The Holy Spirit is the one who first moves in our hearts and reveals to us that Jesus Christ is Lord. He has been at work with the Father and the Son from the beginning of Creation. We can see Him in the Old Testament, although He is hidden from our full understanding: the Spirit of God moved over the waters of creation; the Father breathed the Spirit of God into man and thus gave him life; the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit is more fully revealed in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit preserved the Blessed Virgin Mary from all sin and conceived Jesus in Mary’s womb. Throughout His life Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as a Life Giver or as a Counselor. The Risen Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit onto the Apostles as He gave them the power to forgive sin (John 20:21- 23). He told the Apostles He would send the Holy Spirit to give them the fortitude they would need to spread the Gospel: “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus’ promise of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled 10 days later on the Feast of Pentecost. While they were hiding in the Upper Room, the Holy Spirit was poured out on Mary and the Apostles. They were given the spiritual help boldly to proclaim Jesus as Lord. Christ’s Kingdom was open to all who believed in Him. The Apostles received these gifts of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, because — as one can see from their failures on Good Friday — they would need the Holy Spirit in order to live as Jesus’ disciples. “I am the vine, you are the branches,” Jesus told His disciples.

“Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Christian discipleship is demanding, and if we depend on ourselves for the courage and strength required, we will fail. Without Jesus we can do nothing. But with Him, all things are possible. To continue His mission of the salvation of souls, Jesus founded the Church and made St. Peter its head on earth. The Church has four marks: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

• The Church is one because she is unified in her origin, teaching, and governance.
• The Church is holy because her founder and her mission are holy.
• The Church is catholic in the sense of being universal: whole and complete.
• The Church is apostolic because Christ founded the Church on the Apostles and governs her through their successors, the bishops.

It is in the Church, born in that outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, that we know the Spirit’s fullness. It is the Spirit who inspires the Sacred Scriptures, preserves the Tradition of the Apostles, intercedes for us in prayer, empowers and sanctifies us through the sacraments, teaches and protects us through the Magisterium, and builds up the Church through His gifts and ministries Jesus Christ willed, founded, and built the Church. The Church is governed by His authority and carries on His mission. It is truly a work of God Himself — not of human origin, but of divine origin.