By Henry Aloysius Barry
The Church of Christ and the Fold were delivered over to His care. He, to speak humanly, feels a personal responsibility for our spiritual welfare. In the calcium light of this reflection read the words of the apostle:—"Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God." The endowments of the Church, the handling of her affairs and, above all, her infallibility emanate from the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, Who is sent unto her by the Son of Man to reside with her and to abide in her to the end of the world. Tangible evidences that such is the character of the mission of the Holy Ghost are found in the symbols of, firstly, The breath of the Incarnate Word imparted for the supply of resistance unto sin and the work of sanctification. "When He had said this, He breathed on them, and He said to them, receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them." (John xx, 22), of, secondly, '"the dove", perched upon the head of the Beloved Son of the Father in the waters of the Jordan, of, thirdly, "tongues of fire" — "and there appeared to them, broad tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." (Acts. Apostles, ii, 3.) Love, to be sure, is absolutely and essentially common to the three August Persons inasmuch as "God is charity." (I. John iv, 8.) At the same time the foregoing texts make it clear that love is peculiarly characteristic of the Holy Ghost and, in a special manner, identified with His distinctive personality. His very name conveys the idea of His procession "via sanctitatis." The Fathers, moreover, have frequently ascribed sanctity and sanctificative virtues to the Holy Ghost. And what is sanctity but the infinite love of the infinite good? Hence procession "via sanctitatis " is tantamount to procession by way of love — via amoris.
The Church of Christ and the Fold were delivered over to His care. He, to speak humanly, feels a personal responsibility for our spiritual welfare. In the calcium light of this reflection read the words of the apostle:—"Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God." The endowments of the Church, the handling of her affairs and, above all, her infallibility emanate from the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, Who is sent unto her by the Son of Man to reside with her and to abide in her to the end of the world. Tangible evidences that such is the character of the mission of the Holy Ghost are found in the symbols of, firstly, The breath of the Incarnate Word imparted for the supply of resistance unto sin and the work of sanctification. "When He had said this, He breathed on them, and He said to them, receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them." (John xx, 22), of, secondly, '"the dove", perched upon the head of the Beloved Son of the Father in the waters of the Jordan, of, thirdly, "tongues of fire" — "and there appeared to them, broad tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." (Acts. Apostles, ii, 3.) Love, to be sure, is absolutely and essentially common to the three August Persons inasmuch as "God is charity." (I. John iv, 8.) At the same time the foregoing texts make it clear that love is peculiarly characteristic of the Holy Ghost and, in a special manner, identified with His distinctive personality. His very name conveys the idea of His procession "via sanctitatis." The Fathers, moreover, have frequently ascribed sanctity and sanctificative virtues to the Holy Ghost. And what is sanctity but the infinite love of the infinite good? Hence procession "via sanctitatis " is tantamount to procession by way of love — via amoris.
