Oct. 31, 2011 - THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Readings of the weekday Liturgy this past week centered on the Holy Spirit. Glimpses of the various "Fruit" of the Spirit were touched on as well as their effect in our lives. The important role of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers prompted me to go over a talk I gave in one of the Charismatic Renewal Seminars during the 1980's. It somehow offered some insights into the "whys and wherefores " of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.

As always, I would like to share them with you, may I?

" I tell you the truth. It is better for you that I go. If I go, I will send the Advocate to you." (John 16: 7)

Jesus said these at the Last Supper as He was preparing His apostles for His Passion and Death. He stressed the importance of the Holy Spirit such that His coming would even be more beneficial than Jesus remaining with the apostles.

But who is the Advocate? The Holy Spirit! We generally have a vague understanding of the Holy Spirit and what He does.

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the most Holy Trinity, equal with God the Father and Jesus, God the Son who is the Second Person of the Trinity. Traditionally, the Holy Spirit has been defined as the love that exists between the Father and the Son which proceeds forth as the unique Person of the Holy Spirit. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the term, "Spirit" translates the Hebrew word, "Ruah" which means "breath, air or wind." Jesus , indeed, uses the sensory image of "wind" to suggest to Nicodemus the transcendent newness of Him who is personally God's Breath, the Divine Spirit.

In Scripture, the Spirit is symbolized as the "breath" of God which transmits the life of God in the creation of man. In Genesis 2: 7 "I, Lord God, formed man out of clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life and so man became a living being."

The Holy Spirit is symbolized, too, as the breath of God when Jesus transmits His authority to His apostles in John 20: 22, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you, and when He had said this, He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spiirit."
The Holy Spirit , therefore, being one of the three Divine Persons in the Holy Trinity is " with the Father and the Son , worshipped and glorified" as we proclaim in the Creed during the celebration of the Mass.

Titles of the Holy Spirit

When Jesus proclaims the coming of the Holy Spirit, He calls Him, the "Paraclete." Paraclete is commonly translated as "Consoler." Jesus also speaks of Him as the
"Spirit of Truth." Besides the proper name of "Holy Spirit" which is frequently used in the Acts of the Apostles, we also find in St. Paul, the titles: "The Spirit of the Promise" (Gal 3: 14), "The Spirit of Adoption (Rom 8: 15), "The Spirit of Christ (Rom 8: 9), "The Spiirit of the Lord" ( 2 Cor 3:17), "The Spirit of God," ( Rom 8: 9, 14, 15, 19, and in 1 Cor 6:11; 7: 40) and in 1 Peter 4: 14, "The Spirit of Glory."

SYMBOLS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. WATER - The symbolism of water signifies the Holy Spirit's action in Baptism. We receive the Holy Spirit through the sacrament of Baptism. In traditional terminology, Baptism "frees" us from Original Sin, restoring us to a relationship with God.

The Jordan River is the source of both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee holds what the Bible calls "living water," water that is flowing, fresh and life-giving. Fish which we call,"tilapia" abound in it as well as many sea plants and animals. On the other hand, the Dead Sea does not and cannot sustain any life form, only has deposits of salt as the water evaporates. It is appropriately called Dead Sea which incidentally is the lowest spot on earth.

What makes the difference between the two bodies of water? The difference is simply this: the Sea of Galilee has many outlets giving out its water to irrigate fields and other plant life and the Dead Sea keeps all its water to itself, no outlet at all, holds on to every drop of water until it evaporaes leaving bitter salt.

The seas of the Holy Land are a visible parable of "living water," a metaphor that Jesus used for the Holy Spirit ( John 4: 10, 7: 38). The Holy Spirit is a gift - a gift meant to be given.

2. ANOINTING - The symbolism of anointing with oil signifies the Holy Spirit. Anointing is the sacramental sign of Confirmation through which the work of the Holy Spirit is enriched, nourished further, enhanced, so as to have a greater effect as we mature in our lives as Christians. The gifts of the Holy Spirit : Wisdom, Understanding, Fortitude, Counsel, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord are known as the Sanctifying Gifts. They serve to enable us to live holy lives according to God's will. The Spirit also strengthens us to be "soldiers of Christ" ie, to take an active role in sharing our responsibility for the work of the Church. The primary anointing of the Holy Spirit is that of Jesus Christ since in Hebrew, "Messiah" means " The Anointed " by God's Spirit.

3. FIRE - While water signifies birth and fruitfulness of life given in the Holy Spirit, "fire" symbolizes the transforming energy of the action of the Holy Spirit. The prayer of the prophet Elijah who "arose like fire" and whose word "burned like a torch" brought down fire from heaven on the sacrifice on Mount Carmel. This event was a figure of the Holy Spirit who transforms what He touches. Remember, too, Moses and the "burning bush?" In Acts 2: 2-4, " ....and suddenly there came from the sky, a noise like a strong wind and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared "tongues as of fire" which came to rest on each 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.

John, the Baptist, proclaimed Christ as the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Hence, our church tradition has retained the symbolism of fire as one of the expressive images of the Holy Spirit.

4. CLOUD AND LIGHT - These two images occur together in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous reveals the living God with Moses on Mt. Sinai.