When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. (Acts 2:1-4)
The Holy Spirit is surely the least discussed and least known member of the Holy Trinity. For many people, “God” and “God the Father” are treated as synonymous terms. Jesus is God the Father’s Beloved Son. Jesus is God and yet is a distinct person from the Father. (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” as John memorably begins his Gospel.) We tend to focus on the Father and the Son at the expense of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was the last member of the Trinity to be revealed to us. The Holy Spirit, like Jesus, is God, and yet is a distinct person. The Holy Spirit is a who, not a what. There are several passages in Paul’s epistles and in Acts that attest to the Spirit’s personhood and will. In Acts, Peter has a vision of the heavens opening and all the animals of the earth appearing before him. A voice invites him to eat, telling him “What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.” (Acts 10:15) The passage continues:
As Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said [to him], “There are three men looking for you. So get up, go downstairs, and accompany them without hesitation, because I have sent them.” (Acts 10:19-20)
Here we see the Holy Spirit in action: speaking directly to Peter and sending Cornelius and the other men to him. At the conclusion of this passage, the Spirit descends on Cornelius, his relatives and close friends. They are then baptized by Peter, and, all at the Holy Spirit’s direction, become the first of so many Gentiles to join the Church (Acts 10:1-49). (1)
In the Nicene Creed the Holy Spirit is described as the Lord and the Giver of Life. The former emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Son, one God in three persons. But what does it mean to say the Holy Spirit is the Giver of Life? To understand this, we have to start with the second story of Creation in Genesis, where the inspired author describes the creation of man:
“The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)
Now fast forward to Easter Sunday. Jesus has just been raised from the dead, and appears before the astonished apostles:
“He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’” (John 20:22-23)
Jesus gives the apostles the Holy Spirit and the power to forgive sins in literally the same breath. The connection between the Holy Spirit and our forgiveness could not be more clear. And this forgiveness is life-giving. For just as the breath of life from God caused Adam to become a living being, so the forgiveness of sin through the power of the Holy Spirit gives eternal life to those who repent and believe. (2)
The Holy Spirit is just as essential to the Eucharist, when the priest, acting in the person of Jesus, implores the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood Christ.
The power of the Holy Spirit is transformative. It changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and it transforms the hearts of men, directing them to do the will of their Heavenly Father, just as his Beloved Son does.
Think again of Peter and how often he stumbles in the gospels. (3) He proclaims that Jesus is the Son of the Living God, and in the next breath tells Jesus not to take up his cross. He consumes the body and blood of Jesus, and the same night denies Jesus three times. His confession of Jesus as Lord, his participation in the Eucharistic meal, are incredibly important parts of his faith journey. Yet he still stumbles after these sacraments. Even after the Resurrection, after seeing the Risen Lord, his mission does not begin.
It is only after receiving the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that his transformation is complete. The Peter of the gospels is a bold friend of Jesus, but he is also impetuous and foolish. At times his fears get the best of him. At times he simply doesn’t yet understand how much God’s ways are different from ours. And sometimes the poor guy just falls asleep.
But the Peter of Acts is the leader of the Church. He proclaims the Good News to the crowds (Acts 2:14-41 and 3:11-26) and before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1-31; 5:27-42), the same men who had just had Jesus killed. What a turnaround for Peter compared to his fear and denial of Jesus before! What a testament to the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter cures the lame in Jesus’ name (Acts 3:1-10) and raises the dead (Acts 9:36-43). Even those touched by his shadow are healed (Acts 5:12-16).
All the power bestowed on the apostles by the Holy Spirit was foretold by Jesus. When Jesus warns his apostles of the trials for them to come, he also reassures that them that they will know what to say: “It will not be you speaking but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:19-20, with parallel verses in Mark 13:11 and Luke 12:11-12).
Jesus speaks at greater length about the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel:
- “The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you.” (John 14:26)
- “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27)
- “When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15)
The verbs alone in those passages communicate powerfully what the Holy Spirit does. Teach. Remind. Testify. Guide. Speak. Declare. Glorify.
Advocate. Jesus knows that we are on trial. The world is against us. Satan and his evil spirits are against us. Jesus knows we need the Holy Spirit – we need our Advocate – to persevere to the end and defend the faith.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.
Lord,
by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit
help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Notes:
(1) The video embedded in this blog post by Jimmy Akin contains several other New Testament references to the distinct personhood and will of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:29, Acts 13:2, Romans 8:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 12:11).
(2) See also this post from the Catholic Journal.
(3) If I could put on my apologetic hat for a moment, the frequently unflattering portrayal of Peter and the other apostles in the gospels is itself a powerful testament to their authenticity.
Image: Pentecost by Jean Restout II (downloaded from Wikipedia Commons).
