Catechism: God With UsSample

What’s the best gift someone has given you? Maybe it was something you’d always wanted, or maybe it was a complete surprise—a gift you didn’t even know to ask for! But good friends and good parents give good gifts.

In Luke 11 Jesus reveals God as a good Father who gives good gifts to his children—specifically, the great gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus lived his life in the Spirit as an example to us. Through his life, death, and resurrection we are delivered, but Acts begins with Jesus’s ascension back to heaven. So if God in the flesh left earth, how would God be with us? Through the gift of the Holy Spirit the very presence of God himself given to us and placed in us.

Who is the Spirit? He is God, who comes to live within us. He is the One who helps us to follow Jesus and know the Father more. He is our advocate—someone who speaks on our behalf to God when we don’t have or know the words to say. He helps us ask for the things we don’t even know we need!

The Holy Spirit is the personal presence of God, bringing us peace of mind and heart when we are troubled or afraid. He is our Comforter giving us rest and support when we are sad or distraught.

The Holy Spirit is also our helper who guides us into truth. He speaks to our hearts to let us know when something is of God or not. He protects us from accepting false teachings by enlightening us to the truth and reminding us of what we’ve learned in God’s Word. He also helps us to live righteous lives that display the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control).

What a beautiful and perfect gift, right?

Consider: Think about the best gift you’ve received and consider how much greater the gift of the Spirit is and who that gift comes from.

Reflect: Do I see the Holy Spirit as the gift of God himself, his personal presence come to live within me? How do I rely upon the Holy Spirit in my everyday life?