Holy Spirit
| The Godhead |
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| God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit |
The Holy Spirit (Greek: παράκλητος)[1] is the third person of the Holy Trinity, both distinct and coequal with God the Father and the Son (Jesus).
The Holy Spirit embodies the mutual eternal love of the Father and the Son. The Greek term for the Holy Spirit is "paraclete", which means advocate or intercessor, thereby connoting a driving force for good.
The apostles credit the Holy Spirit with giving them the courage to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in a very hostile world.
The essential points of the Catholic dogma may be resumed in the following propositions:
- The Holy Spirit (also known as The Holy Ghost) is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
- Though really distinct, as a Person, from the Father and the Son, He is consubstantial with Them; being God like Them, He possesses with Them one and the same Divine Essence or Nature.
- He proceeds, not by way of generation, but by way of spiration, from the Father and the Son together, as from a single principle.
Such is the belief the Catholic faith demands.
In the New Testament the word spirit and, perhaps, even the expression spirit of God signify at times the soul or man himself, inasmuch as he is under the influence of God and aspires to things above; more frequently, especially in St. Paul, they signify God acting in man... to the Holy Ghost we attribute the operations of grace and the sanctification of souls, and in particular spiritual gifts and fruits. [2]
"...for the Father and the Son come with Him when He descends into our souls (John 14:23)."
"He performs a sanctifying work among men (St. Athanasius, 360 BC)."