Who is the Holy Spirit?

By Kristen Yeo

The reality is that understanding who God is is far beyond what our human minds can comprehend, and more profound than any language can encapsulate. In this limitedness, we still desire to understand the nature of God through human language to the best of our abilities. 

We cannot speak about who the Holy Spirit is without first speaking about the Holy Trinity. There tends to be two main common misconceptions about the Holy Trinity: that the Holy Trinity exists as three distinct beings, or the Holy Trinity is one God with three different modes or masks. However, the Holy Trinity is in fact three subsistent relations contained in the unity of God; within the unity of God, there’s three subsistent relations of eternity, affiliation and spiration (the mutual breathing forth). 

Catholics thus profess that the Holy Spirit is “consubstantial with the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified”. To be “consubstantial” means that the Holy Spirit is of the same divine nature as the Father and the Son (“con” means “with”, and “substantial” means “substance”). When Catholics profess that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son”, there’s a tendency to believe that the Holy Spirit is just the force of love that exists between the Father and the Son. While it is true that the Holy Spirit is the mutual, flowing, and never-ending relationship of love and unity between God the Father and God the Son, the Holy Spirit is equal in dignity and majesty with the Father and the Son. He is a divine Person of the Holy Trinity (and that is why we ask “who is the Holy Spirit” and not “what is the Holy Spirit”!). 

The Holy Spirit has been at work with the Father and the Son since the beginning of time. He was present in the creation story, bringing forth life as the wind of God (Genesis 1:2). On creation, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that “The Word of God and his Breath are at the origin of the being and life of every creature.” (CCC 703) We also see how the prophets in the Old Testament were filled, inspired and strengthened by the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 10:10 ; Psalm 143:10 ; Ezekiel 36:27 ; Micah 3:8). 

God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ into the world to die so that we may be saved from our sins and have eternal life. In John’s gospel, Jesus Christ is mentioned as the Word that became flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14). The Catechism teaches us that when the Father sends His Word, He always sends His Breath (CCC 689) and therefore, we are able to appreciate the lines that follow CCC 689: 

… … In their joint mission, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct but inseparable. To be sure, it is Christ who is seen, the visible image of the invisible God, but it is the Spirit who reveals him.

The Catechism emphasises that the mission of the Holy Spirit is always conjoined and ordered to that of the Son. Catholics also profess that Jesus Christ is “conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary”. CCC 485 explains that:

The Holy Spirit, “the Lord, the giver of Life”, is sent to sanctify the womb of the Virgin Mary and divinely fecundate it, causing her to conceive the eternal Son of the Father in a humanity drawn from her own.”

As the Anointed One (the Messiah), Christ was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 3:22 ; Matthew 3:16).  When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told His disciples to wait for a power from on high (Luke 24:49) before they were to preach the Gospel to the world. This power is the Holy Spirit, whom Christ pours out in abundance (CCC 731) during Pentecost. The Paschal mystery of Jesus Christ (referring to Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension) is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given and communicated as a divine Person (CCC 731). On Pentecost, the mystery of the Holy Trinity is also fully revealed, and ultimately revealing that the Trinity is a mystery of love. 

The Holy Spirit and The Church Today

The Holy Spirit being sent down on Mary and the apostles during Pentecost means that we, the Church, are living with the Holy Spirit fully alive in us and among us. The Catechism identifies eight ways in which we especially find the Holy Spirit in the Church: in Scriptures, in tradition,  in the Church’s Magisterium (the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, consisting of the Pope and Bishops), in sacramental liturgy, in prayer, in the charisms that build up the Church, in the mission of evangelising, and in the witness of holy lives, especially in the lives of saints (CCC 688). 

“The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. He gives life, He brings forth different charisms which enrich the people of God and, above all, he creates unity among believers: from the many he makes one body, the Body of Christ. The Church’s whole life and mission depend on the Holy Spirit; he fulfils all things.” – Pope Francis 

Gifts of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1831)

At our baptism, we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 

1. Wisdom: to guide one in discerning God’s will
2. Understanding: gives one insight into the teachings of the Christian faith
3. Counsel: gives one the ability and knowledge of what to do in a variety of situations
4. Fortitude: gives one the strength to obey and to do God’s will at all times
5. Knowledge: gives one the ability to discern the will of God in all things
6. Piety: helps one to deepen their love for God
7. Fear of the Lord: helps one to avoid sin and to dread offending God

These gifts are sealed in the sacrament of confirmation, where “the baptised are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched by a special strength of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1285). These gifts are also known as the sanctifying gifts of the Spirit as they help us to be docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, helping us to grow in holiness. They enable man to transcend the limitations of human reason and human nature, and thus participate in the very life of God. St Thomas Aquinas insisted that these gifts are necessary for man’s salvation, which man cannot achieve on his own.

Fruits of the Holy Spirit 

1. Charity 
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Generosity
8. Gentleness
9. Faithfulness
10. Modesty
11. Self-control
12. Chastity

The Catechism defines the fruits of the Holy Spirit as “perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory” (CCC 1832). This means that if we are living a life of the Spirit, these fruits will be found in our lives. As Jesus told His disciples, “by their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:16).