6. Jesus & the Spirit: Re-Creation

Our thanks and glory to God are in response to his gift of creation and the act of re-creation wrought by his Son through the power of the Holy Spirit. A sin offering had to be made and only one who was sinless could offer it. It is the teaching of the Church that the Lord's human origin was the work of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Jesus' conception, unlike our own, is the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and is untouched by original sin. Nothing sinful can be directly created by the Holy Spirit. Further, the fact that Jesus is God would make the presence of sin an inner contradiction.

Jesus is viewed in the incarnation as the eternal Son of God born in the flesh of Mary. This revelation of Christ's identity is derived from a comprehensive look at the details of the Gospels. It took the first three centuries of crucial pondering in the Church's existence to reach a precise formula on this teaching: Jesus is one divine Person, existing fully in two natures, divine and human.

Also joined into the Godhead with the divine Son and God the Father is the Holy Spirit. This mystery is formally defined as that of the Blessed Trinity. God the Father exists of himself from all eternity. God the Son is eternally begotten of the Father. Using an analogy from human consciousness, the Father perfectly knows himself. While we have many fragmented and imperfect ideas, God has only one idea and it encapsulates the identity of God and all that is. We speak or write our ideas for others to share. God's one idea is called the Word and it is written upon human flesh, Jesus. God's knowing perfectly mirrors who he is and thus the second Person of the Blessed Trinity must by definition be divine. The Father and the Son share an infinite love which brings both life and eternal life to believers. This procession of "Love Personified" also perfectly reflects God's identity and constitutes the third Person of the Blessed Trinity. We call him the Holy Spirit. This divine love is poured into our hearts. He is the Helper (Paraclete) whom Christ promises to send to assist the Church, to sanctify her, and to preserve her from error. Distinctions between the Persons can only be made according to the various relations and generations. They are joined into a perfect unity. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son with whom he is equal. The mystery of the Trinity is not easy to understand, and every analogy, including this one, becomes erroneous if taken too seriously or too far. It is ultimately beyond the full grasp of finite mortals. However, we know it is true from the testimony of Scripture and the teaching Church.

The Holy Spirit is particularly manifested at Christ's baptism and at Pentecost. Pentecost, of course, is the feast commemorating the reception of the Holy Spirit by the Infant Church. The Holy Spirit does a number of things for the Church:

1. He stays with the Church to sanctify her (to make her holy).

2. He dwells in the Church and in the hearts of believers as in a holy temple.

3. He moves and sustains the prayer of the faithful, enlightening them to their spiritual adoption as sons and daughters of a loving God.

4. He guides the Church in all truth (often invoked for this purpose).

5. He imparts charismatic gifts.

6. He labors for the perfect union of the Church to her spouse through spiritual renewal.

7. He has an ongoing spiritual and historical affinity to Mary, Mother of the Church, and Mother to Christ, the head of the Church.

There are also things attributed to the Holy Spirit in regards to Christians as individuals:

1. We are "born again" in baptism of water and the Holy Spirit.

2. Akin to a personal Pentecost, the faithful receive Confirmation: "May the Holy Spirit descend upon you and the power of the Most High preserve you from sin" (Rite of Confirmation).

3. He aids us in making a good Confession (to know, to detest, and to renounce our sins out of a love of God above all else and to resolve to reform our lives).

4. Invoking the Spirit, he will open our hearts and minds to his inspired Word.

5. He will give us understanding and reverence for the value of the Mass and the importance of receiving Holy Communion.

6. Because of the Holy Spirit, minds are enlightened, wills strengthened (especially against habitual faults), and vocations are more clearly discerned.

7. Basic to our discipleship, the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to live the life of faith, hope, and charity. The latter is especially important in that we are called to love God and neighbor.

THE BLESSED TRINITY DWELLS WITHIN US BECAUSE WE POSSESS THE DIVINE LIFE. WE SHOULD TRY TO REALIZE THE PRESENCE OF GOD.