³ Icon in apse of St. Michael the Archangel Byzantine Catholic Church, Pittston

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth

You are everywhere present and fill all things.

Treasury of blessings and Giver of Life,

Come and dwell within in us,

Cleanse us of all stain,

And save our souls O Gracious One.

“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.”   Acts 2: 1-4  ¹ , ²

Holy Spirit Meaning and Symbols

Divine revealation about the Holy Spirit is given to us throughout biblical history in Scripture.  The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity.  To be Christian, means to profess belief in the Trinitarian doctrine — meaning we believe in One God revealed in three persons.  We refer to the three persons as God the Father, God the Son or Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal.

We use the term “spirit” when we speak of the Holy Spirit.  But we should not think of the Holy Spirit as a kind of science fiction force, but rather that the Holy Spirit is a real person.  So the Holy Spirit is a “who”.  And we are encouraged to pray to the Holy Spirit as equally as we may pray to God the Father and to Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is manifest or revealed to us in many forms that help us to comprehend what is incomprehensible in our limited human understanding.  And these forms are expressed in ways in which we read about the actions of Holy Spirit throughout the Old Testament and New Testament.  We often will refer to these as symbols of the Holy Spirit.  These are some of the ways  through which the actions of the Holy Spirit are manifest:  water, breath, wind, anointing, fire, sacramental seals, cloud and light, the hand, a finger, a dove.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides an excellent description of how these manifestations of the Holy Spirit are found in Scripture.  Visit the link from the Vatican website to access this complete description.

Pentecost

Pentecost is a major Feast Day.   More information can be found about the history of this Holy Feast Day, and how we celebrate by visiting the link on our website:  Our Traditions/Pentecost.

Did you know that the Liturgical color for Pentecost in Eastern Churches is green?  This is the only time in the Byzantine Catholic Church this color is used.  Green represents life.  The predominant emphasis and the divine action of the Holy Spirit is as the Giver of Life.   The priest wears green vestments, green altar linens and candles are used, and even parishioners are invited to wear green on this very special feast day.

When we chant the Nicene Creed, we affirm our belief that the Holy Spirit as the giver of Life.  And that life is granted to the faithful through the reception of the Sacraments.  Those include all the Sacraments that are available for lay Catholics, and in the Sacrament of Ordination for bishops, priests, and deacons.

On Pentecost Sunday, the faithful sing a baptismal verse that reminds us of the Sacraments of Initiation we received, especially that of baptism.  In place of the Trisagion or Thrice Holy Hymn, we sing: “All you have been baptized into Christ, have been clothed in Christ.”  The Holy Spirit marks us as children of God in the Sacraments of Initiation, and it is our responsibility from that point to grow continuously in knowledge of our faith, of God, and in service to the Kingdom of God.  The very first and basic lesson we have from the Catechism is how we are to know, love, and serve God.  When we actively practice our faith, we receive the graces we need through the Holy Spirit, to navigate the journeys we face in life.  Our ultimate goal is to spend eternity with God in heaven.  This is why we should also remember to pray every day to the Holy Spirit for guidance and assistance in our needs.  

¹ Scriptural Quote credit: Scripture texts on this website are from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. All Rights Reserved. ¹

²According to Scripture, the following were present in the upper room in Jerusalem:  Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon, Jude (Judas) son of James; also some women (most likely the same women who accompanied Christ at the cross), and Mary the Mother of God; and other disciples.

³Icon in St. Michael’s Byzantine Catholic Church, Pittston on the apse wall of the sanctuary.  Copyrighted image. Iconography by Rev. Theodore Koufos, Icongraphic Studio of Toronto, Canada