Pentecost
/ The Holy Spirit
On
Pentecost Christ, the Lord and savior, poured
out the Holy Spirit in the form of wind and
fire on His disciples where
they began to speak in tongues.
"On the
evening of that first day of the week, even though the disciples had
locked the doors of the place where they were for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood before them. 'Peace be with you,' He said. When He
had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. At the sight of
the Lord the disciples rejoiced. 'Peace be with you,' He said again.
'As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.' Then he breathed on them
and said: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men's sins, they are
forgiven them; If you hold them bound, they are held bound.'"
From
this day the three Persons of the Trinity
were fully
revealed and the Kingdom of God, which is life in the Trinity, became
open to all Christians. Pentecost begins the time of the Catholic
Church which is now over 2002 years old.
Who
Is The Holy Spirit?
The
Holy Spirit is the name of the third
personhood of God in the Blessed Trinity. He is also called Paraclete,
advocate, the Spirit of Truth, consoler. Jesus also refers to the Holy
Spirit as "He".
The Mission Of Christ and the Holy Spirit~ CCC#689
The
Holy Spirit is of the same divine substance
as the Father and of the Son. When the Father sends his Son, who is the
Word Of God, He also sends his breath, the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy
Spirit who reveals the work of the Father's Son.
Jesus
Promised The Holy Spirit~ CCC#727
Just
before Jesus' death He prayed to the Father
for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Father sent the Spirit in Jesus' name. In the end, Jesus breathed
the Holy Spirit on His disciples so that they would be empowered and
the mission of Jesus and the Holy Spirit now becomes the mission in the
apostolic succession in the Catholic Church.
How Does The Holy Spirit Work In Us~
The
Holy Spirit builds up, and sanctifies the
Church. The 'first fruits' of the Holy Spirit is the very life of God.
The fruits of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23
What
is the Holy Spirit's Mission Today?: CCC #737
In
the O.T. "Spirit" meant power, and the
"Spirit of God" was not recognized as a distinct person until after He
came, as Jesus said, at Pentecost.
Today
the Holy Spirit prepares and leads people
to come to Christ. The Spirit manifests the Lord to us and opens our
minds to accept the truth to come into communion with God.
The Personhood Of The Holy Spirit:
In
the N.T. the Holy Spirit is the third person
in the trinity. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit a "He", and "Him". (John
14:16,17; 16:13,14)
The Holy Spirit is not merely a power or energy
force any more, as Jehovah Witnesses believe, but He has personhood
qualities.
~He searches: 1
Cor 2:10
~We can pray with Him: 1 Cor 14:15
~He can bear witness: 1 John 5:7
~He teaches: 1
Cor 2:13
~Says "Yes": Rev
14:13, 22:17
We can bear His qualities of love, joy, peace,
patience,
self-control and understanding. Also, He gives certain people qualities
of Himself through the gifts of: wisdom, knowledge, speaking in
tongues, prophecy, discerning spirits, interpreting speeches, healing
and faith.
What
Are The Seven
Gifts Of The Holy Spirit?:
In
the gifts, the first listed are intended for
sanctification. The second type are called "Charismata". These are
extraordinary favors granted in helping another.
The first types of gifts are of:
understanding~wisdom~counsel~fortitude
~knowledge~piety~and fear of the Lord.
The second type of gifts are of: speaking with
wisdom~speaking with knowledge ~giving faith~the grace of healing~the
gift of miracles~prophecy ~discerning spirits~ tongues~interpreting
speeches, and the gift of helping others.
Scripture
On The Works Of Holy Spirit:
Luke
1:35
"And the angel
answered and said to her. "The
Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you;
therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son
of God."
Matt 1:20
"...'Joseph, son of
David, have no fear about
taking Mary
as your wife. It is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this
child."
Matt 3:11
John the baptist
said: "I baptize you in water
for the
sake of reform, but the one who will follow me is more powerful than
I...He it is who will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire."
Luke 3:22
"and the Holy Spirit
descended upon Him in
visible form like a dove..."
Luke 4:1
" Jesus , full of
the Holy Spirit, then returned
from the Jordon and was conductedd by the Spirit into the desert ."
Luke 11:13
"If you, with all
your sins, know how to give
your
children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to those who ask him."
Luke 12:12
"The Holy Spirit
will teach you at that moment
all that should be said."
John 14:26
Jesus told His
apostles: "The Paraclete, the
Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name, will instruct you in everything,
and remind you of all that I told you."
John 20:22
"Then he breathed on
them and said: 'Receive the
Holy Spirit."
Acts 2:4
"All were filled
with the Holy Spirit. They
began to
express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the
Spirit prompted them.
Acts 2:38
"Peter answered:
'You must reform and be
baptized, each
one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that your sins may be
forgiven; then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Acts 7:51
"You stiff-necked
people, uncircumcised in heart
and
ears, you are always opposing the Holy Spirit just as your fathers did
before you."
Acts 10:38
"of the way God
anointed him with the Holy
Spirit and power."
Acts 19:2
Paul asked: "... Did
you receive the Holy Spirit
when you became believers?...
Romans 9:1
"I speak the truth
in Christ: I do not lie. My
conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit."
Ephesians 1:13
"In him you too were
chosen; when you heard the
glad
tidings of salvation, the word of truth , and believed in it, you were
sealed with the Holy Spirit who had been promised."
Ephesians 4:30
"Do nothing to
grieve the Holy Spirit of God
with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption."
1 Thess 4:8
"hence,
whoever rejects these
instructions rejects not man, but God who sends His Holy Spirit upon
you."