Catholic Church; Little to no focus on the Holy Spirit?

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In the rosary, the third Glorious Mystery is the Descent of the Holy Spirit.
 
What about the Epiclesis?

Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray by sending down Your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Jesus is the mediator to the Father, so I can see why there is a focus on those Persons.
 
Tell them to step into an Eastern Catholic church and then ask them.
 
I see the Holy Spirit everywhere in the
Catholic Church. Your friend has no idea what he/she is talking about.
 
There is the Catholic Charismatic Movement. And of course, hymns like Veni Creator Spiritus are over a thousand years old.

Some Catholics have more of an emphasis on Holy Spirit worship than others. And guess what? That’s okay.
 
Wherever one part of the Holy Trinity is present, they all are. When we pray to God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, we pray to all of them.
 
Every Mass begins and ends with an explicit invocation of the Holy Trinity and the Sign of the Cross.

Many Catholics being and/or end prayers with an invocation of the Holy Trinity and the Sign of the Cross.
 
Vico said:
Calvin taught that the believers are being nourished by the body and blood of Christ on the spiritual plane and the Holy Spirit is the bond of the believer’s union with Christ.
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Isn’t this what Catholics believe as well?
I felt called to explain the Eucharist to him, and decided to let his assertion on the church and the Holy Spirit rest until I could think about it more.

He has attended a couple of masses with friends when he was much younger. But the reason this discussion began between us was because he had a profound experience which almost made him tear up and drop to his knees when we were touring a very old Catholic Cathedral. He felt God calling him very strongly to begin attending again at that moment. He hasn’t been attending any church even though he reads the Bible and sees the Holy Spirit working in everything, everyday, and is always talking about that. He said he was surprised to have that happen to him in a Catholic Church, and I asked him why. I’ll invite him to attend mass with me, again. I know of a very charismatic priest who can help him.
 
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In the Divine Liturgy, we praise all thee persons of the Holy Trinity multiple times

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever and forever. Amen.
 
Genesis315 said:
Can you tell me how or where the Council did this?
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In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church , Lumen Gentium , the Fathers of the Second Council of the Vatican taught : "It is not only through the sacraments and the ministries of the Church that the Holy Spirit sanctifies and leads the people of God and enriches it with virtues, but, “allotting his gifts to everyone according as He wills, He distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts He makes them fit and ready to undertake the various tasks and offices which contribute toward the renewal and building up of the Church, according to the words of the Apostle: “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone for profit”. These charisms, whether they be the more outstanding or the more simple and widely diffused, are to be received with thanksgiving and consolation for they are perfectly suited to and useful for the needs of the Church. Extraordinary gifts are not to be sought after, nor are the fruits of apostolic labour to be presumptuously expected from their use; but judgment as to their genuinity and proper use belongs to those who are appointed leaders in the Church, to whose special competence it belongs, not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold fast to that which is good.”

The fact that the bishops at the Sacred Council taught this does not mean that the Catholic Church , by which I mean all the members of the Church , focuses to any great degree on the Holy Spirit , nor does it it mean that there is not some truth in @Daisy’s friend’s observation .

The articles below speaks of the Holy Spirit as “the forgotten person … this often-forgotten and
misunderstood member of the Trinity”.




https://stleothegreat.ca/wordpress/?p=2276

 
Very interesting !! So your friend who claims the Catholic Church does not focus on the Holy Spirit had a powerful experience of what I believe to be the Holy Spirit in a Catholic Church ?
 
I think people are slightly misunderstanding this. There is no denial as to who the Holy Spirit is or that the Holy Spirit is an equal part of the Blessed Trinity

What is being said, is that many times when we talk about God or pray, is that the Father and Jesus are mentioned far more often than the Holy Spirit.

Think of people offering an impromptu prayer (at some sort of family gathering, for example). Many times people will start out Lord Jesus, Father God or something similar. I have never heard anyone starting a prayer as such “We thank the Holy Spirit for bringing us together here.”

I know that’s only my personal experience, but I think it’s mostly accurate.
 
I’ve been thinking about it a bit more. And thank you to all of you for helping that along with your insight, especially to Rob for taking the time in your great post.

I think too, that perhaps he (and others) might be referring to the fact that Catholics rely on the greater hierarchy to guide their life, (which he doesn’t understand really IS the Holy Spirit’s guiding force), while Protestants might rely more on the spirit moving within individual interpretation of scripture.
 
Leferdion said:
Very interesting !! So your friend who claims the Catholic Church does not focus on the Holy Spirit had a powerful experience of what I believe to be the Holy Spirit in a Catholic Church ?
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I know! Really encouraging!
 
May I make a gentle suggestion, please?

Please don’t make fun of other Christians by ridiculing their practices.

Word’s like “babbling,” “barking like a dog,” “flailing on the floor,” are kind of mean and definitely condescending. Why say such things or use such loaded words?

Of course his friend might have never had any contact with a Catholic Mass. Most Protestants don’t ever attend a Catholic Mass unless they attend a funeral or wedding. Why is that something to disparage? Do you regularly attend Protestant worship services? Of course not.

I’m pretty certain that most Protestants will never attend a Catholic Mass if Catholics deride their Pentecostal worship practices. No one likes to be made fun of.

Thanks for reading this and I hope it’s helpful to you and all the rest of us as we are friends with non-Catholics.

One more thing–considering the decline of people who practice any Christian “religion,” I think we should be thrilled to meet up with anyone who actually attends church! Our numbers are not very big at the moment. We need to stick together.
 
Have to agree. I’m VERY dubious about Pentacostal/Charismatic phenomena. That being said, I try to be respectful in how I address it; especially given that multiple Popes have endorsed it.
 
My experience is just the opposite. In my former Baptist denomination, I felt we neglected the Holy Spirit compared with Christ and God. The Holy Spirit truly led me to the Catholic Church. Funny, I just realized that I’d been praying for the Holy Spirit to fill me because it seemed I lacked, especially when compared to my charismatic friend. Wow - now I feel His leading every day.
 
As an ex-Protestant I do look on those practices with ridicule and distaste. But I will be careful with my words in future as this forum is open to all faiths.
 
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