Holy Spirit

Authority level: Dogma
This article contains claims at more than one doctrinal grade. The summary shows the highest represented grade.
GuideThe Spirit's divinity and personhood are dogma; the article's account of charisms and ecclesial action also draws on authoritative doctrine.
Contents

Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, confessed as Lord and giver of life and active in creation, revelation, sanctification, and the Church.[1]

Divine person and mission

The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force but a divine person, consubstantial with the Father and the Son. Scripture names the Spirit with images such as breath, fire, water, anointing, cloud, seal, and dove; each image discloses an aspect of the Spirit's work without defining the divine mystery.[2]

The missions of the Son and Spirit are inseparable. The Spirit prepares for Christ, reveals him, forms his body the Church, and brings believers into the Son's relation to the Father.

In the Church

Catholic teaching attributes the Church's holiness, sacramental life, charisms, prayer, and missionary impulse to the Spirit. Charisms are gifts for the common good and are discerned within the Church; they do not replace the apostolic faith or sacramental ministries.

References

  1. 1.Catechism: I Believe in the Holy Spirit — Paragraphs 683–747 on the person and mission of the Spirit
  2. 2.Lumen gentium — Sections 4 and 12 on the Spirit in the Church