Catholic what is the holy spirit

Micah through the power of the Holy Spirit was able to stay the course. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit is mentioned for the first time in the first chapter of Matthew. Ever present, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus like a dove at his baptism. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased" Mark The Church teaches that one receives the gifts of the Spirit at baptism and that these gifts are strengthened at confirmation, so that one can proclaim the truths of the faith.

For 'by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer, humility and a deep desire for the things of God one is able to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The gifts of the Spirit are to be used to work towards the reign of God in the world today. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are:. Paul illustrates with these attributes the kind of love that marks a true Christian life. After the resurrection, Jesus remained with his followers for 40 days.

As the time draw near for his departure Jesus comforted his grieving disciples with the promise of the coming of another Paraclete to replace him. This Paraclete was the Holy Spirit, who would come as a friend and comforter; one who would be an advocate for the people to give them the strength to carry on the mission of Jesus Christ in the world.

The Holy Spirit ascended upon the faithful on the day of Pentecost with the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Tongues like that of fire came to rest upon the people and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages previously unknown to them.

Jesus promised us no less in John And if the Holy Spirit is inside of us, and if the Holy Spirit is part of the flowing relationship of the Trinity, we suddenly find ourselves swept up in the greatest dance of all time! This love, if we are willing to accept it, slowly changes and transforms our mind and soul to be more aware and accepting of the incredible love of God. Let his gifts shape you! Have you ever had a teacher who made a huge difference in your life?

The way they taught things just made sense, they were creative in ways you never thought possible, and the advice they gave you, even outside of school work, turned out to be the best adviceevery time. In John , Jesus tells us that this is exactly what the Holy Spirit is like.

And as a teacher, the Holy Spirit would never lead anyone away from the truth. In fact, take a moment to read Acts 2. It also served as an inspiration to spread this truth to as many people as possible.

This guidance and inspiration has remained with the Church ever since by being passed on from bishop to bishop through the Holy Spirit. Take advantage of the fact that the Holy Spirit has made a home in your soul and ask Him for guidance in your prayers and day-to-day decisions. If the Holy Spirit has managed to keep a Church full of sinners alive and well for thousands of years, He can definitely work wonders for you. I'm from Kentucky and am adamant that it is the best state.

I'm really into Catholic theology, angry rock music, and libraries but mostly not at the same time. I was once called a bad influence for helping teach a Franciscan friar how to skateboard and am pretty bummed that there isn't a St. Trenton, but hope to change that one day. Newest Resource Video November Intro. View All Blogs. Culture 50 Fun and Free Ideas for Fall.

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 then utterance'.

Acts 2, The mighty wind blowing round the house and the tongues as of fire were signs of the Spirit of God, powerful and ardent, bringing strength and blessing to the whole of Creation and particularly to the Church of Christ.

A sudden change came over the Apostles. They who had fled and been full of doubts and fears when Christ was arrested now became strong and bold as lions. They were now ready and eager to preach the gospel, to proclaim the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The city at that time was full of people come from many countries for the religious celebrations. Attracted by 'the sound of a mighty wind' they began to gather around the Apostles. They were amazed to hear the Apostles speaking the languages of the various nationalities present. St Peter, with the eleven other Apostles at his side, then preached powerfully, declaring that Jesus was the Saviour of the world promised by the prophets of old.

The effects of this preaching were astonishing. After St Peter's great sermon many came to him eagerly and asked: 'What shall we do? The Acts of the Apostles tells how day by day the numbers of the Christians grew. This amazing success was due to the fact that the Spirit promised by Christ had come down upon his followers to remain with them always. This Holy Spirit is a mystery far beyond the grasp of the human mind, but the Bible tells us much about the Spirit, a divine breath that gives life to the world and wisdom to the minds of men and women.

Both of these naturally suggest life. If someone breathes it is a sure sign of life, and when death comes it is said we have 'breathed our last. People thought of the wind blowing across the wide expanse of the earth, drying out and warming the soil so that life springs from it, as the life-giving breath of God.

Hence when they thought of God as the giver of life, the sacred writers often referred to 'The Spirit. The first words of the Bible tell how the Spirit of God brought design and life into the universe, brought order out of chaos and developed plant and animal life. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there by light;" and there was light' Gen.

When the time was ripe God created the human race through a special action of the Spirit. Humanity received a unique gift of the breath of life. The Spirit who gave life to all creatures in the beginning continues to support that life.

If this Spirit abandons them, they cease to breathe. The sacred writers teach that the Spirit gives skill to the hand, courage to the heart and wisdom to the mind, particularly to those chosen by God to be the leaders of the people. The skilled artisans who designed and made the beautiful things used in worship in the Holy Place received their skill from the Spirit.

This same Spirit in turn gave wisdom to kings such as David, under whose lead many sacred songs were written, and to Solomon, who built the first great temple in Jerusalem. Above all, the Spirit enlightened the minds of the prophets and sacred writers so that they declared God's message to the people. The prophets were confident that they spoke with the authority of God and were moved and directed by this Spirit. Frequently they used words like those of the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah:.

They declared, however, that there was to come a Saviour who would be completely filled with the Spirit of God. The eleventh chapter of Isaiah says:. In the time of the Saviour not only prophets but all types of people, young and old, would speak under the influence of the Spirit.

Peter in his first sermon quoted the words of the second chapter of the Prophet Joel:. Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out my spirit" Joel 2, God gives natural life to plants, animals and humanity.

But he also gives to humanity a life above Nature, which is supernatural. It is, in fact, a sharing in the life of God.