FAITH OF THE CHURCH The Holy Spirit #683 -#701 I Believe in the Holy Spirit We see God as indwelling

Spirit. The Holy Spirit is described, in theological language, as the subsisting love that is generated between the Father and the Son. We cannot speak of 'he' or 'she', still less of this Love as 'it'. The meaning of the Holy Spirit in practice means that God is indwelling in all creation and revealing himself through it. 1. The Holy Spirit in the Scriptures John 14:26 (Establishment of the Catholic Church) y What is the Role of the HS in the establishment of the Early Church? 2. What is the important Role and Relationship of the Holy Spirit within the Church and particular individuals? y Apostles Creed: I believe in the Holy Ghost right next to the article the Holy, Catholic Church, This stresses the relationship of the Holy Spirit with the true Church of Christ. The divine assistance of the Holy Ghost within the Catholic Church in general and also in particular - to each individual member of the Church. 3. What is the Role of Holy Spirit in the lives of the early Fathers? 4. What is the connection the Holy Spirit and our Catholic Faith of 2011? 5. What is the Role of the Holy Spirit in the Unity of the Catholic Church? St Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians:Try to grow perfect; help one another. Be united; live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you". (2 Corinthians 13:11)And then he concludes with this lovely Trinitarian prayer we often use as a greeting at the beginning of Mass: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God [Father] and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14) Wherever there is truth or love or beauty, in nature or humanity, there is the Spirit of God. Every act of truth and integrity, every act of love and compassion, every act of human empathy, every act of solidarity, forgiveness, acceptance, justice is the Spirit of God working in and through us. When such actions appear consistently in us, they are signs that we are under the influence of God's Spirit. Personal reflection 1. How do we describe the Holy Spirit in our lives? 2. Where can we find the Holy Spirit in our lives? Or what areas in our lives where we cannot find the Holy Spirit?

Holy Spirit in Scriptures And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Advocate to dwell with you forever, the Spirit of Truth Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him (John 14:16). But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your mind whatever I have said to you (John 14:26). But when the Advocate has come, Whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who proceeds from the Father, He wil l bear witness concerning Me. And you also bear witness, because from the beginning you are with Me (John 15:26). It is expedient for you that I depart. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you (John 16: 7). But when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will teach you all the truth (John 16:13).

- This shows clearly the divine assistance which the Holy Spirit rendered to the Apostles to assist them to teach the truths divinely revealed by the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Let us notice in particular the words of Christ quoted above: But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your mind whatever I have said to you (John 14:26).

These words are similar to the words of Christ to His Apostles: Go, therefore, teach all nations... teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (Matt. 28:29). Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned (Mark 16:16).

Holy Spirit in the lives of the early Fathers The Apostles, after the descend of the Holy Ghost on Pentecost, fulfilled this command of Christ and preached the gospel to all nations. From their teachings we have received what is known as the Deposit of Faith, i.e., all that has been revealed by God.

The Deposit of Faith = Sacred Scripture +Sacred Tradition.

And after the death of the Apostles, Divine Revelation had been completed and God delivered no more revelation meant for the whole of mankind. But let us not think that the divine assistance of the Holy Ghost was limited just to the Apostles and ceased to continue after the promulgation of the gospel. For the Deposit of Faith needed to be safeguarded and preserved within the Church of Christ. So, when Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit, He said: And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Advocate to dwell with you forever, the Spirit of Truth Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him (John 14:16).

And also when Christ commanded His Apostles to teach all nations, He added: And behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world (Matt. 28:20).

It was the will of Christ that the mission He committed to His Apostles to teach all nations would continue in their successors, that is, in the Pope (the successor of St. Peter) and in the bishops (the successors of the Apostles). The Pope and the bishops represent the living, teaching authority in the Church of Christ.

As the first Vatican Council declared: The reason for this is that the Holy Spirit was promised to the successors of St. Peter not that they might make known new doctrine by His revelation, but rather, that with His assistance they might religiously guard and faithfully explain the revelation or Deposit of Faith that was handed down through the Apostles (Vatican I, Pastor Aeternus, 1870). Thus, the Holy Spirit abides with the Catholic Church forever to divinely assist it to teach all nations whatsoever Christ commanded. all days even to the consummation of the world. And in speaking of this union and assistance of the Holy Spirit with the Church, Henry Cardinal Manning wrote: And this union is divinely constituted, indissoluble, eternal, the source of supernatural endowments to the Church which can never be absent from it, or suspended in their operation. The Church of all ages, and of all times, is immutable in its knowledge, discernment and enunciation of the truth

Holy Spirit and Catholic Faith of 2011

Our Faith today is the same Faith that has always been held in the Church of Christ.

Our Faith is exactly the same Faith as consistently taught at the Council of Nicea (325 A.D., the Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.), the Council of Trent (1570), the Council of Vatican I (1870) and all the other Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church.

Our Faith is exactly the same as the Faith infallibly taught by the Popes, the successors of St. Peter. And when studies the teachings of the Popes and of the Councils down through the centuries, there is such a consistency and an exactness in teaching, that if one were not aware of the individual Popes and Ecumenical Councils involved, it w ould seem as if all the various teachings had one and the same author.

Holy Spirit and the Unity of the Catholic Church Themarvelous manifestation of the divine assistance of the Holy Spirit is the unity of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is made up of men and women from all nations, living in so many different areas of the world, speaking in so many diverse languages, having such vast differences in customs and practices; yet, united in the same Faith, in the same worship the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and in the same means of sanctification the Seven Sacraments. Having considered the assistance of the Holy Ghost within the Mystical Body of Christ in general, let us briefly consider the assistance of the Holy Ghost within the individual souls of the faithful. St. Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians reminded them of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in their souls: Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the templ e of God, him will God destroy; for holy is the temple of God, and this temple you are (1 Cor. 3:16). This is a very important truth of our Faith. Through Baptism, not only was original sin washed away from our souls, but also our soul was given spiritual life through sanctifying grace. When we are in the state of sanctifying grace, we share in the life of God within our souls; we are adopted children of God; and we are temples of the Holy Ghost. Furthermore, at Baptism, God infused into our souls the thre e theological virtues of faith, hope and charity and the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost (infused habits which give us the special assistance of the Holy Ghost to know and do the will of God.) This special assistance of the Holy Ghost is increased when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This is the reason that the Church prescribes that those who are to be married and

those who are to enter the clerical and religious states should have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. There can be no doubt that we live in very troublesome and confusing times, both doctrinally and spiritually, as St. Paul once wrote: For there will come a time when they will not endure the sound doctrine, but having itching ears, will heap up to themselves teachers according to their own lusts, and they will turn away their hearing from the truth and turn aside rather to fables (2 Timothy 3:3). Will we persevere in the living of our Faith in these times? Let us heed the words of Pope Leo XIII: We ought to pray and invoke the Holy Spirit, for each one of us greatly needs His protection and His help. The more a man is deficient in wisdom, weak in strength, borne down with trouble, prone to sin, so ought he the more to fly to Him Who is the never ceasing Fount of Light, Strength, Consolation and Holiness (DivinumIllud, May 9, 1897). Finally, as we begin this annual novena in honor of the Holy Ghost, let us recall that this is the oldest of all novenas. It was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself, when He sent His Apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost. And it is still the only novena prescribed by the Church. To pray this novena worthily, let us once again heed the words of Pope Leo XIII: You know well the intimate and w onderful relations existing between her (the Blessed Virgin Mary) and the Holy Ghost, so that she is justly called His Spouse. The intercession of the Blessed Virgin was of great avail both in the mystery of the Incarnation and in the coming of the Holy Gh ost upon the Apostles. May she continue to strengthen our prayers with her suffrages, that, in the midst of all the stress and trouble of the nations, those divine prodigies may be happily revived by the Holy Ghost, which were foretold in the words of David: Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth (Ps. 103).

Is it possible then that the Holy Spirit is present in our lives much more than we think? Is it possible then that the Holy Spirit is active in ourselves much more than we suspect? Perhaps the reason why we dont sense the presence of the Holy Spirit as much as we can is that just like the rescuers in Leyte, we have been looking in the wrong places. Here's a Quick Question for you: Are there places in my life that I dont expect to find the Holy Spirit? Or better, are there places in myself that I dont want to find the Holy Spirit?

Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. [Galatians 5:22-23]