Monday, April 16, 2018

How the Holy Spirit Perfects our faith

The Holy Spirit is one of the three divine person of one God, the Holy Trinity.  The Holy Spirit  is identified in several area's of the bible but one of them is in Act 5:3 when Peter addresses a man named Ananias who lied about the donation, Peter asked why he would lie to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is part of the birth of Jesus; God into man, and as noted by St. Ignatius; for our God, Jesus Christ was according  to the appointment of God, conceived in the womb of Mary, but by the Holy Spirit.

But how does the Holy Spirit relate directly to our relationship with God through it beauty and power, one with God in the Holy Trinity.

Faith is a particular response on the part of man to the Word of God reveals himself in the revelation of Jesus Christ.However, the acceptance of knowledge of God is imperfect in the present life.

The originality of our faith in comparing with knowledge of God started with "created things". By faith  man gives his response to "God's self revelation" and accepts the divine plan of salvation.

This is stated in part First Vatican Council which underline the supernatural character of faith.  God works in the depths of mans spiritual faculties and in his energies and dispositions, the divine power is called grace, in particular grace of faith.

In Second Vatican Council it explains that this grace of faith , that is to make an act of faith is through the interior help of the Holy Spirit. To bring upon a deeper understanding of revelation the same Holy Spirit constantly brings faith by completion of his gifts.

These gifts enables man to fully respond fully to God's self revelation in Jesus Christ, this grace protects the act of faith, it stirs it up, supports and guides it.  Thought it, man believes in God, participates in internal life.

This grace from the Holy Spirit is the source of the supernatural illumination which opens the eyes of the mind to the acceptance of the mysteries of God and the elements of the plan of human salvation. In the same time man's faculty, under the action of grace of faith, tends to a deeper understanding of the contents revealed.

This understanding is projected by the total truth promised by Jesus Christ and these efforts of growing understanding finds it through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.


The Fathers Know Best and Catechesis on the Creed from John Paul II  God Father and Creator (from general audience of April 10th, 1985)

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