The Holy Spirit

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The Holy Spirit

The husband’s face began to turn pale; he appeared to be close to fainting. His wife seemed stunned as an anguished expression of disbelief crossed her face. The doctor reiterated his news, “Yes, congratulations you will be the parents of triplets – all boys.” The husband and wife glanced at each other, as their eyes met they seemed to shout, “Ok, we wanted more children, but not all at once!” The boys were born and through the years became very close, even to the extent that as adults they formed a business together. One of the boys was in charge of marketing and sales, another was the financial expert, while the third managed all operational aspects of the business. Yet all three were familiar with every aspect of the business. They were distinct, yet quite unified in their ultimate goals.

In the Holy Trinity, God the Father is the creator of all things, the Son carries out the Father’s will of love for mankind by suffering and redeeming  man from his sins, the Holy Spirit operates in the world to aid man in his quest to know, love, and serve God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, though distinct persons, all share the same divine nature and unity.  Much has been said and written about God, especially about the Father and the Son, yet in comparison to the Father and the Son very little is written or said about the Holy Spirit. He is a mystery to many Christians and is almost totally ignored by others, and is generally unheard of by most non- Christians. Yet the Holy Spirit is God.

Then who is the Holy Spirit and what are his special functions, especially in relation to mankind? The Old Testament writers, Jesus, and many of his disciples have identified the Holy Spirit in words that note the Spirit’s role with mankind.

  • Some believe that the Holy Spirit was introduced to man by Jesus. While Jesus did elaborate and emphasize the multifaceted role of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit was introduced to man early in the Old Testament, in Genesis as being active in the creation of the world. (Genesis 1, v.1/2)
  • In the Books of Exodus, Judges, and others, the Holy Spirit is recognized for imparting special gifts / abilities to individuals, such as Gideon, Samson, and others. The Old Testament is filled with many references to the Holy Spirit.
  • Jesus advised his Apostles that The Holy Spirit will be their guide. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14,v.16)
  • In the following words from John 16, v 7-15, Jesus is very definitive about both the existence and the importance of the Holy Spirit. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more;  of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
  • On Easter Sunday as He appeared to the Apostles, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”  (John 20, 20-23)
  • From the Acts of the Apostles, the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is described, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
  • These instances of the Jesus recognizing the role of the Holy Spirit and the actual appearances of the Spirit are just a few of the references to the existence of the Holy Spirit. The Acts of the Apostles are filled with allusions to the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of mankind.

Since the Holy Spirit occupies a very significant place in the Old Testament and within the teachings and utterances of Jesus, it is a wonder that He is ignored by so many Christians. It would be wise for all Christians to follow the advice given by William of Saint-Thierry in his “On the Contemplation of God” regarding man’s relationship with the Holy Spirit. “Thus we hold you dear by the affection you have implanted in us. You are the one supremely good and ultimate goodness. Your love is your goodness, the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son! From the beginning of creation it was he who hovered over the waters – that is, over the wavering minds of men – offering himself to all, drawing all things to himself. By his inspiration and holy breath, by keeping us from harm and providing for our needs, he unites God to us and us to God.”

The Holy Spirit assumes the role as the operations officer of the Trinity, directing and helping mankind as mankind journeys through the struggles and perils of life.  Man would be wise to develop and maintain a consistent loving relationship with his wise and caring adviser, the Holy Spirit.

Suggested Reading”

The Gospel of St. John

The Acts for the Apostles.

Immortality

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Immortality

In a rasped voice, he screamed from the sidewalk,” I am immortal; I will live forever….. and so shall all of you.” He seemed to be addressing no one ….or everyone. The pedestrians on the sidewalks swerved to avoid the seemingly half crazed man, looking at his way only to avoid walking into him. They wanted nothing to do with this annoying person or his screams about immortality. “What a nutcase,” they thought to themselves, with no little irritation, as they proceeded to their destinations. One man shouted back at him, “Immortal is it! You won’t be saying that as you take your last breath.” He chuckled to himself believing that he had gotten the last word as he hurried to his office. Yet had he?

On entering into his office, the man thought about the minor encounter with the sidewalk preacher. At first he let a smile of satisfaction cross his lips, thinking he had dispensed with the irritating person. Yet the man’s screeching about immortality did start him to consider,” Was man destined for more than the existence of this life? Was an eternal life possible?” Though not a religious man, he wondered if there could be an eternal life and what it would be like. The thought of a heaven or a paradise intrigued him, but he would not permit himself to contemplate the possibility of the existence of a hell. As soon as he allowed himself to ruminate about an eternal life, he recalled his grandmother’s encouragement to him about a life everlasting. She frequently quoted from St. John’s epistle, notably his famous entreaty about a life forever. “The world and its allurements will pass away, but the man who has done the will of God shall live forever.”  The remembrance of his grandmother and her devotion to God began to shake him. He had lived his life based on his will and desires. Had he lived his life on the wrong premise?

Assuming that his grandmother was correct, that God exists and one can know God’s will, then it would be sensible to follow God’s will, as opposed to his own will. He recalled why he had decided to follow his own desires and will; simply, it was so much easier to yield to his desires than to follow the will of God. Heavenly paradise requires a subordination of his own will to that of God. Oh how much easier it was to handle and accept his own will! Immortality requires difficult choices that he did not want to make. Then suddenly it hit him; immortality is not his choice to accept or reject! Assuming that immortality is real, then he will experience it after his death, either in heaven or in hell. He does not possess the choice of whether to accept immortality or not; his only choice is between doing God’s will or his own, between heaven or hell.

As he contemplated his choices, shaken and terribly uncomfortable, the man knew the choice he had to make. But will he choose God?