I believe in you, Holy Spirit, and in your gentle and powerful, always new yet often surprising actions. I believe, Lord, that your Spirit dwells in me like a little fire that can bring me light and warmth. I believe that your Spirit guides me in making choices, and, when needed, gives me the grace to change. Help me to guard this flame, to allow your holy wind to redirect my plans. Make me free enough to be able to change direction, teach me to be sincere and honest, and keep me from being false in any way.
It is the Spirit who awakens faith in us! The Holy Spirit comes to us in Baptism and strengthens and confirms that grace in the sacrament of Confirmation.
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity.
In the Bible we find that the Holy Spirit is called by many other names. The Greek name, Paraclete, is one of these. It means “he is called near,” or “one who consoles.”
Jesus promises the Spirit’s coming to his friends before leaving them. This promise came true on Pentecost. And today? The Holy Spirit still comes and opens the Kingdom of God to us who believe.
“Holy Spirit, your very breath is an invitation to grace. Its sweetness fills the lives of those who open their souls to your love.”
Theresa Aletheia Noble, Daughter of St. Paul and author
“Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor 6:19)
Saint Paul, first-century missionary evangelist
Exactly because it is difficult to understand who the Holy Spirit is, it can be helpful to think about some of the symbols of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. By means of these “images” we can get an idea of some of the Holy Spirit’s characteristics and better understand his action in our lives.
Fire is a symbol of the power that transforms, purifies, and gives light and warmth. In the Old Testament we come across fire in the burning bush (when God reveals himself for the first time to Moses), on Mount Sinai (when God gives Moses the stone tablets of the Law), and in many of the visions of the prophets. In the Christian faith, fire is an image of God’s love and of the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, flames or “tongues” of fire descended on the Apostles, Mary, and those gathered in the Upper Room on Pentecost. This was a sign of the Spirit’s presence at the birth of the Church. The Holy Spirit transforms our lives. He gives us God’s grace and strength; he brings light to our choices, and provides us with the courage we need to follow the teachings of Jesus.
In the Bible water is present at the very beginning of creation.
In the New Testament water is present at the baptisms which John the Baptist did in the Jordan River, and later at those done by the Apostles on Pentecost and beyond. In Christian faith water is a sign of the Holy Spirit’s action in Baptism and of new birth. Before a person’s Baptism takes place, the priest or deacon asks the Holy Spirit to come upon the water. Just as a new human life develops in the “water” of a mother’s womb, so the beginning of the Christian life occurs in the “water of the Spirit” in the “womb” of the Church. The Holy Spirit renews us and gives every one of us the possibility of new life.
Oil, usually from olives, is the symbol of the Spirit of God and of the spiritual strength that comes from him. In the Jewish faith recorded in the Bible, men chosen by God for a particular service or mission were anointed with oil. These included the prophets, priests, and kings of Israel. The Holy Spirit makes us strong so that we can undertake without fear the mission that God calls us to do.
In Christian art the dove is the most common symbol of the Holy Spirit. This comes from the passages of the Gospels that tell about Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up from the water, John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit descend over him “like a dove.” This meek and gentle bird reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us the gentleness of Jesus and the peace that comes from doing the will of God.
HOLY SPIRIT, ENLIGHTEN ME
Holy Spirit, you are wind. When I am tired; when everything is complicated and I don’t understand anything; when others are a burden and I want to close myself off within my shell; when everything annoys me and is a nuisance— come down on me and purify my mind and my heart. You who are the life of all who breathe, enter me, like the wind in the leaves of the forest. Make me find peace and harmony with myself and with all those who call on you. Come, Holy Spirit. Tonino Lasconi |
|
 |
Taking a cue from this prayer, reflect on another symbol of the Holy Spirit: the wind. Why is wind a symbol of the Holy Spirit? Because the wind is free and God wants us to be free, too. If we make God number one, then our lives will be free of worries and fears. The wind, in its path, will bring with it pollen and seeds that fertilize the earth and give life to new plants. What new life do we want to be born in us? What can the Holy Spirit make happen in us? |