HOLY SPIRIT:
Sustaining Power
of Mission
Our Catholic Faith
Living What We Believe
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Holy Spirit Is God
The Holy Spirit in the Bible
Names, Titles, and Symbols of the
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit in the Life of Christians
The Mystery of the Trinity
Understanding More about the Trinity
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Holy Spirit Is God
The Paraclete
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth,
which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees
or knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you,
and will be in you. … 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 14:16-17, 26
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Holy Spirit Is God
The Paraclete
Jesus remains present to us through
the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit is the Lord God.
The Spirit’s primary mission is to
adopt us into the divine family
and to unite us to Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit is our interior teacher
who keeps us united to Christ.
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Holy Spirit in the Bible
The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
• Creating the world • Helping the Israelites to
• Giving life to Adam & Eve keep the Law
• Bringing life to the world • Inspiring Israel’s kings to
• Keeping the world in rule in God’s name
existence • Anointing Israel’s prophets
• Forging a covenant with • Sustaining the Israelites
the Chosen People during the exile
• Revealing himself • Promising the coming
to Moses Messiah
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Holy Spirit in the Bible
The Holy Spirit in the New Testament
• helped John the Baptist • Jesus gradually revealed
prepare people for Jesus the Holy Spirit
• was present at Jesus’ • Jesus promised to send
baptism and led him into the Holy Spirit
the desert and sustained • remained with
him in his battle with Satan Jesus during
• Jesus began his preaching his Death and
ministry filled with the Resurrection
Spirit’s power
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Holy Spirit in the Bible
The Holy Spirit in the New Testament:
Pentecost
Suddenly, there came from the sky a
noise like a strong wind, and it filled
the entire house in which 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 2:2-4
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
Name, Titles, and Symbols of the Holy
Spirit
Symbols of the Holy Spirit
Fire Finger of God
divine holiness Dove the divine Law
purification life
punishment purification
transformation descending of the Holy Hand
light Spirit healing
gentleness giving of the Holy Spirit
Tongues of Fire virtue
truth peace Anointing with Oil
healing Water “Christ” = anointed one
forgiveness death and life anointing with Holy Spirit
understanding initiation into the Church sacramental seal
gift of the Holy Spirit an indelible character
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
Name, Titles, and Symbols of the Holy
Spirit
Symbols of the Holy Spirit Finger of God
Fire Dove the divine Law
divine holiness life
purification purification
punishment descending of the Holy Hand
transformation Spirit healing
light gentleness giving of the Holy Spirit
virtue
Tongues of Fire
peace Anointing with Oil
truth
healing Water “Christ” = anointed one
forgiveness death and life anointing with Holy Spirit
understanding initiation into the Church sacramental seal
gift of the Holy Spirit an indelible character
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Holy Spirit in the Life of Christians
The Work of the Holy Spirit
the great Life Giver No one can say “Jesus
God’s grace to us is Lord,” except by the
Holy Spirit.
adopts us into the
1 Corinthians 12:3
divine family
forms the Church – the very Body of Christ
and Temple of the Holy Spirit
showers on Christians many gifts to help us
live like Jesus Christ
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Holy Spirit in the Life of Christians
Gifts of the Holy Spirit that Build up the Church
Gifts that make us holy: wisdom, understanding, knowledge,
counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord
Gifts that serve the Church: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing,
miracle, working, prophecy, discernment, speaking in
tongues, interpreting tongues
Gifts that result in spiritual fruit: charity, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness,
modesty, self-control, and chastity
The greatest of all the gifts of the Spirit: love
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Holy Spirit in the Life of Christians
Where the Holy Spirit is Present
Seven Apostolic Sacred
Sacraments & Tradition Magisterium
Missionary
Life
Gifts &
Sacred Ministries
Saints Prayer
Scriptures
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
The Mystery of the Trinity
The Dogma of the Blessed Trinity
We believe in the Blessed Trinity because of the things that Jesus teaches about who God
really is
Jesus taught that the Father of the Chosen People was his Father, and eternal Father to him,
the
unique Son who shared God’s own nature
The Apostles spoke of Jesus as the Word
of God, the very image of the invisible God
Jesus is consubstantial with the Father
The Holy Spirit always existed with the Father and Son
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
Understanding More about the Trinity
The Sign of the Cross
The large Sign of the Cross – professes that our minds, hearts, and
entire beings are
under the power of the holy Redeemer
The small Sign of the Cross – petitions the Triune God to bless our
thoughts,
words, and desires
We are baptized in the name of
the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit, not in their names.
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
Understanding More about the Trinity
The Immanent Trinity
When the Trinity is explained in terms of God alone
without reference to human beings
Three important truths:
Father
1. there is only one God
2. there are three distinct
Persons in one God GOD
Holy
Son
Spirit
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
Understanding More about the Trinity
The Immanent Trinity
3. the Divine Persons have distinct relation-ships with one another:
(a) The Father - from all eternity
“begets” the Son
(b) The Son – expresses the
Father perfectly to himself
(c) The Holy Spirit – the
Father
perfect relationship
between the Father and Son
GOD
Holy
Son
Spirit
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
Understanding More about the Trinity
The Economic/Salvific Trinity
We know God by what he does, how he acts in our lives and in the
world
God reveals the Trinity to us through
his works in Salvation History
God has communicated himself to
humanity in three distinct ways – but
it is the one, mysterious God who
reveals
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
Understanding More about the Trinity
The Economic/Salvific Trinity
All three are involved in the common work of Salvation, but
each Person performs this
common work according to his
unique personal property
The Father: creation and its
continual existence
The Son: salvation
The Holy Spirit: sanctification
The Holy Spirit and the Blessed Trinity
St. Paul’s definition of Love
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous,
(love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it
is not rude, it does not seek its own
interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does
not brood over injury, it does not rejoice
over wrongdoing but rejoices with the
truth. It bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all
things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
