Questions
and Answers
on the Holy Spirit
Who is the Holy Ghost (Holy
Spirit)?
The Holy Ghost is God and the third Person of the
Blessed Trinity.
(a) The Holy Ghost is also called the Holy Spirit, the
Paraclete, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit
of God, and the Spirit of Love.
From whom does the Holy Ghost
proceed?
The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son.
(a) The Holy Ghost does not proceed from the Father
and the Son by spiritual generation. Only the Son
proceeds from the Father by generation. This is one of
the mysterious truths that we know only from revelation.
Is the Holy Ghost equal to the
Father and the Son?
The Holy Ghost is equal to the Father and the Son,
because He is God.
(a) Because of the oneness of nature in the Blessed
Trinity, the Father is entirely in the Son and in the
Holy Ghost; the Son is entirely in the Father and in the
Holy Ghost; and the Holy Ghost is entirely in the Father
and in the Son. No one of the three divine Persons is
outside the other, for none precedes the other in
eternity, nor surpasses the other in power, nor exceeds
the other in any way. This indwelling of one divine
Person in the others is called circumincession.
What does the Holy Ghost do for
the salvation of mankind?
The Holy Ghost dwells in the Church as the source of
its life and sanctifies souls through the gift of grace.
(a) Although the sanctification of mankind, like all
other outward works of God, is performed by all three
Persons of the Blessed Trinity, it is attributed to the
Holy Ghost, the third Person. The sanctification of
mankind is attributed to the Holy Ghost because He is the
love of the Father and the Son and because the
sanctification of man by grace shows forth God's
boundless love.