The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 97: Introduction to the Holy Spirit (2024)

Episode Date: April 6, 2024

Together, with Fr. Mike, we begin our examination of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and how God reveals himself as the Holy Spirit in our lives. Fr. Mike emphasizes the words of St. Irenaeus that, “in order to be touched by Christ, we must first be touched by the Holy Spirit.” We also explore eight ways the Catechism lays out for us to be able to understand the Holy Spirit. Today’s readings are Catechism Paragraphs 683-688. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Catechism in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's plan of sheer goodness for us, revealed in scripture and passed down through the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. In 365 days, we'll read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, discovering our identity in God's family as we journey together toward our heavenly home. This is day 97. We are reading paragraphs 683 to 688.

Just the beginning, the intro on the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. I'm using, as always, the Ascension edition of the Catechism, which includes the Foundations of Faith approach, where you can follow along with any recent version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You can also download your own Catechism in your reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash C I Y. And lastly, you can click follow or subscribe in your daily podcast app for daily updates and daily notifications. As I said, today is day 97 paragraphs, 683 to 688 chapter three. We're beginning. I believe in the Holy Spirit and it's just remarkable. I'd love. Oh my gosh,

you guys, we ended with a bang yesterday, right, on Jesus and the fact that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. My heart was convicted yesterday but also moved today by this recognition of the Holy Spirit. The very first line we're going to hear in paragraph 683 is, no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. So Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians. And this recognition he also wrote to the Galatians, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying Abba Father. And we recognize that in order to be in touch with Christ, we must first have been touched

by the Holy Spirit. This is going to be so remarkable for us. I don't know if you ever thought about this. In order to be touched by Christ, we must first have been touched by the Holy Spirit. That the Holy Spirit comes to meet us and kindles faith in us. And this is just remarkable. In fact, we're gonna hear a couple different saints. Saint Irenaeus for one, Saint Gregory of Nazianzus for the second one. Talk about how the Holy Spirit, the Son and the Father have revealed themselves to us over time. The Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father have revealed themselves to us over time. That first here is God reveals the Father, He reveals Himself as Father as one and wants to make sure that's really clear to us.

And then, slowly, God reveals that He also is the Son. And then slowly, God reveals He also is the Holy Spirit. He's just the divine pedagogy, right? That way of teaching us. He reveals Himself to us. That's what St. Gregory of Nazianzus talks about. Now we're gonna talk about also St. Irenaeus who said that here is God the Father who reveals himself through his Son.

And here's the Son who reveals himself through his Holy Spirit. It's just all this connection in the divine economy of salvation. It's just really remarkable. And now here we are living in these end times They were ushered in by the Sun's redeeming incarnations is paragraph 686 the end times ushered in by the Sun's redeeming incarnation Where the spirit is revealed and given who he is recognized and welcomed as a person is remarkable I gotta say that again these end times right now where you and I are living the spirit is revealed and given

He's recognized and welcomed as a person because of this We're gonna talk about how the all-pointing of the Holy Spirit as the church the upper in Holy Spirit the communion of saints The forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body and life everlasting So those last articles of the Creed are all part of this section on the Holy Spirit No, there's a chapter on the Holy Spirit because we recognize that this is all part of how God makes this possible. What Jesus did in the Incarnation, what he made possible in the Incarnation and his Paschal Mystery, right? The life, death and resurrection of Christ, ascension to heaven. The Holy Spirit makes actual,

brings those things to us. So the Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, body life everlasting We're also going to talk about eight things eight things the Holy Spirit continues to give to us So we're eight ways we see the Holy Spirit in fact paragraph 688 if you're following along in your catechism You can see this tell these dashes and when those dashes hit I'm just gonna say first second third So first in the place we know the Holy Spirit is first in the scriptures he inspired. Second, in the tradition to which the Church Fathers are always timely witnesses. And it will go on from there. But we recognize that there are places we can point to and say, here's where we know

the Holy Spirit is present and here's where the Holy Spirit is actively in our lives. So that's what we're going to do today. Let's pray in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit to the Father right now. Father in heaven, in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts. Send your Holy Spirit to continue to sanctify us, to guide us, to help us trust in you, to help us have the gift, your supernatural gift of faith. Help us to have that supernatural gift of hope. Help us to have that supernatural gift of hope.

Help us to have that supernatural gift of love that's driven, motivated, and strengthened by you. You are the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Holy Spirit, come upon us now. And may the Father be glorified forever and ever. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As I said, it is day 97, reading paragraphs 683 to 688. Chapter 3. I believe in the Holy Spirit. No one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, Abba, Father.

This knowledge of faith is possible only in the Holy Spirit. To be in touch with Christ, we must first have been touched by the Holy Spirit. He comes to meet us and kindles faith in us. By virtue of our baptism, the first sacrament of the faith, the Holy Spirit in the Church communicates to us, intimately and personally personally the life that originates in the Father and is offered to us in the Son. As St. Irenaeus said, baptism gives us the grace of new birth in God the Father through His Son in the Holy Spirit.

For those who bear God's Spirit are led to the Word, that is, to the Son, and the Son presents them to the Father, and the Son presents them to the Father, and the Father confers incorruptibility on them. And it is impossible to see God's Son without the Spirit, and no one can approach the Father without the Son, for the knowledge of the Father is the Son, and the knowledge of God's Son is obtained through the Holy Spirit. Through His grace, the Holy Spirit is the first to awaken faith in us and to communicate to us the new life, which is to know the Father and the one whom He has sent, Jesus Christ.

But the Spirit is the last of the persons of the Holy Trinity to be revealed. St. Gregory of Nazianzus, the theologian, explains this progression in terms of the pedagogy of divine condescension when he said, The Old Testament proclaimed the Father clearly, but the Son more obscurely. The New Testament revealed the Son and gave us a glimpse of the divinity of the Spirit. Now the Spirit dwells among us and grants us a clearer vision of Himself. It was not prudent when the divinity of the Father had not yet been confessed to proclaim the Son openly, and when the divinity of the Son was not yet admitted, to add the Holy Spirit as an extra burden to speak somewhat daringly.

By advancing and progressing from glory to glory, the light of the Trinity will shine in ever more brilliant ways. To believe in the Holy Spirit is to profess that the Holy Spirit is one of the persons of the Holy Trinity, consubstantial with the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, he is adored and glorified. For this reason, the divine mystery of the Holy Spirit was already treated in the context of Trinitarian theology. Here, however, we have to do with the Holy Spirit only in the divine economy. The Holy Spirit is at work with the Father and the Son from the beginning to the completion of the plan for our salvation. But in these end times, ushered in by the Son's redeeming incarnation, the Spirit is revealed and given, recognized and welcomed as a person.

Now can this divine plan, accomplished in Christ, the Firstborn and Head of the New Creation, be embodied in mankind by the outpouring of the Spirit, as the church, communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Article 8. I believe in the Holy Spirit. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now, God's Spirit, who revealed God, makes known to us Christ, His Word, His living utterance.

But the Spirit does not speak of Himself. The Spirit, who has spoken through the prophets, makes us hear the Father's Word. But we do not hear the Spirit Himself. We know Him only in the movement by which He reveals the Word to us and disposes us to welcome Him in faith. The Spirit of truth who unveils Christ to us will not speak on His own. Such properly divine self-effacement explains why the world cannot receive Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, while those who believe in Christ know the Spirit because He dwells with them. The Church, a communion living in the faith of the Apostles which she transmits, is the

place where we know the Holy Spirit, first, in the Scriptures He inspires, second, in the tradition to which the Church Fathers are always timely witnesses, third, in the Church's magisterium which He assists, fourth, in the sacramental liturgy through its words and symbols in which the Holy Spirit puts us into communion with Christ. Fifth, in prayer wherein He intercedes for us. Sixth, in the charisms and ministries by which the Church is built up. Seventh, in the signs of apostolic and missionary life. And eighth, in the witness of saints, through whom he manifests his holiness and continues the work of salvation.

Alright, so there we have it, Day 97, this beginning talking about the reality I in the profession of our faith, I believe in the Holy Spirit. One of the things that Catechism makes very, very clear is we talked about this in paragraph 685, to jump a little bit ahead Paragraph 685 it says for this reason the divine mystery of the Holy Spirit was already treated in the context of trinitarian theology way back when we talked about the Trinity when it came to here is the very nature the very reality of who God is we talked about theology and the difference between theology and economy and Theology is who God is in himself and the economy is who God is every How he reveals himself to us how he interacts with us. So here the catechism saying

We already dealt with the fact that here is father son and Holy Spirit one divine being three divine persons, right that that whole thing Plus I say that whole thing as if I understand what I'm talking about. It's a complete mystery ridiculous We talked about that theology got who God is in himself way back when. Now however, in these next days and next paragraphs, we're gonna talk about the Holy Spirit with regard to divine economy. How does God come to us in the Holy Spirit? How does God reveal himself to us in the Holy Spirit? How does God interact with us in the Holy Spirit? So keep that in mind that we've already talked about the very identity, the very nature of in the Holy Spirit. How does God interact with us in the Holy Spirit? So keep that in mind that we've already talked about the very identity, the very nature

of who the Holy Spirit is. Now we're gonna talk about how that Holy Spirit, how he interacts with us and what he does, how he's active in our salvation. So I think that's pretty important. I don't know if you, what'd you think about those two quotes from St. Irenaeus and St. Gregory of Nazianzus?

That recognition of, oh man, here's an Aaron Aaron ass says let's review this quickly Aaron s says Baptism gives us the grace of new birth and God the father through his son in the Holy Spirit So we recognize this right that in baptism We have the Holy Spirit dwells in us and we become adopted sons and daughters of God the father give new life through his son Goes on to say for those who bear God's spirit are led to the word, capital W, right, to the word, that is to the son, those who bear God's spirit are led to the word, to the son,

and the son presents them to the father, and the father confers incorruptibility on them. That here we are, we're baptized, we bear God's spirit, led to the word, the son, the word of God, presents us to the father, and the father confers incorruptibility on us. And he goes on to say, it is impossible to see God's son without the word, the Son, the word of God, presents us to the Father and the Father confers incorruptibility on us. And he goes on to say, it is impossible to see God's Son without the Spirit. And no one can approach the Father without the Son.

And this is just remarkable. For the knowledge of the Father is the Son and the knowledge of God's Son is obtained through the Holy Spirit. It's just, it's just incredible procession, I guess, maybe progression of that. Again, we're given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us new life in the Son. The Son brings us to the Father who gives us incorruptibility.

Just remarkable. You know, of course, this is a mystery still. How does that work? It's not like as if one member, one person of the Trinity works when the other one doesn't. They're all working together, but they all work together. That's remarkable. Gregory of Nazianzus, right?

His nickname is the Theologian., his nickname is the theologian. When your nickname is the theologian, you must be pretty smart. What he says, of course, is the divine pedagogy, right? This divine condescension of how slowly God is. He goes on to say, the Old Testament proclaimed the Father clearly, but the Son more obscurely. So you can see hints of the Son, you can see hints of the Trinity in the Old Testament. But the Old Testament proclaimed the Father clearly and the Son obscurely. The New Testament revealed the Son and gave us a glimpse of the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Now the Spirit dwells among us, grants us an even clearer vision of Himself.

And he points out it wasn't prudent when the divinity of the Father had not yet been confessed to proclaim this unopened. And then when the divinity of the Son was not yet admitted to add the Holy Spirit as an extra burden and so it's just this recognition of here is God revealing himself slowly over the course of time first as Father then as Father and Son and finally here as Father Son and Holy Spirit, which is just remarkable It's so incredible and just beautiful. The last thing I want to highlight is paragraph 687 and following talks about how The Holy Spirit is active in our world

It says now God's a spirit who reveals God makes known to us Christ his word his living utterance But the spirit does not speak of himself We know him only in the movement by which he reveals the Word to us and disposes us to welcome Him in faith. This powerful recognition of if we have come to know Jesus ever, anything about Christ, if we've ever had any encounter with Christ, it's always been by the power of the Holy Spirit, always been by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. In fact, those eight markers, those eight ways in which we know the Holy Spirit that is our named, the Scripture.

Yeah, because the Holy Spirit inspired the scripture. In tradition, to which the fathers are always a timely witness. In the church's magisterium, remember those scripture, tradition, and magisterium, sacred scripture, sacred tradition, and magisterium, that's that three-legged stool that we can rely upon. The Holy Spirit is the one who inspires

and guides and assists all that. 4. The sacramental liturgy. Which puts us into communion with Christ. Think about this. Oh my gosh. We'll talk about this when it comes to sacraments, when it comes to the next few days, talking about the Holy Spirit.

Here's what Jesus did for us 2,000 years ago. How do you and I come into contact with that gift? Well, only by the power of the Holy Spirit. So in the sacramental liturgy the only thing that changes bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, the only thing that that makes the words I absolve you of all your sins in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit really truly forgive sins is the Holy Spirit. It's the power of the presence of the Holy Spirit that takes what Jesus did in the past and brings us right now to this present moment in

prayer. Fifth, where when we pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Why? Because we don't know how to pray as we ought. And sixth, in the charisms and ministries by which the church is built up, every gift that God has given all is the people of God, every charism, every ministry in the church, that's the Holy Spirit. Second to last, the signs of apostolic and missionary life, like God has given all his people of God every charism every ministry in the church. That's the Holy Spirit On second to last the signs of apostolic and missionary life like every initiative every outreach of right now even Apostolic reaching out ministry serving people. That's the Holy Spirit and lastly the witness of saints Through whom the Holy Spirit manifests his holiness and continues the work of salvation

You know God is glorified in his saints through whom the Holy Spirit manifests His holiness and continues the work of salvation. God is glorified and is saints. We pay attention to saints and try to study their lives and we honor them and we look to them. Why? Because when we look to them, what we're seeing is God's gifts on display. When we look to them, what we're seeing is what God can do in the life of an ordinary human being. That's what the Holy Spirit has done in the lives of the witnesses of the Saints. So that's what we got today for the beginning as we begin talking about the Holy Spirit. You know we have so much more to talk about when it comes to the Holy Spirit in this world and in your life and my life and so just man we're just calling upon the Holy Spirit today and know that you can walk in the

Holy Spirit. In fact every time we pray as Christians we pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. So that's my invitation. Pray for each other in the power of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for me. I am praying for you in the power of the Holy Spirit. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.