THE HOLY SPIRIT The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity

What is the Holy Spirit?  The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity (aka the Triune God)  The Holy Spirit is the very presence of the Risen Lord in the lives of Christians.  The primary mission of the Holy Spirit is  to bring people to Jesus Christ  and help Christians live authentically Christian lives.

Symbols of the Holy Spirit All of the following are symbols of the Holy Spirit, which appear in the Bible and in the ritual worship of the Church: 1. Fire 2. Wind (ruach, the Divine Wind) 3. Breath 4. A Dove 5. Anointing with Oil 6. Water 7. Hands

The Holy Spirit in Scripture  “The Holy Spirit has spoken through the prophets” (Nicene Creed)  The Holy Spirit guided the Biblical authors to reveal God’s Word.  Pentecost celebrates the Holy Spirit’s descent on Jesus’ disciples in Jerusalem, 50 days after The Resurrection  Yet Christians believe that the Holy Spirit was present before the coming of Jesus (e.g. at Creation, the burning bush)

More about Pentecost  The Apostles, the Virgin Mary and some of the women disciples were hiding and praying in a room in Jerusalem when…  A driving wind appeared and “tongues of fire” came to rest on each of them, filling them with the Holy Spirit and enabling them to speak in different languages (tongues).  This event fulfills Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit (John 13:16-17)  And fully reveals the mystery of the Blessed Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)

Holy Spirit & Christianity  Grace: God’s gift of friendship and life that enables us to share in His life and love.  The Holy Spirit transmits and enables God’s gifts of grace in us.  The Holy Spirit gives us 3 main types of gifts that enable us to live like Jesus and build the Kingdom of God: 1. Gifts that make us holy 2. Gifts that serve the Church 3. Gifts that result in spiritual fruit for all people  LOVE is the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit.

Presence of the Holy Spirit Catholic Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is present in: 1. Sacred Scripture (The Bible) 2. Sacred Tradition of the Church 3. The Magisterium: The Official teaching authority of the Church (Pope, Cardinals, Bishops) 4. The Sacraments 5. Prayer 6. The ministries of the Church 7. The Saints

The Blessed Trinity The central mystery of Christianity Something totally beyond our ability to understand God has one Divine Nature but Three Persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)

The Blessed Trinity It is helpful to distinguish the Persons of the Trinity by what they do as God: God the Father = The Creator (since the Father created the universe) God the Son = The Savior (since the Son saved humankind from sin) God the Holy Spirit = The Sanctifier (since it is the one that helps us and the whole world to become holy) The Blessed Trinity has always existed for all of eternity (in other words, Son and the Holy Spirit were present with the Father during Creation).

Theology of the Blessed Trinity  The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit share the same “substance” or “essence.”  HOWEVER, they are distinct from one another.  HOWEVER, they are inseparable from one another.  They are three different Persons, not three gods or Gods, and not one God with three “jobs”

3 Leaves = Clover (St. Patrick’s example)

H20 can be LIQUID… H20 can be SOLID… H20 can be GAS… But the substance (or “essence”) of H2O doesn’t change.

SEED + FRUIT + SKIN = PEACH

A man can be: 1. A son to his father 2. A husband to his wife 3. A father to his child But he is always a man

The source of the river = The Father The river itself = The Son The good effects of the river (crops growing, etc.) = The Holy Spirit The River Analogy

The Sun Analogy The Sun in the sky = The Father The Sun’s rays coming to earth = the Son The Sun’s capacity to warm us = Holy Spirit