Pentecost is the day Christians remember when Jesus, after his ascension into heaven, sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples.
The Apostles went out to the streets in Jerusalem and began preaching the Gospel, and “about three thousand were added to their number that day.” (Acts 2.41)
Here are five important things to know about the Holy Spirit:
1) The Holy Spirit is a Person.
The Holy Spirit is not an “it” or an impersonal force — He is a “He” and a “Who.” As the Third Person of the Trinity, He is every bit as real and personal as the Father and the Son, even if He can sometimes seem more mysterious.
2) The Holy Spirit is fully God.
The Holy Spirit may be the “third Person of the Trinity,” but this doesn’t mean that he is in any way less than the Father or the Son. All three persons, including the Holy Spirit, are fully God and are “equal in glory,” as the Athanasian Creed says.
3) He has always existed, even in Old Testament times.
Although most of our explicit knowledge about the Holy Spirit (and the Son) comes from the New Testament, the Holy Spirit has always existed. God has eternally existed as three Persons — this is an eternal reality. So when you read about God in the Old Testament, remember that the one true God acting in history is the entire Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
4) You receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism and Confirmation.
The Holy Spirit is at work in the world in many mysterious ways we cannot always see or understand. However, a person receives the Holy Spirit in a special and personal way at Baptism (Acts 2:38) and is then strengthened in His gifts at Confirmation.
5) Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit, so live accordingly.
The Holy Spirit dwells personally within Christians, and this indwelling has serious moral consequences.
As Saint Paul explains:
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Cor. 6:18-20)