“It is faith that gives us the ultimate certainty upon which we base our whole lives – a humble commonality of belief in company with the Church of every age under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” – Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week

“When St. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus declared to him that this revelation did not come ‘from flesh and blood,’ but from ‘my Father who is in heaven.’ Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him. ‘Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and ‘makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth.’” – Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 153

In my two previous columns, we read how faith is required to discern Real Presence in the Eucharist and how the Apostles often manifested lack of faith and what faith is. We pick up how the Apostles went from “cowering/faithless” to “fearless/faithful.”

We place ourselves after the resurrection. We read in Acts 1:3-5, 8, “To them he (Jesus) presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. … But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses … to the end of the earth.”

We find the Holy Spirit “in the background,” so to speak, for much of sacred Scripture up until Pentecost (John 7:39). Here are some sample “pre-Pentecost” passages that point to the power of the Holy Spirit regarding faith:

In Luke 1:41-45, we read how Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, received Mary exclaiming the “mother of my Lord” came to her. In Luke 2:21-38, we read how Simeon was “inspired by the Spirit” to go before his death to see Jesus. Both of these individuals responded in faith to God.

We are all familiar with the story of Pentecost, but we often forget what happened after the reception of the Holy Spirit. We read in Acts 2:14, “But Peter, standing with the Eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.’”

Peter, who recently denied Jesus three times after saying he would lay down his life for Him, this same guy (along with the others), is now using the gift of the Holy Spirit to exclaim his faith in Christ Jesus, to strangers.

Peter’s exhortation was so convincing that “they were cut to the heart,” and they asked Peter and the rest of the Apostles what they should do. (Acts 2:37) Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ (distinguishing it from the baptism of John the Baptist) for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” About 3,000 souls were baptized.

“The Spirit prepares men and goes out to them with his grace, in order to draw them to Christ.  The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death and Resurrection. He makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in the Eucharist, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion with God, that they may ‘bear much fruit.’” (CCC 737)

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

“Through the Church’s sacraments, Christ communicates his Holy and sanctifying Spirit to the members of his Body.” (CCC 739)

You and I have the same Holy Spirit Who the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles have, via baptism and strengthened in confirmation. To have faith, you must be living through the sacraments.