Where do we meet the Holy Spirit?

Da Paolo Tessione - April 27, 2020

It is the role of the Holy Spirit to revive in us the grace we need to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and to know the Father as our Father. The Holy Spirit makes us what we are as Christians.

The Holy Spirit also has the unique role of animating the Church in our day. The "Church" here means all who are alive in Christ. All those who have grace in their lives. All follow the will of the Father and live their Christian dignity as sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit makes this happen in a perfect and orchestrated way.

As we observe the functioning of the Holy Spirit, we see various ways in which He has and continues to operate in our life and in the life of the Church. The Catechism # 688, indicates in this way those ways out. We know the Holy Spirit ...

- In the scriptures inspired by him;

In tradition, of which the Fathers of the Church are always timely witnesses;

In the magisterium of the Church, which assists;

In the sacramental liturgy, through his words and symbols, in which the Holy Spirit puts us in communion with Christ;

—In prayer, in which he intercedes for us;

- In the charisms and ministries with which the Church is built;

- In the signs of apostolic and missionary life;

—A testimony of the saints through whom he manifests his holiness and continues the work of salvation.

Let's take a look at each of these to better understand how the Holy Spirit works.

—In the scriptures he inspired;

The human author of each book of scriptures, as explained in chapter 1, is a true author of the Holy Scriptures. Through that person, each particular book of scripture was written. The unique personality and experiences of the human author shine. But the human author is not alone in writing the book or the letter. We also profess that the human author wrote under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit! It was the Spirit who guided every word revealing what he wanted written. It was a joint effort and 100% of both of their jobs. This demonstrates the power of the Holy Spirit to act in us and to use us as tools. Yes, it acted in a very unique and powerful way when it inspired human writers in the scriptures. This is not something the Holy Ghost will do again, inspiring other scriptures to write. But the fact that the human author was inspired and used as such a powerful tool should not only tell us a lot about this wonderful gift from the Bible, but it should also tell us a lot about the fact that the Holy Spirit wants to use us humans for divine work. . He wants to inspire each of us for a powerful job that he has given only to us. Not in the same way it once inspired the books of the Bible, but certainly in powerful ways. When this is well understood, we should be amazed and strongly anticipate what God has in mind for us as we travel on this pilgrimage on earth! He wants to inspire each of us for a powerful job that he has given only to us. Not in the same way it once inspired the books of the Bible, but certainly in powerful ways. When this is well understood, we should be amazed and strongly anticipate what God has in mind for us as we travel on this pilgrimage on earth! He wants to inspire each of us for a powerful job that he has given only to us. Not in the same way it once inspired the books of the Bible, but certainly in powerful ways. When this is well understood, we should be amazed and strongly anticipate what God has in mind for us as we travel on this pilgrimage on earth!

—In Tradition, of which the Fathers of the Church are always timely witnesses;

—In the Magisterium of the Church, which assists;

Jesus established the Church and bestowed the Spirit on the Apostles who were His first bishops with Peter as the first Pope. This donation of the Holy Spirit is seen in John 20:22. In that verse, the risen Jesus appears to the Apostles in the upper room behind closed doors. After appearing to them, the Scripture says that "he blew on them and said to them 'receive the Holy Spirit ...'" It was especially with this act that these Apostles were given what they needed to begin their ministry and, in part, begin to establish what we call "Sacred Tradition". We will talk about it later, but for now it is sufficient to say that the "Sacred Tradition" is not only the institution of various cultural or human traditions. When we talk about "traditions" with a small "t", we only talk about human customs and practices established over time. But when we speak of "Tradition" with a capital "T", "We speak of the work of the Holy Spirit to continue teaching and guiding us through the successors of the Apostles in every day and age. Tradition is the word used to specify the teaching action of the Holy Spirit in every age. And this is important! Because? Because Jesus did not give us a 500-volume book of the law that addressed every single question that could ever arise in the areas of faith and morality. No, instead he gave us the Holy Spirit and, more specifically, he gave the unique gift of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and their successors to teach us and guide us to all truth in every day and age in which questions arise. This is tradition, and it is a rather ongoing gift! Because? Because Jesus did not give us a 500-volume book of the law that addressed every single question that could ever arise in the areas of faith and morality. No, instead he gave us the Holy Spirit and, more specifically, he gave the unique gift of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and their successors to teach us and guide us to all truth in every day and age in which questions arise. This is tradition, and it is a rather ongoing gift! Because? Because Jesus did not give us a 500-volume book of the law that addressed every single question that could ever arise in the areas of faith and morality. No, instead he gave us the Holy Spirit and, more specifically, he gave the unique gift of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and their successors to teach us and guide us to all truth in every day and age in which questions arise. This is tradition, and it is a rather ongoing gift!

- In the sacramental liturgy, through its words and symbols, in which the Holy Spirit puts us in communion with Christ;

The sacramental liturgy is the most powerful way in which God is present to us right here, right now. Liturgy is a work of the Holy Spirit in which the whole Trinity is made present. In the liturgy, we use words and symbols through which God manifests himself and manifests himself. We don't see it with our own eyes, but it's there. It is there in its fullness, veiled by the liturgical action itself. Much more will be discussed later on in book two of this series: My Catholic Worship! But for now, this brief introduction will suffice.

Among the greatest of these actions is the Most Holy Eucharist. In the Eucharist we have a unity of Heaven and Earth. God comes to meet us, to descend from us and we meet Him. This is done by an action of the Holy Spirit alive within the Church. You can say that it is a joint action of the Church and of the Holy Spirit, and this mutual activity gives birth to the very real presence of Christ our Lord.

By "common action" I mean that the Church, in the person of the priest, speaks and acts using the words, the matter and the actions assigned (that is, by reaching out on the bread and wine while you pronounce the words of consecration). It is this action that also guarantees the work of the Holy Spirit to make the Savior of the world present in a real and sacramental way.

God is also made present to us in all liturgical actions, but above all it is the Holy Eucharist which we support as the summit of His presence!

—In prayer, in which he intercedes for us;

We don't even know how to pray alone. Addressing God, surrendering to Him, seeking and listening to Him requires action on us by the Holy Spirit. That's right, we need God's help to pray to God. It's an interesting reality.

Because that's how it is? Because true prayer is something that must be an answer to God. What I mean is that we can "say prayers" if we like it, and that's good. We can start "prayers". But there is a difference between "true prayer" and "prayers that are said". True prayer is when God, through the action of the Holy Spirit, speaks to us and attracts us with an inner call. God the Holy Spirit takes the initiative by means of an invitation. And we, for our part, respond. We respond to God who calls and speaks, and this starts a prayer process. Prayer is communication with God and the last form of communication that we are called to have with God in prayer is surrender and love. It is in this high form of prayer that we discover that God acts in our lives and transforms us. And this is an action of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit "intercedes for us" insofar as the Holy Spirit acts on us, transforming us into a member of Christ himself, so as to present ourselves to Heavenly Father. Intercession is our transformation into Christ.

—In the charisms and ministries with which the Church is built; - In the signs of apostolic and missionary life; —A testimony of the saints through whom he manifests his holiness and continues the work of salvation.

The Holy Spirit is also very much alive in the activity of the Church. It is the Holy Spirit who gives charisms. A charism is a spiritual gift given to someone for the good of the Church. It is a kind of spiritual quality or ability to offer a service to the Church. Charisms could be as surprising as being prophetic or treating the sick, or they could be as ordinary (but necessary) as being able to organize activities within the Church in an exemplary way. The key to a charism is that it is for the good of the Church and the spread of the Gospel.

Charisms are particularly necessary for the apostolic and missionary activity of the Church. As members of the Church, we are called to evangelize by spreading the gospel far and wide. To do this effectively, and in accordance with God's plan, we need his grace and action in our lives. We need a special charisma (gifts) to fulfill this responsibility. It is the duty of the Holy Spirit to confer these gifts.

The saints are the great witnesses of God. The light and goodness of God shine on them and through them so that everyone can see them. It is above all the Holy Spirit who allows these great saints to be shining examples of the love of God that everyone can see.