The Blessed Trinity

The Blessed Trinity and Our Christian Vocation

The Blessed Trinity Chapter 6

Chapter 6 The Holy Spirit Third Person of the Blessed Trinity

Chapter Objectives The student will be able to understand: • Christ’s final preparation of his Apostles • The election of St. Matthias • Pentecost • The Holy Spirit and human knowledge of God • The Sacrament of Confirmation • The Holy Spirit in the life of the Church • The Holy Spirit and Sacred Scripture • The nature of the Holy Spirit • The gifts of the Holy Spirit • The gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and fortitude • The gifts of knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord • The fruits of the Holy Spirit

Keys to Chapter 6 • At Pentecost the Church received the Holy Spirit. • The Holy Spirit helps people see God in creation, in the Scriptures, and in their lives. • The Holy Spirit generously gives the Scriptures, virtues, gifts, and fruits.

For Discussion: • What happened to the Apostles at Pentecost? • Who is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity? • Who is the Holy Spirit? • What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in the Christian life? continued

For Discussion: • What are the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit? When and how are they received? • In what way is the Holy Spirit the Lord and Giver of Life, the Consoler, and the Sanctifier? • What is the sin against the Holy Spirit for which there is no forgiveness?

Pentecost: The Foundation of the Church Lesson Objectives Christ’s final preparation of his Apostles The election of St. Matthias Pentecost

Pentecost: The Foundation of the Church Basic Questions What is the importance of the forty days during which Christ appeared to his Apostles between his Resurrection and Ascension? • As he had spent forty days in the desert in preparation for his public life, Christ gave his Apostles a forty-day period of preparation for their public ministries between his Resurrection and Ascension.

Pentecost: The Foundation of the Church Basic Questions What is the significance of the election of St. Matthias? • As they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles, led by St. Peter, elected St. Matthias to be the successor to the office, or bishopric, of Judas in order to restore the apostolic college.

Pentecost: The Foundation of the Church Basic Questions What happened at Pentecost following Christ’s Ascension? • The Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles during the Jewish feast of Pentecost, giving birth to the Church as the Apostles became courageous and gifted preachers.

Guided Exercise • Conduct a think/pair/share using the following question: • How is the biblical pattern of forty repeated with Christ and his Apostles after the Resurrection?

Anticipatory Set • Incorporate the account of Pentecost (Acts 2) into the Opening Prayer and then discuss the following question: • How did the Christ’s disciples change after the Descent of the Holy Spirit?

Focus Question • Though they accepted them with faith, why were Christ’s disciples not able to understand the full meaning of his words? • The Holy Spirit had not yet come to them.

Focus Question • What did St. John the Baptist prophesy Christ would do with respect to Baptism? • “He who is mightier than I… will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Lk 3:16; cf. Mt 3:11).

Focus Question • When did the first Revelation of the Blessed Trinity occur? • Immediately following the Baptism of Christ, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, and a voice from Heaven was heard to say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” In this scene were God the Son, the voice of God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit in the form of the dove.

Focus Question • At the Last Supper, whom did Christ promise to send to his Apostles? • He promised to send the Holy Spirit, whom he called the Counselor, who would teach them and guide them in the way they should go.

Focus Question • Specifically, what did Christ say the Counselor would do for the Apostles? • The Holy Spirit would “teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (Jn 14:26).

Focus Question • Where did Christ remind the Apostles the Holy Spirit would come to them? • He would come in Jerusalem; where they were to wait.

Focus Question • What did Christ teach the Apostles between his Resurrection and Ascension? • He spoke of the Kingdom of God.

Focus Question • What were the Apostles to do after they had received the Holy Spirit? • They were to be Christ’s “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria” and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Focus Question • How is the cenacle the first Christian church? • The upper room is where Christ had celebrated the Last Supper. Here the Apostles, with the Blessed Virgin Mary and other believers, gathered to pray every day, and here the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church.

Focus Question • What is the significance of the number twelve for Christ and the Apostles? • As there were twelve tribes of Israel, so there are twelve Apostles who lead the Church.

Focus Question • What were the qualifications for Judas’s replacement? • He had to be a disciple of Christ who was with them, “beginning from the baptism of John until the day when [Christ] was taken up from us,” including having been “a witness to his resurrection” (Acts 1:22).

Focus Question • What is the meaning of office with respect to Judas’s office in the Church? • The Greek is episkope, from which comes the word episcopacy and the English word bishop.

Focus Question • What is the relationship between the Twelve and the bishop of this diocese? • Every bishop is, by his office, a successor to the Apostles due to the unbroken succession of bishops from the Apostles.

Focus Question • What does Pentecost mean? • It is derived from the Greek for fifty because it was celebrated fifty days after Passover.

Focus Question • What did the Jewish Pentecost celebrate? • It was a harvest festival and celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai, which came fifty days after the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt.

Focus Question • How was the Jewish Pentecost like the Mass? • It included the reading of the Law and the offering of sacrifices.

Focus Question • What did the Apostles do upon having received the Holy Spirit? • They went out into the streets to proclaim the Word of God and began to speak in other languages.

Focus Question • What did some people assume based on the Apostles’ behavior? • Some thought they were drunk.

Focus Question • Why were there so many people in Jerusalem who spoke foreign languages? • Jews from all over the world were celebrating Pentecost.

Focus Question • What gift of tongues did the Apostles display at Pentecost? • These Galileans spoke their own language but were heard in the native language of each listener.

Guided Exercise • Complete a focused reading of the section “Awaiting the Promised Spirit” (p. 194) using the following question: • How did St. Peter behave like the rock upon whom Christ would build his Church while the Apostles awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit?

Focus Question • What does it mean to say the Church is the Sacrament of Salvation? • She is the sign and instrument of communion between God and men.

Guided Exercise • Complete a focused reading of Acts 2:1-4 using the following question: • In what metaphorical terms is the Descent of the Holy Spirit described?

Focus Question • How did the Descent of the Holy Spirit fulfill Christ’s promise not to leave them? • He gave the Holy Spirit to the Apostles to establish his Church, which is the principal means through which Christ is present in the world.

Focus Question • Though the Apostles received the Holy Spirit on the evening of the Resurrection, why did the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council speak of the Church’s birth on the day of Pentecost? • The Apostles received the Holy Spirit at first privately. On Pentecost he was given publicly, which is why Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church.

Focus Question • Who was present with the Apostles at Pentecost? • The Apostles were with the Blessed Virgin Mary and other disciples.

Perception of God and Confirmation Lesson Objectives The Holy Spirit and human knowledge of God The Sacrament of Confirmation

Perception of God and Confirmation Basic Questions What is the relationship between the Holy Spirit and human understanding of God? • The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Elizabeth, and St. Simeon are examples of how the Holy Spirit enables people to perceive God.

Perception of God and Confirmation Basic Questions What is the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Sacrament of Confirmation? • The Holy Spirit is received especially in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Anticipatory Set • Incorporate St. Simeon’s prophecy at the Presentation (cf. Lk 2:22-35) into the Opening Prayer and then discuss the following question: • How is this moment the climax of St. Simeon’s life?

Focus Question • What is the first mention of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament? • He is named at the Annunciation; “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk 1:35).

Focus Question • What is the result of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s yes? • The Holy Spirit made Christ incarnate in her womb, bringing God to earth.

Focus Question • How is every person’s yes to God like the Blessed Virgin Mary’s yes? • Each time someone says yes to the will of God, the Holy Spirit in a sense makes Christ incarnate once again by making him or her an instrument of Christ in the world.

Focus Question • How was the work of the Holy Spirit evident in the Visitation? • St. Elizabeth’s unborn child, St. John the Baptist, was filled with the Holy Spirit and leaped with joy in her womb when she heard the Blessed Virgin Mary’s greeting. St. Elizabeth, herself filled with the Holy Spirit, recognized her as the Mother of the Lord.

Focus Question • How did the Holy Spirit enable St. Elizabeth to perceive God? • Though there were no visible signs to indicate the presence of God, the Holy Spirit opened her eyes to the divine presence in the Blessed Virgin Mary’s womb.

Focus Question • How did the Holy Spirit enable St. Simeon to perceive God? • Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he was led to the Temple where he recognized the infant Jesus to be the promised Messiah.

Focus Question • How does the Holy Spirit enable each person to perceive the reality of who he or she is? • The Holy Spirit enables each person to perceive the existence of sin in his or her life and the need for Christ’s Redemption.

The Blessed Trinity