The Holy Spirit is the overlooked Person of the Blessed Trinity. Like the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit has always existed from all eternity. He has neither beginning nor end. There never was a time he did not exist, and there never will be a time he will not exist. He has always existed, and he will always exist.

The Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son. The Most Holy Trinity terminates in the Person of the Holy Spirit. After him there is no other Divine Person. He is co-eternal with the Father and the Son. He has the same infinite power and intelligence as the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit knows the mind of the Father and the Son. (Jn. 16:14; I Cor. 2:10.8).

Like the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is consummate beauty without defect, great without quantity, good without qualification, strong without any weakness, powerful without measure, truthful without deceit. He is infinitely affluent in riches, generous in charity, and extensive in love. He seeks more outlets through which to bless people with his inexhaustible riches, gifts, generosity, and graces.

The Holy Spirit can be grieved. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph. 4:30-32). Thus, the Holy Spirit is grieved by bitterness, rage, anger, fighting, slander, and malice. And he is pleased with kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

Disobedience or rebellion against God also grieves the Holy Spirit. Thus, the people of God rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So, he turned and became their enemy and he fought against them. Then they remembered the days of old: the One who placed in their midst his Holy Spirit. And the Spirit of the Lord guided them. (Isa. 63:10, 11, 14).

The Holy Spirit gives life. After the Lord God had formed the man from the dust of the ground, he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. The breath of life is the spirit of life because God also said that his spirit will not remain in a person forever. (Gen. 2:7; 6:3). Also, Job says that the Spirit of God made him and the breath of the Almighty gave him life. (Job 33:4). And Jesus himself said: It is the Spirit who gives life. (Jn. 6:63). Thus, the Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of Life.

The Holy Spirit also imparts spiritual renewal. The psalmist says: Send forth your Spirit, they are created and you renew the face of the earth. (Psa. 104:30). Spiritual repentance, conversion, and renewal are not possible without devotion to the Holy Spirit. Conversion of heart does not come to a person unless the Holy Spirit bestows his graces on both the evangelizer and the evangelized. The Divine Dove blesses the person who has a special devotion to him, he bestows upon the person special temporal and spiritual benefits, he infuses large effusions of his graces in the person, and he sanctifies the person with his sanctifying grace.

Let us pray. O Holy Spirit, Lord and Creator of the Universe, you are worthy of eternal reverence, praise, and glory. By the immensity of your divinity, you fill all the heavens and the earth with your glory. I, your creature, made according to your divine will, seek your favor so that I may be faithful in your service. Govern and guide me in all my actions so that I may properly discern and fulfill your will in all things. Let not the correct discernment and faithful execution of your will fail me, but infuse my intellect with the perfect knowledge of your holy will and strengthen my will and heart for the perfect execution of your holy will. Amen.