the same charity.
Is the Church established by Christ unique? If so, where can we find it?
The Church phrases this question differently. It asks, "Where does the one Church of Christ subsist?"
The CCCC (no 162; cf CCC 816,870) affirms that
The one Church of Christ, as a society constituted and organized in the world, subsists in (Latin "subsistit in") the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with him. Only through this Church can one obtain the fullness of the means of salvation since the Lord has entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant to the apostolic college alone whose head is Peter.
What about non-Catholic Christians?
The CCCC (no 163; cf CCC 817-819,870) says:
In the churches and ecclesial communities which are separated from full communion with the Catholic Church, many elements of sanctification and truth can be found. All of these blessings come from Christ and lead to Catholic unity. Members of these churches and communities are incorporated into Christ by Baptism and we so we recognize them as brothers.
This does not mean that Catholics go by a "live and let live" policy. Not at all. Full communion with the Catholic Church is always to be desired, because our Lord Himself asks and prays for full unity. In the Gospel of Saint John (15:5 and 17:11), our Lord said,
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.
11* ... Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
All Catholics should work towards the unity of Christians (CCCC 164; CCC 820-822,866) through
conversion of heart, prayer, fraternal knowledge of each other and theological dialogue.
7.2 Holy
Why does the Church claim to be holy? The CCCC (no 165; cf CCC 823-829,867) explains this as follows:
The Church is holy insofar as
The holiness of the Church is the fountain of sanctification for her children who here on earth recognize themselves as sinners ever in need of conversion and purification.
7.3 Catholic and Universal
Why is the Church called “Catholic”? The CCCC (no 166; cf CCC 830-831,868) replies:
The Church is catholic, that is universal, insofar as Christ is present in her: “Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church” (Saint Ignatius of Antioch).
How does the Catholic Church regard the Jews? the non-Christian religions? The CCCC (nos 169-170; cf CCC 839-840,841-845) describes the attitude of the Church to them in the following way:
The Catholic Church recognizes a particular link with the Jewish people in the fact that God chose them before all others to receive his Word. ... The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to the revelation of God in the Old Covenant.
There is a bond between all peoples which comes especially from the common origin and end of the entire human race. The Catholic Church recognizes that whatever is good or true in other religions comes from God and is a reflection of his truth. As such it can prepare for the acceptance of the Gospel and act as a stimulus toward the unity of humanity in the Church of Christ.
Can anyone be saved outside the Church? Why do some people say "Outside the Church there is no salvation"?
The CCCC 171; cf CCC 846-848) explains that
This means that all salvation comes from Christ, the Head, through the Church which is his body. Hence
So the Church has an obligation to spread its teachings?
Yes, naturally. Christians should be ready to sacrifice themselves, even their lives for it--every Christian is a missionary (cf CCCC 173; CCC 852-856) Jesus Christ did not only suggest, or recommend, or encourage His apostles to go and spread the Good News. He commanded them to do so (cf CCCC 172; CCC 849-851).
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
God our Savior, 4 ... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
7.4 Apostolic
Why do we say that the Church is apostolic?
There are three reasons. The CCCC (no 174; cf CCC 857,869) tells us:
What do we mean by apostolic succession?
The CCCC (no 176; cf CCC 861-865) describes apostolic succession as
the transmission by means of the sacrament of Holy Orders of the mission and power of the Apostles to their successors, the bishops. Thanks to this transmission the Church remains in communion of faith and life with her origin, while through the centuries she carries on her apostolate for the spread of the Kingdom of Christ on earth.