Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

My dear Parishioners,

Peace! The eighth article of the Apostle’s Creed is “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” There are six (6) In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding this article of the Creed. The following is a reflection on article 746.

Upon His Resurrection, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ breathed the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles (cf. John 20:22). In breathing the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, the Holy Spirit was likewise breathed upon the entire Church and not only for that first generation of believers. If we were to think the gift of the Spirit was only for the first generation of believers then we would be denying the divinity of Christ and slighting His humanity, as if He had no more foresight than Thomas Jefferson and George Washington who foresaw successive ages, presidents and congresses to come. The same Spirit which Christ the Lord breathed out, albeit not necessarily with tongues of fire (cf. Acts 2:3) or of the spoken sort (cf. Acts 2:4) or driving winds (cf. Acts 2:2) descends upon the Church continuously even until the Risen Christ returns in glory to judge the living and the dead. This is the Spirit who leads us into the fullness of the truth (cf. John 16:13).

Before the Lord Jesus Christ breathed out the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and through them the Church He had to rise from the dead. And before the Lord Jesus Christ could rise He had to suffer and die (cf. Luke 24:25-26). But now He dies no more (cf. Romans 6:9-10; 1 Peter 3:18). Jesus Christ is victorious over the Cross, sin and death and we are victorious in Him. The Lord Jesus Christ is one with the Father and the Spirit. He is the king of glory (cf. Acts 2:36).

While the Holy Spirit is the Gift of the Father and the Son to believers, the Spirit has gifts even beyond Faith, Hope and Love which we receive in Holy Baptism (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13). Often and rightly the Gifts of the Spirit are associated with the Sacrament of Confirmation. We read about the seven-fold gifts in the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah 11:1-2. The seven gifts are: Wisdom, Knowledge, Council, Fortitude, Understanding, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. Some have downplayed the role of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit but if the Lord is willing to give us gifts we should rejoice in them and cherish them. As an example, look at the last gift mentioned, the Fear of the Lord. When was the last time you heard a talk on or thought about the Fear of the Lord? Yet, throughout Sacred Scripture there are so many references to the Fear of the Lord (cf. Leviticus 19:14, 32; Deuteronomy 6:2, 13, 24; 8:6; 10:12; 14:23; 17:19; 31:12; Joshua 4:24; 1 Samuel 12:14; 2 Kings 17:39; 2 Chronicles 19:7, 9; Job 28:28; Psalm 19:9; 22:23; 33:8; 34:11; 111:10…)

God bless you!

Father John Arthur Orr