The pastor who says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” should ask himself some fundamental questions to discover the action of the Spirit among his faithful.
In concrete terms he will ask: “How is the Lord present in the life of my people? How do my people welcome his presence? How do my people confess the Holy Spirit?” And in that questioning he will have to keep in mind how “confessing” is not only a manifestation of a belief, but a living-it-out in that behavior that makes a person good or bad; he will remember also that “confessing” is praying, in a prayer that is alternates silence and speech, reverence and rite.
“You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you” (John 14:17). This seems a good start for catechesis on the Spirit. For if we do not resolve to adore the Spirit in the good way we live, we will end up like those fools who, when faced with a finger pointing to the moon, stare only at the finger!
“You know him because he abides with you…” is an invitation to recognize the Spirit of God not as something vague, a creature among others… but with the certainty of relating to a personal God: one who “dwells” (Rom 8:11), who “with our spirit bears witness that we are children of God” (Rom 8:16), who makes us cry out, “Father!” (Rom 8:15), who “intercedes” for us (Rom 8:26), who “has been sent into our hearts” (Gal 4:6).
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