Fellowship of the
Holy Spirit in the Life of Christ and the Christian Praxis
Edwinraj, SDB
The
Christian religion is unique because of believing in One God, three persons.
The Holy Trinity is a fundamental doctrine in Christianity. At the end of the
public ministry, Jesus promised his followers with an Advocate to be with us
forever (cf. Jn 14,16). The Spirit is the gift of Jesus to us. This Spirit is
the third person in the Trinity. The Spirit continues the mission of Jesus in
the Church for the faithful. And so, his manifestation in the world and in the
Church is seen in the form of wind which renews us; water that purifies us; oil
that anoints us; dove that bestows peace for us; and fire that with love for
us.
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that the Holy Spirit proceeds from
the Father and the Son (filioque) who has the same nature and substance
of the Father and the Son (CCC 246). The West rightly understood this
truth, while the East has another view all about.
In the Old
Testament, the action of the Spirit was sometimes insignificant, when all the
more he worked through the leaders, judges, and kings. The Spirit inspired them
to declare the transgression of the people against the Almighty. When they
disobeyed the commands of God, they were exiled by the foreign nations. In the
New Testament times, Jesus himself was filled with the Spirit (cf. Lk 4,18).
And he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit…” (Jn
20,22). It obvious that Jesus himself has given the Holy Spirit. By receiving
the Holy Spirit, the believers relate with the Trinitarian God in life, love,
and unity.
John,
the Evangelist dwells more on the activity of the Spirit in relation to Jesus
Christ. The first half of the book of Glory is dedicated to Jesus and the Holy
Spirit. Chapters 14
–17 speaks about the community of
Jesus that is filled with the Spirit. In it, he promises the Paraclete, shares
his friendship with the disciples, teaches on the work of the Spirit, and prays
for his disciples, so that they are protected from the world for the future
mission of Christ in the Church. Before giving the Spirit to the disciples,
Jesus narrates about his departure from the disciples and about his soon return
with the Father. Both this activity of departure and return manifest the love
and obedience that he has for the Father and for his disciples. On his
departure, he encourages his disciples and by his return with the Father, he
shares the sonship with us. In this reciprocity, we cherish the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit that leads us to sanctification by manifesting our love and
obedience to Jesus Christ. Although the mission of Christ is entrusted to the
community of disciples, the Spirit is that which moves the apostles to preach
the Word of God. Through the Spirit we are related to the Trinity, Mary, and
the Church. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church that unites and animates
the faithful. It constantly renews our charismatic identity, in order to
continue the mission of Christ in the Church. For this, one has to recognize
and confess the presence of the Spirit in our actions. This will lead the
individual to have God-experience. The Spirit is much more related to the
Church. It makes the Church one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. The
Spirit also participates in the life of Mary. Filled with the Spirit, Mary was
able to respond to the call of God (Lk 1,38). She was docile to the Spirit and
submitted wholly to God, thus becoming the ‘Mother of God’ and the ‘Mother of
the Church.’ So, she exhorts us to be filled with the Spirit for the spread of
Jesus’ mission in the world.
Therefore, the Spirit enables in us the
Christian praxis. It transforms us to be witnesses for Christ and to his
teachings. He makes us capable for testifying to the salvific action of Jesus.
He convinces us of our sinfulness and works of the flesh in us. So that, we go
closer to Christ and experience the mercy of Christ and the fruits of the
Spirit in our life. This animating Spirit impels us to pray, discern the will
of God and transform our life. With this awareness of the Spirit in life, we
inherit divine life with the Father and the sonship in the Son.
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