The Holy Spirit, the third person in the Holy Trinity, represents the love shared between the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit, the paraclete and advocate, directs our life toward God’s kindness and truth. Its role is to guide the Church, inspire worship, and empower believers to share God’s will. The formation of the Church began with the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down to the Apostles as flames upon their heads giving them the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and the ability to speak in different tongues. They began to preach to the people of Jerusalem; that day, the Apostles baptized over three hundred thousand people. This was the day when the Catholic Church was born. Through the divine intervention of God, the Apostles were able to spread Christianity throughout the world.
The Catholic Church historically recognizes the Holy Spirit’s movement, combined with His present leading of her teachings, sacraments, and mission. During the celebration of the Eucharist, He works in and through the Gospel, sacraments, and Eucharist. He comes as the Holy Spirit, and through the process of transubstantiation, the Holy Spirit changed the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The Spirit then moves through the liturgy, opening the hearts of the faithful to listen to God’s word while teaching them to live in faith through worship. He works in conjunction with the ordained, enabling the latter to act in administering the sacraments by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit will sanctify believers through the sacraments, with Baptism and Confirmation deepening the communion with the Church and blessing them with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, it plays an important role in the unity of the Catholic Church through prayer, charity, and evangelization. Through all this, the Spirit renews the life of the Church so that she grows and walks with strength. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit enables the Church to continue Christ’s mission of salvation into history.
