God the Holy Spirit

• The Holy Spirit is God, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
• The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Holy Bible.
• Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, the Greek word for "advocate or comforter".
• Different symbols of the Holy Spirit

  • Water
  • Anointing with oil
  • Fire
  • Cloud and Light
  • Seal
  • Hand
  • Finger
  • Dove
• Water - signifies the effect of Baptism which gives divine life to the baptized
• Anointing with oil - symbol of the Holy Spirit's uniting us with Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One
• Fire - calls attention to the strength and force of the Holy Spirit
• Cloud - provide life-giving water
• The image of a cloud is often combined with the image of light to symbolize the God who is hidden and mysterious but also revealing and luminous.
• Seal - indicates the indelible effect of the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
• Hand - Jesus heals the sick and blesses children by laying hands on them. In His name the apostles do the same.
• Finger - It is the finger of God that cast out demons. The commandments were written by the finger of God on tablets of stone.
• Dove - from the story of Jesus' Baptism, when Jesus saw "the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him."
• Gifts of the Holy Spirit

  • Wisdom
  • Understanding
  • Counsel
  • Courage or Fortitude
  • Knowledge
  • Piety
  • Fear of the Lord
• Wisdom - put into action what we believe is true and good. It helps us understand the truth of our daily life experience in the light of God's plan for us. It also helps us gradually see and understand God working in our lives.
• Understanding - ability to put ourselves in the situation of others. It helps us sense when someone is hurting or in need of compassion and be tolerant and sympathetic of others.
• Counsel - ability to give advice and good direction. It enables us to judge and act promptly and rightly in the face of difficult situations. It inspires us to speak up and encourage others to do the correct thing.
• Courage or Fortitude - ability or strength to face challenges with courage. This gift sustains us to be persistent in our decisions to do good and to endure evil.
• Knowledge - ability to recognize what is true and good. The gift of knowledge is more than an accumulation of facts; rather, it is an understanding of God's purposes.
• Piety - allows you to be faithful and loyal to what we believe is true and good. It inspires us to joyfully want to serve God and others. It also helps us to see God in everything around us.
• Fear of the Lord - allows us to make God number one in our choices in life by avoiding things that offend God. As Proverbs 1:7 says, "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom", it increases our desire to draw closer to God and move us to love God that we do not want to offend him by our words or actions.
• Fruits of the Holy Spirit

  • Love
  • Joy
  • Peace
  • Patience
  • Kindness
  • Goodness
  • Generosity
  • Gentleness
  • Faithfulness
  • Modesty
  • Self-control
  • Chastity
• Love - Love is a self-sacrifice, putting others' needs before our own, following Jesus' example and humbling ourselves as servants.
• Joy - Joy is more than a temporary happiness; joy is lasting and based in more than simply an emotional reaction to our circumstances; it is an active choice of attitude. As followers of Christ, we rejoice, because in Him, we have redemption.
• Peace - is the result of resting our relationship with God. As Christians, we are not spared from sin's effects on the world, but we are able to take our worries to God through prayer.
• Patience - Patience allows us to have compassion over people despite their flaws and weaknesses. This fruit comes from an understanding of our own imperfect state and how God has given us His unconditional love and mercy so we should do the same for others.
• Kindness - It is having a heart that is willing to do acts of compassion and give to others above and beyond what we owe to them.
• Goodness - It is the ability to choose good things even when the situation gets tough, and everything is going against you. It is constantly renouncing evil in our day-to-day actions.
• Generosity - It is when we share our gifts with others. It does not only pertain to material sharing but more so to the sharing of time, self-abilities, talent compassion and love.
• Gentleness - Gentle people act calmly and avoid actions that might lead others to anger. It implies humility and meekness.
• Faithfulness - we are faithful when we live our commitment to the teachings of Jesus, the scriptures, and the Catholic Church.
• Modesty - Being modest means being humble. It is believing that any of our successes, blessings, and talents are gifts from God. It also means being content with what we have and not harboring any selfish ambitions.
• Self-control - It does not mean denying ourselves from what we need or want, it is the ability to exercise moderation in everything we do. It is also overcoming temptations and try to do God's will.
• Chastity - It means indulging our physical desires within the right context such as being sexually pure before marriage and by remaining faithful to one's spouse. It is not only in deeds, but in thoughts and words as well.