A Journey Through the Catechism (The Holy Spirit and His descent upon the Apostles; the effects of Redemption)
Our Pastor Column series through the Baltimore Catechism continues with the eighth and ninth articles: “On the Holy Spirit and His Descent upon the Apostles” and “On the Effects of Redemption.”
Q: Who is the Holy Spirit?
A: The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Q: On what day did the Holy Spirit come down upon the Apostles?
A: The Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles ten days after the Ascension of Our Lord; and the day on which He came down upon the Apostles is called Pentecost.
Q: Who sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles?
A: Our Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, for He promised to send them the Paraclete, another Advocate, and that is the Holy Spirit.
Q: Why did Jesus send the Holy Spirit?
A: Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to sanctify His Church, to enlighten and strengthen the Apostles, to guide them into all Truth, and to empower them to preach the Gospel.
Q: Which are the chief effects of Redemption?
A: The chief effects of Redemption are two: the satisfaction of God’s justice by Christ’s suffering and death; and the gaining of grace for all people who would receive it.
Q: What do we mean by “grace”?
A: By “grace,” we mean a supernatural gift of God bestowed upon us, through the merits of Jesus Christ, for our salvation. Grace is, in short, the very life the Lord Himself.
Q: How many kinds of grace are there?
A: There are two kinds of grace: sanctifying grace and actual grace.
Q: What is sanctifying grace?
A: Sanctifying grace is that grace which makes the soul holy and pleasing to God.
Q: What is actual grace?
A: Actual grace is that grace, the help of God, which enlightens our minds and empowers our will to act: to shun evil and to choose and do the good.
Q: What is faith?
A: Faith is a divine virtue by which we firmly believe the truths that God has revealed.
Q: What is hope?
A: Hope is a divine virtue by which we firmly trust that God will give us eternal life and the means to obtain it.
Q: What is charity?
A: Charity is a divine virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
(N.B. Catholic philosopher and apologist Peter Kreeft offers an image that can help us to understand the relationship between faith, hope, and love: we are driving along an unfamiliar road at night; faith is our certain belief and knowledge that we ultimately know where we are going and that we will get there; hope is the headlights of our car that allow us even to see the road and therefore to know our path; love is why we want to get there in the first place, because of our love for who we are visiting and our desire to be with that person.)
~ Fr. Lewis