The Final Days
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified
Pentecost - The Spirit's Continual Coming (731-732)
On Pentecost, Christ's Passover was fulfilled by the outpouring of the Spirit who is manifested as a divine person and the Trinity is fully revealed. Those who believe in Christ come in the flesh and share in the communion of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit brings the world into "the Last Days," the time of the Church and of the kingdom.
Forgiving Sins and Bearing Fruit (733-736)
The first effect of the Spirit is the forgiveness of sins. Then, the Spirit gives us the very life of the Trinity which is to love "as God has loved us" (1 Jn 4:11-12).
By his power, we can "bear the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). "Through the Spirit we are restored to paradise, led back to the kingdom of heaven, adopted as children, and given confidence to call God Father" (St. Basil).
Bringing All into God's Communion (737)
This joint mission of Son and Spirit is completed in the Church bringing the faithful into Christ's communion with the Father in the Spirit. By grace, the Spirit makes present the mystery of Christ (most of all in the Eucharist) to bring men into communion with God.
Sending the Church (738)
The Church's mission is not an addition to the joint mission of Son and Spirit but is its sacrament. The Church announces and makes present the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity. "Just as the power of Christ's sacred flesh unites those who receive into one body, so the undivided Spirit leads all into spiritual unity" (St. Cyril of Alexandria).
Three Other Parts of This Catechism (739-741)
Christ, the head of the Church, pours out the anointing of the Spirit. This leads to three other parts of this catechism:
- Part Two: The sacraments, through which Christ communicates the Spirit to his members
- Part Three: The fruit of new life, which comes from these sacraments
- Part Four: The prayer given by the Spirit to the Church
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