The Roles and Symbols of the Holy Spirit
Fr. Paschal Anionye
Introduction:
The term "Spirit" translates the Hebrew word ruah, which, in its primary sense, means breath, air, wind. Jesus uses the sensory image of the wind to suggest to Nicodemus the transcendent newness of him who is personally God's breath, the divine Spirit (John 3:5-8). On the other hand, "Spirit" and "Holy" are divine attributes common to the three divine persons. By joining the two terms, Scripture, liturgy, and theological language designate the inexpressible person of the Holy Spirit, without any possible equivocation with other uses of the terms "spirit" and "holy."
To understand the role of the Holy Spirit is to understand the name or being of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus proclaims and promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus calls him the "Paraclete," literally, "he who is called to one's side," advocatus (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). "Paraclete" is commonly translated by "consoler," and Jesus is the first consoler (1 John 2:1). The Lord also called the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of truth" (John 16:13). These names or designation already tell us what the role of the Holy Spirit is. Thus, besides the proper name of "Holy Spirit," which is most frequently used in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Epistles, we also find in St. Paul the titles: the Spirit of the promise (Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 1:13). The Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). The Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). The Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17) and the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9, 14; 15:19; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 7:40) and in St. Peter, the Spirit of glory (1 Peter 4:14).
In this work I am going to explain the symbols of the Holy Spirit as revealed in Scripture. And then using the Catechism of the Catholic Church I will explain or show how the Holy Spirit has acted throughout history till present day regarding our salvation, both in Scripture and in the living tradition of the Church.
Symbols of the Holy Spirit
What is a symbol?
A symbol is a material emblem portraying and unfolding a spiritual reality. The Holy Spirit is presented with some symbols in the Bible, which depict a reality or truth about the Holy Spirit and throw light on both his nature and mission. The symbols of the Holy Spirit provide one way where we can “see” the presence of the Holy Spirit. Since the Spirit is not a physical being and does not have a physical body, such as Jesus did, it is necessary to look for him in other ways.
The symbols of the Holy Spirit most common are:
1. ANOINTING WITH OIL – Symbolizes the Anointing of God
Luke 4:18-19: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
1 John 2:27: As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.
In the Old Testament, priests were consecrated and ordained as oil was poured upon their heads (Exod. 29:7 – see also Lev. 8). Kings were also anointed with oil as they took up office. Oil was also used to keep the lamps burning in the Holy Place, and it was vital that they should never run dry (Exod. 27:20). Holy Spirit, thus, not only anoints and empowers for Divine service, but also enlightens and lubricates. The Holy Spirit both illuminates and eliminates friction in our lives. Oil is also used to anoint the sick (Mark 6:13; James 5:14).
As in the passage above, the symbolism of anointing with oil signifies the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27; 2 Corinthians 1:21) to the point of becoming a synonym for the Holy Spirit. In Christian initiation, anointing is the sacramental sign of Confirmation, called "chrismation" in the Churches of the East. Its full force can be grasped only in relation to the primary anointing accomplished by the Holy Spirit, that of Jesus. Christ (in Hebrew "messiah") means the one "anointed" by God's Spirit. There were several anointed ones of the Lord in the Old Covenant, pre-eminently King David ((Exodus 30:22-32; 1 Samuel 16:13). But Jesus is God's Anointed in a unique way: The humanity the Son assumed was entirely anointed by the Holy Spirit. the Holy Spirit established him as "Christ" (Luke 4:1; 6:19; 8:46). The Virgin Mary conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit who, through the angel, proclaimed him the Christ at his birth, and prompted Simeon to come to the temple to see the Christ of the Lord (Luke 2:11, 26-27). The Spirit filled Christ and the power of the Spirit went out from him in his acts of healing and of saving (Luke 4:1; 6:19; 8:46). Finally, it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 1:4; 8:11). Now, fully established as "Christ" in his humanity victorious over death, Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit abundantly until "the saints" constitute - in their union with the humanity of the Son of God - that perfect man "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"(Ephesians 4:13; Acts 2:36); "the whole Christ," in St. Augustine's expression. CCC 695
“Anointing with oil has all these meanings in the sacramental life: the pre-baptismal anointing with the oil of catechumens signifies cleansing and strengthening; the anointing of the sick expresses healing and comfort; the post-baptismal anointing with sacred chrism in Confirmation and ordination is the sign of consecration. By Confirmation Christians, that is, those who are anointed, share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off “the aroma of Christ.” CCC 1294
“By this anointing the confirmand receives the “mark,” the seal of the Holy Spirit. A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal authority, or ownership of an object. Hence soldiers were marked with their leader’s seal and slaves with their master’s. A seal authenticates a juridical act or document and occasionally makes it secret.” CCC 1295
2. WATER – Symbolizes the Life-giving power of God
Revelation 22:17: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.
Jesus likened the Spirit, which the believer in him was to receive to “streams of living water” (John 7:37-39). The one who is filled with the Holy Spirit has this “living water” flowing from his innermost being. This analogy of the Spirit and water is also found in the Old Testament. (Isa. 44:3; Joel 2:28-29). The water’s functions of washing, cleansing, and refreshing correspond to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
“The symbolism of water signifies the Holy Spirit's action in Baptism, since after the invocation of the Holy Spirit it becomes the efficacious sacramental sign of new birth: just as the gestation of our first birth took place in water, so the water of Baptism truly signifies that our birth into the divine life is given to us in the Holy Spirit. As "by one Spirit we were all baptized," so we are also "made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13). Thus, the Spirit is also personally the living water welling up from Christ crucified (John 19:34; 1 John 5:8) as its source and welling up in us to eternal life (John 4:10-14; Exodus 17:1-6; Isaiah 55:1; Zechariah 14:8; 1 Corinthians 10:4; Revelations 21:6; 22:17)” CCC 694
“The book of Revelation of St. John, read in the Church’s liturgy, first reveals to us, “A throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne”: “the Lord God.” It then shows the Lamb, “standing, as though it had been slain”: Christ crucified and risen, the one high priest of the true sanctuary, the same one “who offers and is offered, who gives and is given.” Finally, it presents “the river of the water of life . . . flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb,” one of most beautiful symbols of the Holy Spirit.” CCC 1137
“The Holy Spirit is the living water “welling up to eternal life” in the heart that prays. It is he who teaches us to accept it at its source: Christ. Indeed, in the Christian life there are several wellsprings where Christ awaits us to enable us to drink of the Holy Spirit.” CCC 2652
3. RAIN – Symbolizes the outpouring of the Blessings of God.
Isaiah 44:3: For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.
Isaiah 32:15: Until a spirit from on high is poured out on us, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
4. RIVERS – Symbolizes the generation of the power of God
John 7:37-39: On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
5. WINE – Symbolizes the Joy of the Lord
Ephesians 5:18-19: Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts.
6. FIRE – Symbolizes the refining power and the zeal of God.
Isaiah 4:4: Once the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.
Matthew 3:11: I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Fire as symbol of the Holy Spirit is indicated in the statements about Holy Spirit’s baptism (Matt. 3:11) and the tongues of fire on the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4). Fire illuminates, warms, refines, purifies and can change material from one form to another. The fire of the Holy Spirit is not about burning as some project because the Bible never tells us that the Holy Spirit is given for our destruction but for our help.
While water signifies birth and the fruitfulness of life given in the Holy Spirit, fire symbolizes the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit's actions. We often think of the tongues of fire settling atop the disciples, but the Holy Spirit as Fire is found in multiple areas of the Bible including when the prophet Elijah calls down fire on Mount Carmel. 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 (Sirach 48:1; 1 Kings 18:38-39). This event was a "figure" of the fire of the Holy Spirit, who transforms what he touches. John the Baptist, who goes "before [the Lord] in the spirit and power of Elijah," proclaims Christ as the one who "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Ephesians 4:13; Acts 2:36). Jesus will say of the Spirit: "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!"(Luke 12:49). In the form of tongues "as of fire," the Holy Spirit rests on the disciples on the morning of Pentecost and fills them with himself (Acts 2:3-4). The spiritual tradition has retained this symbolism of fire as one of the most expressive images of the Holy Spirit's actions (St. John of the Cross, The Living Flame of Love, in The Collected Works of St. John of The Cross, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979), 577 ff) "Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:1) CCC 696
7. WIND – Symbolizes the Resurrection power of God
Acts 2:1-4. When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Wind as a scriptural symbol signifies life and activity. It sets forth the power, invisibility, immaterial nature, and the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s work in regeneration is like the wind (John 3:8) and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost Day was described in terms of a sudden “sound like the blowing of a violent wind” (Acts 2:1-4).
8. CLOUD AND LIGHT – Symbolizes the Glory of God.
1 Kings 8:10-11: And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
Luke 1:35: The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
“For a moment Jesus discloses his divine glory, confirming Peter’s confession. He also reveals that he will have to go by the way of the cross at Jerusalem in order to “enter into his glory”. Moses and Elijah had seen God’s glory on the Mountain; the Law and the Prophets had announced the Messiah’s sufferings. Christ’s Passion is the will of the Father: the Son acts as God’s servant; The cloud indicates the presence of the Holy Spirit. “The whole Trinity appeared: the Father in the voice; the Son in the man; the Spirit in the shining cloud. Cloud and light are two images that occur together in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the transcendence of his glory - with Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:15-18) at the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:9-10) and during the wandering in the desert (Exodus 40:36-38; 1 Corinthians 10:1-2) and with Solomon at the dedication of the Temple (1 Kings 8:10-12). In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures. The Spirit comes upon the Virgin Mary and "overshadows" her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus (Luke 1:35). On the mountain of Transfiguration, the Spirit in the "cloud came and overshadowed" Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John, and "a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!'"(Luke 9:34-35). Finally, the cloud took Jesus out of the sight of the disciples on the day of his ascension and will reveal him as Son of man in glory on the day of his final coming (Acts 1:9; Luke 21:27).” CCC 697
9. SEAL – Symbolizes the mark of identification of God.
Ephesians 1:13: In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.
“The seal is a symbol close to that of anointing. "The Father has set his seal" on Christ and seals us in him (John 6:27; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:3). Because this seal indicates the indelible effect of the anointing with the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, the image of the seal (sphragis) has been used in some theological traditions to express the indelible "character" imprinted by these three unrepeatable sacraments.” CCC 698
10. DOVE – Symbolizes the Gentleness, meekness and peace of God.
Luke 3:22: And the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
John 1:32-33: And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
The Dove is one of the most common symbols of the Holy Spirit. It can be seen in the description of the baptism of Christ (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:30-34). A dove symbolizes peace (Psalms 55:6; Song of Songs 2:12); purity (Song of Songs 5:2; 6:9); innocence (Matt. 10:16); and beauty (Psalms 68:13; Song of Solomon 1:15; 2:14).
The dove is used to reveal the gentle, yet powerful workings of the Holy Spirit. A dove is a gentle creature that is easily shooed away, no wonder Paul warns the church against grieving the Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30). Where there is a rejection of His ministry, the Holy Spirit will not remain for long. Through the gentle workings of the Holy Spirit, God points out our failures and nudges us in the right direction.
We see the dove at the end of the flood, whose symbolism refers to Baptism, a dove released by Noah returns with a fresh olive-tree branch in its beak as a sign that the earth was again habitable (Genesis 8:8-12). When Christ comes up from the water of his baptism, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes down upon him and remains with him (Matthew 3:16 and parallels). The Spirit comes down and remains in the purified hearts of the baptized. In certain churches, the Eucharist is reserved in a metal receptacle in the form of a dove (columbarium) suspended above the altar. Christian iconography traditionally uses a dove to suggest the Spirit. CCC 701
“Jesus’ public life begins with his baptism by John in the Jordan. John preaches “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. A crowd of sinners – tax collectors and soldiers, Pharisees and Sadducees, and prostitutes – come to be baptized by him. “Then Jesus appears.” The Baptist hesitates, but Jesus insists and receives baptism. Then the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes upon Jesus and a voice from heaven proclaims, “This is my beloved Son.” This is the manifestation (“Epiphany”) of Jesus as Messiah of Israel and Son of God.” CCC 535
11. FINGER – Symbolizes the Hand of God
Luke 11:20: But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
“If God's law was written on tablets of stone "by the finger of God," then the "letter from Christ" entrusted to the care of the apostles, is written "with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts" (Exodus 31:18; 2 Corinthians 3:3). The hymn Veni Creator Spiritus invokes the Holy Spirit as the "finger of the Father's right hand" (Easter Season after Ascension, Hymn at Vespers: digitus paternae dexterae).” CCC 700
12. HAND – Symbolizes the work and the power of God.
1 Kings 18:46: But the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; he girded up his loins and ran in front of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Jesus heals the sick and blesses little children by laying hands on them (Mark 6:5; 8:23; 10:16). In his name the apostles will do the same (Mark 16:18; Acts 5:12; 14:3). Even more pointedly, it is by the Apostles' imposition of hands that the Holy Spirit is given (Acts 8:17-19; 13:3; 19:6). The Letter to the Hebrews lists the imposition of hands among the "fundamental elements" of its teaching (Hebrews 6:2). The Church has kept this sign of the all-powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in its sacramental epiclesis.
“Even more pointedly, it is by the Apostles' imposition of hands that the Holy Spirit is given.” We see the symbolism of hands frequently in the Bible and throughout the images in the Church. We often hear that we are the hands and feet of Christ, so this is a great way to think about the Holy Spirit because He resides within us, and, like the disciples of Jesus, we are called to bring His Word to the world. Is there a time you felt the Holy Spirit working through you as the hands of Christ?
The Role of the Holy Spirit through the Centuries till present day:
687 "No one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11). Now God's Spirit, who reveals God, makes known to us Christ, his Word, his living Utterance, but the Spirit does not speak of himself. The Spirit who "has spoken through the prophets" makes us hear the Father's Word, but we do not hear the Spirit himself. We know him only in the movement by which he reveals the Word to us and disposes us to welcome him in faith. The Spirit of truth who "unveils" Christ to us "will not speak on his own" (John 16:13). Such properly divine self-effacement explains why "the world cannot receive [him], because it neither sees him nor knows him," while those who believe in Christ know the Spirit because he dwells with them (John 14:17).
I. THE JOINT MISSION OF THE SON AND THE SPIRIT
689 The One whom the Father has sent into our hearts, the Spirit of his Son, is truly God (Galatians 4:6). Consubstantial with the Father and the Son, the Spirit is inseparable from them, in both the inner life of the Trinity and his gift of love for the world. In adoring the Holy Trinity, life-giving, consubstantial, and indivisible, the Church's faith also professes the distinction of persons. When the Father sends his Word, he always sends his Breath. In their joint mission, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct but inseparable. To be sure, it is Christ who is seen, the visible image of the invisible God, but it is the Spirit who reveals him.
690 Jesus is Christ, "anointed," because the Spirit is his anointing, and everything that occurs from the Incarnation on derives from this fullness (John 3:34). When Christ is finally glorified ((John 7:39) he can in turn send the Spirit from his place with the Father to those who believe in him: he communicates to them his glory (John 17:22), that is, the Holy Spirit who glorifies him (John 16:14). From that time on, this joint mission will be manifested in the children adopted by the Father in the Body of his Son: the mission of the Spirit of adoption is to unite them to Christ and make them live in him:
The notion of anointing suggests . . . that there is no distance between the Son and the Spirit. Indeed, just as between the surface of the body and the anointing with oil neither reason nor sensation recognizes any intermediary, so the contact of the Son with the Spirit is immediate, so that anyone who would make contact with the Son by faith must first encounter the oil by contact. In fact, there is no part that is not covered by the Holy Spirit. That is why the confession of the Son's Lordship is made in the Holy Spirit by those who receive him, the Spirit coming from all sides to those who approach the Son in faith (St. Gregory of Nyssa, De Spiritu Sancto, 16: PG 45, 1321A-B).
III. GOD'S SPIRIT AND WORD IN THE TIME OF THE PROMISES
702 From the beginning until "the fullness of time" (Galatians 4:4) the joint mission of the Father's Word and Spirit remains hidden, but it is at work. God's Spirit prepares for the time of the Messiah. Neither is fully revealed but both are already promised, to be watched for and welcomed at their manifestation. So, for this reason, when the Church reads the Old Testament, she searches there for what the Spirit, "who has spoken through the prophets," wants to tell us about Christ (2 Corinthians 3:14; John 5:39, 46).
By "prophets" the faith of the Church here understands all whom the Holy Spirit inspired in living proclamation and the composition of the sacred books, both of the Old and the New Testaments. Jewish tradition distinguishes first the Law (the five first books or Pentateuch), then the Prophets (our historical and prophetic books) and finally the Writings (especially the wisdom literature, in particular the Psalms) (Luke 24:44).
In creation
703 The Word of God and his Breath are at the origin of the being and life of every creature: Psalms 33:6; 104:30; Genesis 1:2; 2:7; Ecclesiasticus 3:20-21; Ezekiel 37:10).
It belongs to the Holy Spirit to rule, sanctify, and animate creation, for he is God, consubstantial with the Father and the Son. . . . Power over life pertains to the Spirit, for being God he preserves creation in the Father through the Son (Byzantine liturgy, Sundays of the second mode, Troparion of Morning Prayer).
704 "God fashioned man with his own hands [that is, the Son and the Holy Spirit] and impressed his own form on the flesh he had fashioned, in such a way that even what was visible might bear the divine form"(Irenaeus, Dem ap. 11: SCH 62, 48-49.
The Spirit of the promise
705 Disfigured by sin and death, man remains "in the image of God," in the image of the Son, but is deprived "of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and of his "likeness." The promise made to Abraham inaugurates the economy of salvation, at the culmination of which the Son himself will assume that "image" (John 1:14; Philippians 2:7) and restore it in the Father's "likeness" by giving it again its Glory, the Spirit who is "the giver of life."
706 Against all human hope, God promises descendants to Abraham, as the fruit of faith and of the power of the Holy Spirit (Genesis 18:1-15; Luke 1:26-38, 54-55; John 1:12-13; Romans 4:16-21). In Abraham's progeny all the nations of the earth will be blessed. This progeny will be Christ himself (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:16) in whom the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will "gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (John 11:52). God commits himself by his own solemn oath to giving his beloved Son and "the promised Holy Spirit . . . [who is] the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it" (Ephesians 1:13-14; Genesis 22:17-19; Luke 1:73; John 3:16; Romans 8:32; Galatians 3:14).
In Theophanies and the Law
707 Theophanies (manifestations of God) light up the way of the promise, from the patriarchs to Moses and from Joshua to the visions that inaugurated the missions of the great prophets. Christian tradition has always recognized that God's Word allowed himself to be seen and heard in these theophanies, in which the cloud of the Holy Spirit both revealed him and concealed him in its shadow.
708 This divine pedagogy appears especially in the gift of the Law (Exodus 19-20; Deuteronomy 1-11;29-30). God gave the Law as a "pedagogue" to lead his people towards Christ (Galatians 3:24). But the Law's powerlessness to save man deprived of the divine "likeness," along with the growing awareness of sin that it imparts (Romans 3:20) enkindles a desire for the Holy Spirit. The lamentations of the Psalms bear witness to this.
In the Kingdom and the Exile
709 The Law, the sign of God's promise and covenant, ought to have governed the hearts and institutions of that people to whom Abraham's faith gave birth. "If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, . . . you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). But after David, Israel gave in to the temptation of becoming a kingdom like other nations. The Kingdom, however, the object of the promise made to David (2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89; Luke 1:32-33) would be the work of the Holy Spirit; it would belong to the poor according to the Spirit.
710 The forgetting of the Law and the infidelity to the covenant end in death: it is the Exile, apparently the failure of the promises, which is in fact the mysterious fidelity of the Savior God and the beginning of a promised restoration, but according to the Spirit. The People of God had to suffer this purification (Luke 24:26). In God's plan, the Exile already stands in the shadow of the Cross, and the Remnant of the poor that returns from the Exile is one of the most transparent prefigurations of the Church.
Expectation of the Messiah and his Spirit
711 "Behold, I am doing a new thing" (Isaiah 43:19). Two prophetic lines were to develop, one leading to the expectation of the Messiah, the other pointing to the announcement of a new Spirit. They converge in the small Remnant, the people of the poor, who await in hope the "consolation of Israel" and "the redemption of Jerusalem" (Zephaniah 2:3; Luke 2:25,38).
We have seen earlier how Jesus fulfills the prophecies concerning himself. We limit ourselves here to those in which the relationship of the Messiah and his Spirit appears more clearly.
712 The characteristics of the awaited Messiah begin to appear in the "Book of Emmanuel" ("Isaiah said this when he saw his glory"(John 12:41; Isaiah 1: 6-12) speaking of Christ, especially in the first two verses of Isaiah 11: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:1-2).
713 The Messiah's characteristics are revealed above all in the "Servant songs" (Isaiah 42:1-9; Matthew 12:18-21; John 1:32-34; Isaiah 49:1-6; Matthew 3:17; Luke 2:32; Isaiah 50:4-10; Isaiah 52:13-53:12). These songs proclaim the meaning of Jesus' Passion and show how he will pour out the Holy Spirit to give life to the many: not as an outsider, but by embracing our "form as slave" (Philippians 2:7). Taking our death upon himself, he can communicate to us his own Spirit of life.
714 This is why Christ inaugurates the proclamation of the Good News by making his own the following passage from Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-19).
The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor.
715 The prophetic texts that directly concern the sending of the Holy Spirit are oracles by which God speaks to the heart of his people in the language of the promise, with the accents of "love and fidelity (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:25-28; 37:1-14; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Joel 3:1-5). St. Peter will proclaim their fulfillment on the morning of Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21). According to these promises, at the "end time" the Lord's Spirit will renew the hearts of men, engraving a new law in them. He will gather and reconcile the scattered and divided peoples; he will transform the first creation, and God will dwell there with men in peace.
716 The People of the "poor"(Zephaniah 2:3; Psalm 22:27; 34:3; Isaiah 49:13; 61:1, etc). - those who, humble and meek, rely solely on their God's mysterious plans, who await the justice, not of men but of the Messiah - are in the end the great achievement of the Holy Spirit's hidden mission during the time of the promises that prepare for Christ's coming. It is this quality of heart, purified and enlightened by the Spirit, which is expressed in the Psalms. In these poor, the Spirit is making ready "a people prepared for the Lord"(Luke 1:17).
IV. THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME
John, precursor, prophet, and baptist
717 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John" (John 1:6) John was "filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15,41) by Christ himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary's visitation to Elizabeth thus became a visit from God to his people (Luke 1:68).
718 John is "Elijah [who] must come" (Matthew 17:10-13; Luke 1:78). The fire of the Spirit dwells in him and makes him the forerunner of the coming Lord. In John, the precursor, the Holy Spirit completes the work of "[making] ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17).
719 John the Baptist is "more than a prophet"(Luke 7:26). In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah (Matthew 11:13-14). He proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the "voice" of the Consoler who is coming. As the Spirit of truth will also do, John "came to bear witness to the light (John 1:7; John 15:26; 5:35)." In John's sight, the Spirit thus brings to completion the careful search of the prophets and fulfills the longing of the angels (1 Peter 1:10-12). "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. . . . Behold, the Lamb of God" (John 1:33-36).
720 Finally, with John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit begins the restoration to man of "the divine likeness," prefiguring what he would achieve with and in Christ. John's baptism was for repentance; baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth (John 3:5).
"Rejoice, you who are full of grace"
721 Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church's Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary (Proverbs 8:1-9). Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the "Seat of Wisdom."
In her, the "wonders of God" that the Spirit was to fulfill in Christ and the Church began to be manifested:
722 The Holy Spirit prepared Mary by his grace. It was fitting that the mother of him in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9) should herself be "full of grace." She was, by sheer grace, conceived without sin as the most humble of creatures, the most capable of welcoming the inexpressible gift of the Almighty. It was quite correct for the angel Gabriel to greet her as the "Daughter of Zion": "Rejoice" (Zephaniah 3:14; Zechariah 2:14). It is the thanksgiving of the whole People of God, and thus of the Church, which Mary in her canticle (Luke 1:46-55) lifts up to the Father in the Holy Spirit while carrying within her the eternal Son.
723 In Mary, the Holy Spirit fulfills the plan of the Father's loving goodness. Through the Holy Spirit, the Virgin conceives and gives birth to the Son of God. By the Holy Spirit's power and her faith, her virginity became uniquely fruitful (Luke 1:36-38; Romans 4:18-21; Galatians 4:26-28).
724 In Mary, the Holy Spirit manifests the Son of the Father, now become the Son of the Virgin. She is the burning bush of the definitive theophany. Filled with the Holy Spirit she makes the Word visible in the humility of his flesh. It is to the poor and the first representatives of the gentiles that she makes him known (Luke 1:15-19).
725 Finally, through Mary, the Holy Spirit begins to bring men, the objects of God's merciful love (Luke 2:14) into communion with Christ. And the humble are always the first to accept him: shepherds, magi, Simeon and Anna, the bride and groom at Cana, and the first disciples.
726 At the end of this mission of the Spirit, Mary became the Woman, the new Eve ("mother of the living"), the mother of the "whole Christ" (John 19:25-27). As such, she was present with the Twelve, who "with one accord devoted themselves to prayer" (Acts 1:14) at the dawn of the "end time" which the Spirit was to inaugurate on the morning of Pentecost with the manifestation of the Church.
Christ Jesus
727 The entire mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the fullness of time, is contained in this: that the Son is the one anointed by the Father's Spirit since his Incarnation - Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.
Everything in the second chapter of the Creed is to be read in this light. Christ's whole work is in fact a joint mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Here, we shall mention only what has to do with Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit and the gift of him by the glorified Lord.
728 Jesus does not reveal the Holy Spirit fully, until he himself has been glorified through his Death and Resurrection. Nevertheless, little by little he alludes to him even in his teaching of the multitudes, as when he reveals that his own flesh will be food for the life of the world (John 6:27, 51, 62-63). He also alludes to the Spirit in speaking to Nicodemus (John 3:5-8), to the Samaritan woman (John 4:10, 14, 23-24) and to those who take part in the feast of Tabernacles (John 7:37-39). To his disciples he speaks openly of the Spirit in connection with prayer (Luke 11:13) and with the witness they will have to bear (Matthew 10:19-20).
729 Only when the hour has arrived for his glorification does Jesus promise the coming of the Holy Spirit, since his Death and Resurrection will fulfill the promise made to the fathers (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15; 17:26). The Spirit of truth, the other Paraclete, will be given by the Father in answer to Jesus' prayer; he will be sent by the Father in Jesus' name; and Jesus will send him from the Father's side, since he comes from the Father. The Holy Spirit will come, and we shall know him; he will be with us forever; he will remain with us. The Spirit will teach us everything, remind us of all that Christ said to us and bear witness to him. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and will glorify Christ. He will prove the world wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment.
730 At last Jesus' hour arrives (John 13:1; 17:1): he commends his spirit into the Father's hands (Luke 23:46; John 19:30) at the very moment when by his death he conquers death, so that, "raised from the dead by the glory of the Father" (Romans 6:4) he might immediately give the Holy Spirit by "breathing" on his disciples (John 20:22). From this hour onward, the mission of Christ and the Spirit becomes the mission of the Church: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (John 20:21; Matthew 28:19; Luke 24:47-48; Acts 1:8).
V. THE SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH IN THE LAST DAYS
Pentecost
731 On the day of Pentecost when the seven weeks of Easter had come to an end, Christ's Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given, and communicated as a divine person: of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance (Acts 2:33-36).
732 On that day, the Holy Trinity is fully revealed. Since that day, the Kingdom announced by Christ has been open to those who believe in him: in the humility of the flesh and in faith, they already share in the communion of the Holy Trinity. By his coming, which never ceases, the Holy Spirit causes the world to enter into the "last days," the time of the Church, the Kingdom already inherited though not yet consummated.
We have seen the true Light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith: we adore the indivisible Trinity, who has saved us (Byzantine Liturgy, Pentecost Vespers, Troparion, repeated after communion).
The Holy Spirit - God's gift
733 "God is Love" ((1 John 4:8,1) and love is his first gift, containing all others. "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:5).
734 Because we are dead or at least wounded through sin, the first effect of the gift of love is the forgiveness of our sins. The communion of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14) in the Church restores to the baptized the divine likeness lost through sin.
735 He, then, gives us the "pledge" or "first fruits" of our inheritance: the very life of the Holy Trinity, which is to love as "God [has] loved us" (1 John 4:12; Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 1:21). This love (the "charity" of 1 Cor 13) is the source of the new life in Christ, made possible because we have received "power" from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 13).
736 By this power of the Spirit, God's children can bear much fruit. He who has grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear "the fruit of the Spirit: . . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). "We live by the Spirit"; the more we renounce ourselves, the more we "walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25; Matthew 16:24-26).
Through the Holy Spirit we are restored to paradise, led back to the Kingdom of heaven, and adopted as children, given confidence to call God "Father" and to share in Christ's grace, called children of light and given a share in eternal glory (St. Basil, de Spiritu Sancto, 15, 36: PG 32, 132).
The Holy Spirit and the Church
737 The mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion in the Church, which is the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. This joint mission henceforth brings Christ's faithful to share in his communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit prepares men and goes out to them with his grace, in order to draw them to Christ. The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death and Resurrection. He makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in the Eucharist, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion with God, that they may "bear much fruit” (John 15:8, 16).
738 Thus the Church's mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity.
All of us who have received one and the same Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit, are in a sense blended with one another and with God. For if Christ, together with the Father's and his own Spirit, comes to dwell in each of us, though we are many, still the Spirit is one and undivided. He binds together the spirits of each and every one of us, . . . and makes all appear as one in him. For just as the power of Christ's sacred flesh unites those in whom it dwells into one body, in the same way the one and undivided Spirit of God, who dwells in all, leads all into spiritual unity (St. Cyril of Alexandria, In Jo. Ev., 11, 11: PG 74, 561).
739 Because the Holy Spirit is the anointing of Christ, it is Christ who, as the head of the Body, pours out the Spirit among his members to nourish, heal, and organize them in their mutual functions, to give them life, send them to bear witness, and associate them to his self-offering to the Father and to his intercession for the whole world. Through the Church's sacraments, Christ communicates his Holy and sanctifying Spirit to the members of his Body.
740 These "mighty works of God," offered to believers in the sacraments of the Church, bear their fruit in the new life in Christ, according to the Spirit.
741 "The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with sighs too deep for words" (Romans 8:26) The Holy Spirit, the artisan of God's works, is the master of prayer.
IN BRIEF
742 "Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!"' (Gal 4:6).
743 From the beginning to the end of time, whenever God sends his Son, he always sends his Spirit: their mission is conjoined and inseparable.
744 In the fullness of time the Holy Spirit completes in Mary all the preparations for Christ's coming among the People of God. By the action of the Holy Spirit in her, the Father gives the world Emmanuel "God-with-us" (Mt 1:23).
745 The Son of God was consecrated as Christ (Messiah) by the anointing of the Holy Spirit at his Incarnation (cf. Ps 2:6-7).
746 By his Death and his Resurrection, Jesus is constituted in glory as Lord and Christ (cf. Acts 2:36). From his fullness, he poured out the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the Church.
747 The Holy Spirit, whom Christ the head pours out on his members, builds, animates, and sanctifies the Church. She is the sacrament of the Holy Trinity's communion with men.
