The Holy Spirit

Chapter 15

Opening Prayer

• Come, Holy Spirit! You are the Breath of God. You have given us God’s life! Fill us with the divine life so that we can follow Jesus Christ as true disciples and reach out to one another with love.

Preview Activity

• Describe a situation a young person your age might face in which making a moral choice pleasing to God may be difficult. Who may be a source of strength and support for you in such circumstances.

Introduction

• Holy Spirit: the third divine Person of the Trinity

Reflection

• I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

• When do we proclaim these words?– When reciting the Nicene Creed at Mass

The Breath of God

• The Holy Trinity is ONE. They are inseparable. • Images of the Holy Spirit– BREATH God’s Spirit breathes God’s life into us

& help us experience God’s gift of love & come to know God

Live It!

• Write a thank-you notes to a member of your own family, neighbors, teachers…etc who truly live God’s love, who “breathe out” God’s love upon others.

Think About It!

• We believe the Holy Spirit is the breath of God.

• What does this image tell you about the Holy Spirit?

• What does this image tell you about the Holy Spirit’s role in your life?

God’s Spirit Prepares the Way

• The Spirit of God first appears in the Book of Genesis as the wind that moves over the water, (see Gen 1:1-2) bringing life out of nothingness.

• Wind = ruah = breath or spirit• The Spirit prepares God’s people for the

coming of the Messiah so that people would come to know Jesus Christ.

Reflection• Read Acts 2:1-4• What does the word wind symbolize in this passage?

– The Holy Spirit• How does the Holy Spirit prepare God’s people for the

coming of Christ?– Works quietly behind the scenes

• The prophets speak under the influence of the Holy Spirit. What does the prophet Isaiah say about the Messiah?– The Spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom, knowledge,

and skill to rule his people, and he will bring justice to the nations.

Did You Know? Symbols of the Holy Spirit

• Water symbolizes the HS’s actions in Baptism. He is the “living water”.

• Fire transform. It is vibrant and full of energy. – Ex. Tongues of fire on the Apostles at Pentecost

• A cloud and light hide and reveal. The HS hides and reveals God’s glory

• What do these symbols tell us about the Holy Spirit?– The Holy Spirit is gentle and powerful, overwhelming, all

around us, etc.

Pray It! Liturgy Connection

• “Let your Spirit come upon these gifts and make them holy, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”

• What does the Holy Spirit do at this moment in the Eucharistic Prayer?– The Spirit makes these gifts holy, so that they can

become the Body and Blood of Christ.

FYI – The Annunciation

• When the angel announced to Mary that she would have a son, the Son of God, she asked, “How, then, can this be?” (Luke 1:34). The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come on you” (Luke 1:35). This moment of overshadowing by the power of the Spirit has been portrayed in many works of art. Find Christmas cards or other illustrations of the Annunciation that portray Mary with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove shining above her head.

In the Fullness of Time

• May is God’s “masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time.” (CCC 721)

• The HS prepared Mary to give birth to Emmanuel. How?– The HS made her “full of grace” which means full

of God’s life & love

• Emmanuel: a name for Jesus that means “God with us”

Reflection

• How did the Holy Spirit prepare Mary to welcome Jesus? – The Holy Spirit filled Mary with grace.

• What is grace?– God’s life and love

• What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church call Mary?– The masterwork of the mission of the Son and the

Spirit

Jesus and the Spirit

• What does Jesus say his mission is?– To bring good news to the poor, liberty to

captives, etc.

• The HS was sent by the Father and the Son to help us carry out this mission.

Luke 4:18-19• Were these words originally from Jesus himself?– No

• Whose words were they?– The prophet Isaiah’s

• Who inspired Isaiah and the other prophets?– The Holy Spirit

• On verse 21: “this passage of scripture has come true today.”

• What is Jesus saying about himself?– That he is the Messiah foretold by the prophets and that

he will carry out the mission of the Holy Spirit.

On a Mission

• After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to the disciples and breathes on them and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you…receive the HS. If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven;…”

• On Pentecost, the HS descends on the disciples. – Gives courage to go out and preach the message

of JC

• The job description is the Church’s mission.• The mission of Christ and the Spirit becomes the

mission of the Church. CCC 730– Go to the ends of the earth to spread the Good News

of salvation

• Why is Pentecost called the birthday of the Church?– b/c the Church’s mission began in a new way at

Pentecost; the Church continues the mission of Christ in the world under the guidance & strength of the HS

• How does the HS act in the Church?– Prepares God’s people & goes out to them w/ his love, to

bring them to Christ– Shows us who Christ is– Help us understand the mystery of Jesus’ death &

Resurrection– Make present today the mystery of Christ through the

sacraments of the Church, esp. the Eucharist, – Help us to become one with God; – build the Church up by giving her life and making her holy

Reflection

• Who gives us the strength and courage to forgive others?– The Holy Spirit

• What did the HS give the disciples?– Courage to go out and preach the message of Jesus Christ

• What is the “job description” of the Church?– The Church’s mission

• What is that mission?– To bring Jesus Christ to the world

• What did the Holy Spirit give the disciples?– Courage to go out and preach the message of

Jesus Christ

• What is the “job description” of the Church?– The Church’s mission

• What is that mission?– To bring Jesus Christ to the world

Fun Fact

• As of 2007, there are – More than 2 billion Christians, of which more than

1 billion are Catholics– 69 million Catholics in the US (23% of the

population)

People of FaithSaint John the Evangelist

• A fisherman• One of the first apostles• May have been the beloved disciple in St. John’s

Gospel• Was present at the foot of the cross w/ Mary• An Evangelist (evangelize = to spread the Good

News)• Calls the Spirit an Advocate: a helper & supporter

who “will teach you everything & make you remember all that I have told you”.

Reflection

• Who are the two people most often portrayed as standing at the foot of the cross?– Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John

• What was John’s name for the Holy Spirit?– The Advocate

• What is John the Evangelist’s main message?– Love God and one another

• What do you see in the art that helps recall the main message of John’s Gospel?– John is writing “God is love” on the paper; the

love stamps; the sign saying “Love rules!”; the sign behind his head that is only partly seen, but the message can be deciphered: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. The other symbol illustrated here is Jesus as Light.