Question on Holy Spirit!

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Shelby_Grace

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For arm chair experts:

A while back I asked this to the Expert section and it didn’t show up on the forum…so I’m asking you folks.

Taking into consideration that a Catholic in Sanctifying Grace has the Holy Spirit in their soul…why do we say things like, “Come, O Holy Spirit, into the hearts of your faithful, and they shall be created, and renew the face of the Earth.”(This prayer has always sounded weird to me-is this an orthodox prayer?)
There are other prayers that “call” down the H.S…but why, when IT is already in us?

Thanking you in advance!

Shelby Grace
 
Shelby

The Holy Spirit dwells in all of us all the time otherwise we would cease to exist.We have to be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit and behave in the manner that Jesus taught us. Jesus is the role model to which all of us as a species have to evolve.
This was part Tielhard De Chardin’s theme in his Christogenisis.
 
Dear Hermit,

Thank you for your response…

I am looking for the Catholic teaching on this, though.
Noogenesis is not for me…

Love in Jesus,
Shelby Grace
 
I think the prayer you mention is based on Psalm 104:30 (Psalm 103:30 in the Douay-Rheims):
“Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created: and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.”

The Apostles seem to have received the Holy Spirit several times: on the evening after Jesus’ resurrection (John 20:22), at Pentecost (Acts 2:4), and later (Acts 4:31). I guess you can never get enough of a good thing.
 
Shelby Grace:
Dear Hermit,

Thank you for your response…

I am looking for the Catholic teaching on this, though.
Noogenesis is not for me…

Love in Jesus,
Shelby Grace
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Fr Tielhard De Chardin was a brilliant Jesuit philosopher. He was muzzled by the Vatican and forbidden to write any further.

I still agree with his Philosophy. Jesus said “You are to be perfect like I and my heavenly father are perfect.” What did he mean by that if not that he was the role model to spiritual perfection. I prefer enlightenment to perfection. Perfection smacks of egotism.
 
We cannot attain perfection, not in our mortal lifetime, anyway. But, we can grow in faith and become closer to our goal of perfection. We call on the Holy Spirit to help us grow in holiness. The closer we become to God the more we are aware of His presence. We love Him more, we serve Him better.

We are nourished by the grace given to us through the sacraments and prayer. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit becomes more apparent to us, and the Holy Spirit becoems more active in us. We pray for this transformation and we activly participate in it.

Pax et Bonum!
 
Although God is everywhere and knows all that is in our hearts, we are, nevertheless, called to pray. Even though God knows the sins we have committed, we are also called to confess those sins. Calling on the Holy Spirit while in the state of grace is similar. Instead of taking possession of the moment we ask for the Holy Spirit to guide us, and we place our immediate trust in God. To pray and and to call on the Holy Spirit is to unite ourselves with God, and is an expression of our desire to conform our will to that of the Lord.
 
Hi SG,

I’m no expert, but here’s my understanding anyway. I ran a online search of “Holy Spirit” in the CCC; as I reviewed the many paragraphs, what became emerged is a picture of the Holy Spirit as an extraordinarily dynamic force, constantly at work within person’s soul. Just as our lives are not static, neither is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

I think Teresa of Avila mentions the work of the Spirit in Interior Castle as being like honey bees at work within a hive; that is, we cannot see or perceive the Spirit’s work but it goes on actively within our souls nonetheless.

I believe prayers invoking the Holy Spirit are our pleas for the continued work of the Spirit within our souls, and perhaps to intensify and accelerate this work within us as well. You might want to consider running a similar CCC seach and see if you agree. Hope this is helpful, peace and blessings.
 
What is the definition of perfect as used in the bible? I have heard that the original meaning is completely adequate for the purpose it was made as opposed to without any imprefection.
 
I think we are talking about moral perfection, not ontological perfection. Only God can be ontologically perfect. Otherwise we would be trying to become God, which is impossible.

JimG
 
And by the way, that prayer is Orthodox. I say it every night together with my wife and children, and we preface it with the words:

We pray to You, Holy Spirit, for renewal and guidance in all that we do, and for our vocations in life:

Come Holy Spirit
And fill the hearts of the faithful
And kindle in them the fire of Your love
Send forth Your spirit
And they shall be created
And You shall renew the face of the earth

O God
Who by the light of the Holy Spirit
Did instruct the hearts of the faithful
Grant us by that same spirit
To relish what is right
And ever to rejoice in His consolation
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

The Holy Spirit is often the forgotten Person of the Trinity. We pray to Jesus and to the Father often, but my family makes a concerted effort to recognize that the Holy Spirit is the Person who indwells us and works directly in our hearts.
 
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