“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Many Catholics probably have heard that there is a Holy Spirit but the Holy Spirit is not part of their devotional life. Jesus instructed his first generation of followers about the Holy Spirit because he knew how important the Holy Spirit is as part of a life of faith. The tradition of the Church talks about the “indwelling” of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers. God is not distant, residing above us in heaven, but also within us in the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit planted deep within. St. Augustine put it, God is nearer to us than we are to ourselves. That is the Holy Spirit. Grace is another name for the Holy Spirit — but the kind of grace that comes to us unasked and unearned. The Spirit of God is the intimate connection that believers have with God that transforms us from vessels of clay into bearers of divinity. Invoking the Holy Spirit is one of the great supports in a life of prayer.
MAY132024
By Church Staff
