As we profess in our Creed, the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father”. We know this because Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is sent from God the Father, but is requested by Christ.[1] Both the Father and Son send the Spirit for God’s mission: the Kingdom of God and saving souls.

How is the Holy Spirit “the truth”? The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity, thus the Holy Spirit is fully God. The Holy Spirit is the same full truth that Jesus testifies that He Himself is [2], and the same truth as God the Father. Jesus speaks of the truth of the Good News and that it will be fully expounded when the Spirit comes. Once it is appointed to them, the Apostles will then go and spread the Good News and the Holy Spirit to everyone.

How does the Holy Spirit act in us today? The Holy Spirit is ever present in our lives. “…it is the Holy Spirit who, through his inspirations, gives a supernatural tone to our thoughts, desires, and actions. It is He who leads us to be receptive to Christ’s teaching and to assimilate it in a profound way. It is He who gives us the light by which we perceive our personal calling and the strength to carry out all that God expects of us." [3]

“The Paraclete never ceases to act in our soul. Not a single aspiration do we say that is not inspired by the Holy Spirit [4], as St. Paul tells us in the second reading of the Mass. He is present and moves us in prayer, as we read the Gospel, when we discover new light through a piece of advice we have received, as we ponder upon a truth of faith which already perhaps we have often considered. We realize that this clarity does not depend upon our will. It does not come from us, but from God. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us gently to the Sacrament of Penance to confess our sins, to raise our heart to God at an unexpected moment, to carry out some particular work. It is He who suggests to us to make some small sacrifice, or finds for us the right words to inspire someone to be better.”[5] We can also do this by having a close relationship with our Mother Mary, who was filled with the Holy Spirit at the Incarnation and again at Pentecost where with the Apostles devoted themselves to prayer. [6]

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