The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1954-06-04
Come. O Holy Spirit :. i.

The Holy Spirit. the Third Person OF the Blessed
Trinity, is equal in all things to the Father and the
Son from whom He proceeds as from only
source As God, the Holy Spirit has wholly and
entirely the divine nature of the Father and the
Son so that all that is done by the Father and the
Son. He does. AS divine Person, that which char
acterzes Him in the Trinity-Hs personal quality
lis to be eternal relationship to the Father and
the Son since He proceeds from Them.
The Second Person Of the Trinity the Son be
came man and in His human nature the means by
which God willed to give man sharing in His life
as Father Son and Holy Spirit The Incaration has
thus translated the deepest mystery of the Trinity
into something which is the basis and content and
purpose of the supernatural order. Thus the life
of the Church and the state of sanctifyng grace
must be in terms of redeemed mankinds shar-
ing in the life Of the Trinity by union with the
Incarnate who is Mediator with God And
this sharing must not be looked at vague and
shadowy union with an obscurey phrased concept.
Rather do we share in the life Of the Three Divine
Persons as They TO another
One Person, in His divine nature. does not do
something for us which the others do not. All Of
them in their one nature give us themselves they
are to one another Thus sons IN the Son,
of the Father and possessors of the Holy
Spirit of the Father and the Son of that Spirit who
IS IN His Person eternal relationship to Father
and Son: Because you are sons God has sent the
Spirit Of His Son into your hearts crying Abba
Father"
Pentecost is not then the Feast of the Holy
Spirit considered apart from the Father and the Son.
for there is feast Of the separate Persons in
their divine nature. Pentecost the Feast OF the
Holy Spirit considered in HIS relationship to the
Incarnation continued in the Church. the Mys-
tical Body of Christ of which the Spirit is the soul
the unifying and life-giving force II is the Holy
Spirit who unlteS us to Christ our Head in His
Church, who unites Christ with us His members
who fills the Church and its members with the
divinehuman life Of the Goldman; who makes us
be IN Christ and grow up into Christ
But the Holy Spirit does not do all this by
activity separate distinct from the action OF the
Father and the Son. Our Lord has revealed the
Holy Spirits place in the Trinity the Spirit of the
Father and the Son. once We understand ths-and
II is not difficult 10 understand even If the Trinity
remains deep and inexpressibe mystery-we
20 on to found our devotion TO the Holy Spirit
on the basis OF His personal character Spirit OF
the Father and the Son this has been revealed
10 us IN the Holy Scriptures and Tradition Thus
He IS the Spirit Of the divine life which reaches
out to US through the mediatng Incarnation Thus
He is the Spirit OF the Father whose sons We be
come IN Christ. Thus He is the Spirit OF Christ
whose members become IN marvellous unity and
identification with Him Head. Thus He is the
Spirit OF the Incarnation uniting us to the redeem.
ing mysteries Of Christs Life especially the Pas
sion and the Resurrection. Bridging obhterat-
ing space and time and making all be with
Christ from the beginning" Thus He is the Spirit
of the Church, the lifegiylng Soul OF the Mystical
Body of Christ, making il in ITS entirety the con
tnued existence OF the GodAlan
j believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and GNer
of Life Yes, lie is this. Uniting Us 10 His divine
Person and carrying US back TO and uniting MS with
the Father and the Son in the Wondrous mystery of
our sharing In the life OF the Trinity by giving
to share IN the Incarnation continued IN the Church.
The Spirit OF God makes of redeemed mankind
many new humanities, II we're, IN which the Son
lives on to continue His redeemng Incarnation.
Conceived Of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin
Mary.'-These words OF the Creed spoken of the
physical humanity of Christ true also in pro
portion of the mystical humanity of Christ the
Church, and Of all who are in the Church Send
forth Thy Spirit, and shall be created and Thou
shalt renew the face of the earth"