Chapter 3 paragraph — and Article 3 paragraph — of the Catechism CCC gives us a thorough un derstanding of what is meant by our belief in the Holy Spirit.
I have heard many thoughts on what the Holy Spirit is and what it is not. But for us to really know precisely what is meant in the creed to say we believe in the Holy Spirit has several core points we must know. I encour age a review of that for further understanding and reflection. Paragraph lets us know that God has sent the Spirit of his Son Jesus into our hearts. No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit, as it is a core knowledge of our faith, and we receive in our baptism.
The Holy Spirit in the Church communicates with us personally and intimately when this occurs and through his grace, re news the life within us. The Holy Spirit is the third in the progression of persons and to believe in the Holy Spirit and to express the Holy Spirit is consubstantial with the Father and Son and is with us from the beginning to the end of our salvation. From all history anytime that God sends his Son He also sends the Spirit as their mission is conjoined and insepa rable p We see this in paragraph that The Church is in communion with our faith since the Spirit in spires the scriptures, our traditions, liturgy, prayer, charisms and ministries of the Church, signs of apostolic life, and through witness by the saints.
The Father sends his Son and is anointed by the Spirit, as they are distinct but inseparable. Some symbols we associate with the Holy Spirit are water which symbolizes the Holy Spirit in our bap tism.
Anointing symbolizes with oil the Holy Spirit through Christian initiation and is a sacramental sign of con firmation. It is synonymous with the anointing in the annunciation of the Virgin Mary conceiving by the Holy Spirit. We may experience this in conversion, the word we speak from God in scripture, or baptism through Holy Spirit and fire. Cloud and light are manifested throughout scripture and re veal the living and saving God. We receive the seal of the Holy Spirit through anointing; healing by the hand by having hands laid upon us; by the finger of God that casts out demons in our lives; and the sign of a dove that Christ will return, and he does so each time we receive Christ in the Eucharist p — Christ proclaims the good news to us in the Spirit of the Lord.
