HOLY SPIRIT: THE THIRD PERSON OF HOLY TRINITY
“This is the ultimate in human knowledge of God: to know that
we do not know Him”
(Questiones Disputatiae de Potentia Dei, 7, 5, ad 14).
ORIGIN:
Exploring the Concepts and Principles of the Trinitarian
Dogma
▪ Nature/Essence – that through which the person is and
acts.
▪ Person/Existence – The possessor of nature.
Subsistent (can exist by itself).
▪ Relation – That which relate one to the other
1) Paternity (F to S)
2) Filiation (S to F)
3) Active Spiration (FS to HS)
4) Passive Spiration (HS to FS)
DIVINE PROCESSION – procedure “to come forth”
1. GOD IS KNOWN: Angels and Humans (processors of
intellect), God (eternal and perfect)
a. Knowing – procession of intellect
b. Loving – procession of will
2. GENERATION: “generare” – to beget: origin of the son
begotten of the father.
a. NATURE OF SON – divine.
b. Attribute by procession – Word of God,
Image of God, Divine Wisdom.
3. SPIRATION: “insperare” – to breathe into: origin of the
HS proceeds from the FS
a. NATURE OF HOLY SPIRIT – divine.
b. Attribute by procession –
Breath of God: “Ruah” and “Pneuma”
HOLY SPIRIT: IN THE SACRED SCRIPTURES
HOLY SPIRIT – divine mission: “missio”: to send
THE PENTECOST STORY
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all
in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a
noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in
which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of
fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now
there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying
in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but
they were confused because each one heard them speaking in
his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement
they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking
Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his own
native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus
and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of
Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews
and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them
speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.” They
were all astounded and bewildered, and said to one another,
“What does this mean?” But others said, scoffing, “They have
had too much new wine.”
PENTECOST – “pentecoste”: fiftieth
▪ JEWISH:
Feast of the Weeks (Shavuot) that occurs on the 50th day
after the Feast of the First Fruits. Commemorates the Sinai
covenant.
▪ CHRISTIAN:
Feast of the Holy Spirit which occurs on the 50th day after
Christ’s Resurrection. Commemorates the descent of the
Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church’s mission to
make Christ known to all nations (cf. MT 28:16-20).
HOLY SPIRIT OTHER NAMES
Holy Ghost; “gast” (old Paraclete; “parakletos”
English) (Greek): called to one’s
side/consoler.
Advocate; “advocatus” (Latin): The Giver of Life
to summon, pleading God’s
cause for mankind.
God’s Breath: (Hebrew) “Ruan”; (Greek) “Pneuma”:
“breath, air, wind”
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE BREATH OF GOD.
Ruah (Heb) / Pneuma (Gk): Breath, air, wind
The biblical names of the Holy Spirit indicate a principle of
activity.
▪ Creation – breath
▪ Pentecost – strong wind
REVELATION: Pentecost
THE COUNCIL OF FLORENCE (1438) EXPOUNDED ON THE
DIVINE ORIGIN OF THE HOLY SPIRIT USING THE TWO
PROCESSIONS FORMULA
Two Processions Formula: “The Holy Spirit proceeds from the
Father and the Son as from one principle and through one
spiration.”
CHURCH TEACHINGS: THE 8TH ARTICLE OF FAITH
1. “Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with
the Father and the Son is adored and glorified”
The Divinity of the Holy Spirit was first defined in the
Council of Constantinople in the year 381
2. “The Holy Spirit is eternally from Father and Son; He
has his nature and subsistence at once from the Father
and the Son. He proceeds eternally from both as from
one principle and through one spiration...And, since
the Father has through generation given to the only-
begotten Son everything that belongs to the Father,
except being Father, the Son has also eternally from
the Father, from whom he is eternally born, that the
Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son.” (council of
Florence 1438)
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE THIRD DIVINE PERSON IN THE
HOLY TRINITY.
▪ There is ONLY one God in three Persons.
▪ The Holy Spirit is consubstantial (same essence) with the
Father and the Son.
▪ There is unity in the divine substance/nature of the Father,
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
JOIN MISSION OF THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
When the Father sends his Word, he always sends his Breath.
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.
(CCC 689). Jesus is Christ, “anointed,” because the Spirit is
his anointing, and everything that occurs from the Incarnation on
derives from this fullness. When Christ is finally glorified, he can
in turn send the Spirit from his place with the Father to those
who believe in him.
THE 2 PROCESSIONS:
The procession of the Holy Spirit implies God's internal activity
of "willing." Hence, the Holy Spirit is the "Breath of God." He
animates or gives action to God's internal activity of knowing,
but not in the manner of cause and effect (since there's no
potentiality but actuality in God).
IN SUMMARY:
Who is the Holy Spirit?
In terms of Personhood and Divine Origin: He is Lord, the Giver
of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Official References on the Personhood and Divine Origin of the
Holy Spirit
▪ Sacred Scriptures: Ascension and Pentecost
▪ Sacred Tradition: Councils of Constantinople (381)
and Florence (1438)
THE ONE WHO ANNOINTS: HS
THE ANNOINTED: JESUS CHRIST
THE HOLY SPIRIT “AS REVEALED” IN THE SACRED
SCRIPTURES
OLD TESTAMENT
Creation (Genesis 1-2)
The Word of God and his
Breath are at the origin of the
being and life of every
creature.
Noah’s Ark (Genesis 7)
At the end of the flood,
released by Noah returns
with a fresh olive-tree branch
in its beak as a sign that the
earth was again habitable.
The official icon of HS in the Catholic Church: (dove)
Signifies the HS’s purifying action: (water)
OLD TESTAMENT
Burning Bush
(Exodus 3)
There the angel of the LORD
appeared to him (Moses) in
flames of fire from within a
bush.
Pillar of Fire & Cloud
(Exodus 13)
The pillar of cloud went
ahead of the Israelites by day
to guide their way, and the
pillar of fire by night, to give
them light.
Symbolizes the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit's
actions: (fire)
And reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the
transcendence of his glory: (clouds)
OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT
John the Baptist Mother Mary
NEW TESTAMENT John was filled with the Holy Mary is the masterwork of
Jesus’ Baptism (Matthew Spirit even from his mother’s mission of the F, dwelling
3:13-17) womb. In him, HS concludes place where his S and his HS
The Spirit comes down and his speaking through the could dwell among men, HS
remains in the purified hearts prophets, completes the prepared Mary by his (full of)
of the baptized. work of making ready a grace.
people prepared for the Lord
Related to the primary anointing accomplished by the
Spirit in Christ means the one "anointed" by God’s Spirit.
Sign of the all-powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in
its sacraments (Hands)
EXPECTATIONS OF THE MESSIAH & THE SPIRIT
Theophanies
These manifestations of God light up the way of the promise,
from the patriarchs to Moses and from Joshua to the visions that
inaugurated the missions of the great prophets. God's Word
allowed himself to be seen and heard in these theophanies, in
which the cloud of the Holy Spirit both revealed him and
concealed him in its shadow.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND OUR LADY
The Holy Spirit and Our Lady With and through the Holy Spirit,
the Virgin conceives and gives birth to the Son of God. By the
Holy Spirit's power and her faith, her virginity became uniquely
fruitful. In Mary, the Holy Spirit manifests the Son of the Father,
now become the Son of the Virgin. She is the burning bush of
the definitive theophany. Filled with the Holy Spirit she makes
the Word visible in the humility of his flesh.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND JESUS CHRIST
“The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD
has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has
sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favor. (Luke 4:18-19)”
Jesus does not reveal the Holy Spirit fully, until he himself
has been glorified through his Death and Resurrection.
NEW TESTAMENT
Nevertheless, little by little he alludes to him even in his teaching
Pentecost of the multitudes. Only when the hour has arrived for his
(Acts 2) glorification does Jesus promise the coming of the Holy Spirit,
The Spirit came down to the since his Death and Resurrection will fulfill the promise made to
Apostles in the form of the fathers.
Tongues of Fire.
4 MARKS OF THE CHURCH
Transfiguration Church; “ecclesia” (Latin): “call out of an assembly”
(Matthew 17:1-8) ; “kyriake” (Greek): “what belongs to God”
While he was still speaking, a
bright cloud covered them, 9th Article of Faith: “I BELIEVE IN ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND
and a voice from the cloud APOSTOLIC CHURCH.”
was heard.
ONE; HOLY; CATHOLIC; APOSTOLIC
ONE
Origin of the Church
▪ Planned in the Father's heart
▪ Instituted by Jesus Christ
▪ Revealed by the Holy Spirit
Our relation to the Holy Trinity
▪ THE CHURCH – PEOPLE OF GOD; not by birth but
“born anew” of water and spirit, baptism.
▪ THE CHURCH – BODY OF CHRIST;
▪ one head: Jesus Christ,
▪ one body: born of water the spirit. (the mystical
body)

"In the building up of Christ's Body there is engaged a
diversity of members and functions. There is only one Spirit
who, according to his own richness and the needs of the
ministries, gives his different gifts for the welfare of the
Church.” (LG, 7)
DIVERSITY:
The unity of the Church produces and stimulates charity
among the faithful: “From this it follows that if one member
suffers anything, all the members suffer with him, and if one
member is honored, all the members together rejoice.”
UNITY OF THE MYSTICAL BODY: unity over all human
divisions.
▪ THE CHURCH – THE TEMPLE OF THE HS
"What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the
Body of Christ, which is the Church.”
He works in many ways to build up the whole Body in charity:
▪ by God's Word
▪ by Baptism
▪ by the sacraments
▪ by the virtues
▪ by the many special graces (charisms)
The Holy Spirit, who dwells in the souls of the faithful, unites
all of the faithful into one communion of believers, who guides
the Church.
ONE BAPTISM AND FAITH
Holy Baptism – is the basis of the whole Christian life, the
gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the
door which gives access to the other sacraments.
Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons
of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into
the Church and made sharers in her mission.
ONE FAITH: we believe in ONE GOD.
(holy trinity, Nicene Creed)
HOLY
THE MOST HOLY GOD IS HER
▪ The Church
▪ Jesus Christ: founder
▪ “The Church is holy, not because all her members
are supposedly holy, but rather because God is holy
and is at work in her”
▪ CHURCH IS HOLY BC GOD IS HOLY.
THE CHURCH IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
▪ There is love that never ends between Christ and
the Church. (everlasting covenant)
▪ BRIDE: church
▪ GROOM: Jesus Christ (nauna: hinihintay tayo)
▪ CHURCH: the HOLY PEOPLE – “saints”
COMMUNION OF SAINTS – is the spiritual solidarity which
binds together the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory,
and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the same
mystical body under Christ.
▪ Church Triumphant – describes the Church in
heaven; the realm in which the Holy Trinity, the
angels and saints, and the abode of all those who
have reached the fullness of salvation in Christ.
▪ Church Militant – refers to the Church on earth
who works to overcome the imperfect and sinful
dimensions of human existence.
▪ Church Suffering – church in purgatory
UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS: seeks to transform
sinners – saints (pure). By virtue of CHARITY (soul of
holiness.)
Charity is the soul of the holiness to which all are called: it
"governs, shapes, and perfects all the means of
sanctification.”
Saints in heaven can inspire us by their example of how to
draw close to Jesus Christ. By canonizing some of the faithful,
i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue
and lived in fidelity to God's grace, the Church recognizes the
power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the
hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models
and intercessors.”
CATHOLIC
Catholic – “katholou”; universal
Theological Principles:
▪ CHRIST IS IN HER
▪ She is “missionary of her very nature”
▪ THE CHURCH IS “SENT OUT” BY CHRIST TO
THE WORLD
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF THE CHURCH’S
CATHOLICITY.
2 FOLD MEANING OF CATHOLICITY
APPLICATION: Christian Ministry
WHOLE any public activity of a baptized disciple of Christ
“each performed on behalf of fellow Christians (i.e.
according church ministries), in unity with the Universal
to whole” Church.
LOCAL CHURCHES
Basic ecclesial communities:
1. Parishes
2. Dioceses
OUTSIDE THE CHURCH, THERE IS NO
SALVATION. – all salvation comes from Christ
(the Head), through the Church (his body).
Hence they cannot be saved who, knowing the
Church as founded by Christ and necessary for
salvation, would refuse to enter her or remain in
her.
DYNAMIC APPLICATION: Christian Mission
“capacity any public activity of a baptized disciple of Christ
or performed for all peoples of goodwill.
potential
for unity” ▪ Evangelization
▪ Personalist Education
▪ Climate and Social Justice
▪ Ecumenical
Dialogue
and Interreligious
Ecumenical Dialogue:
the importance of recognizing the value of other
Christian denominations, even though we may
see them as lacking in certain aspects. It
acknowledges that these separated churches
and communities still play a meaningful role in
the overall plan of salvation. Despite
differences, the Holy Spirit can work through
them to bring people closer to salvation. Their
effectiveness in this regard stems from sharing
in the abundant grace and truth entrusted to the
Church as a whole.
Interreligious Dialogue:
The Catholic Church respects the truth and
goodness found in other religions. It
acknowledges that their practices and
teachings, while different, often contain
elements of the universal truth that enlightens
all people.
APOSTOLIC
Apostolic; “apostolos”; “apostellein” – the one who is sent
▪ HOLY SPIRIT: Transcendent Principle of the
Church’s FIDELITY and UNITY.
 Alpha (origin): Fidelity to the past;
Tradition in continuity.

▪ Apostolic Tradition
it is the history of the Spirit who acts in the Church's
history through the mediation of the Apostles and
their successors, in faithful continuity with the
experience of the origins. (Pope Benedict XVI,
General Audience, 2006)

▪ 12: God’s Government; Universal destination of

authority.

▪ Apostolic Successions
The unbreakable chain of apostolic appointments
according to the divine will. (St. Clement of Rome)

Christ elected Peter to lead the twelve apostles and

receive the “key to heaven” (cf. Matthew 16:18). He
had pastoral authority and responsibility over all
apostles.

St. Peter’s successor is called the Pope (Holy

Father)

1. Successors – shepherds the unity of the Church

worldwide full, supreme, universal power over local
churches, w/emphasis on pastoral responsibility over
juridica.

Primus inter Pares; Servus Servorum Dei; Vicarius

Christi; Pontifex Maximus (First among Equals; Servant
o fthe Servants of God; Vicar of Christ; Supreme Pontiff)

2. Universal Church – communion of all local churches

worldwide
3. POPE – pappas father
4. BISHOPS – entrusted with the care of the parishes in his
diocese.

PASTORAL JURISDICTION
1. Apostolic See: leading episcopal see of all local
Churches in the world, led by the Bishop of Rome
or the Pope.
2. Metropolitan See: The leading episcopal see of
anecclesiastical province, led by an Archbishop.
3. Diocese: The episcopal see of an ecclesiastical
district, led by a bishop.

Omega (end): Openness & Fidelity to the Future;

Open to signs of the times.

SYNODALITY; “synodos” (Greek) – “discerning together” by

the Church, the People of God, accompanied by praying,
listening, and dialogue.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

The gift of discernment of the Holy Spirit to the Church
makes her reflect on her identity and mission in contemporary
times.

THE SENSUS FIDEI FIDELIUM

(Reactive, Proactive, and Interactive Discernment of the
Church’s Teaching and Practice): supernatural sense of
faith (sensus fidei) that prevents them from collectively
erring in matters of belief. (appreciation of truth).
▪ Participation in the Life of the Church
▪ Listening to the word of God
▪ Openness to reason
▪ Adherence to the Magisterium
▪ Holiness
▪ Edification of the Church as One Body