The Holy Spirit, traditionally depicted as a dove, is pictured in a window of St. Mary’s Church in White Bear Lake, Minn. Pentecost is May 23, 2021. CNS PHOTO/CROSIERS
The Holy Spirit: The forgotten gift
BY DCN. JAY W. VANHOOSIER, OFFICE OF FAITH FORMATION
Editor’s note: This column is part four in a monthly WKC series, “Ten Matters of Faith Every Catholic Should Know: A Journey From Belief to Discipleship.”
For many Catholics, God the Father is familiar. We pray the Our Father. We speak often about Jesus – His birth, His ministry, His death and Resurrection. But when it comes to the third Person of the Trinity, we sometimes struggle. Who exactly is the Holy Spirit, and what difference does He make in our lives?
Perhaps that is why the Holy Spirit can sometimes seem like the forgotten Person of the Trinity. Yet He is one of the greatest gifts God has given us.
Before His death, Jesus promised His disciples that He would not leave them alone. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to remain with them, guide them, and give them strength. That promise was fulfilled at Pentecost when the Spirit descended upon the apostles.
Consider what happened next. These were largely the same disciples who had scattered when Jesus was arrested. Peter had denied even knowing Him. After the Crucifixion, they gathered behind locked doors because they were afraid. Then came the Holy Spirit.
Suddenly, those frightened disciples opened the doors and went out into the streets proclaiming Jesus Christ. Peter, who had once been afraid to admit that he knew Jesus, boldly preached the Gospel to thousands.
What changed? They had received the Holy Spirit. And so have we.
Through Baptism and Confirmation, the Holy Spirit is not simply someone we learned about in religious education. He dwells within us. The same Spirit who strengthened the apostles has been given to us to help us become the people God created us to be. Yet how often do we actually call upon Him?
We face difficult decisions and immediately begin trying to solve them ourselves. We struggle to forgive someone and rely upon our own strength. We want to share our faith but worry that we will not know what to say. We encounter suffering and wonder how we will possibly endure it.
In those moments, we can pray one of the simplest prayers in the Christian tradition: “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Come, Holy Spirit, when I don’t know what to do. Come, Holy Spirit, when I don’t know what to say. Come, Holy Spirit, when I am afraid. Come, Holy Spirit, when I need the courage to follow Christ more faithfully.
The Holy Spirit does not necessarily remove every difficulty from our lives. Instead, He gives us what we need to face those difficulties as disciples of Jesus. His gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord help shape us into people who can recognize God’s presence and respond to His call.
And when we allow the Spirit to work within us, something begins to change. St. Paul tells us that His presence bears fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those fruits offer us a good question to consider: Can others see evidence of the Holy Spirit working in me?
The Holy Spirit was never intended to be the forgotten gift. He is God’s presence dwelling within us, quietly transforming us and giving us the courage to live as disciples.
Perhaps we simply need to remember to ask: Come, Holy Spirit. What do You want to do in me today?
Dcn. Jay W. VanHoosier is the director of faith formation for the Diocese of Owensboro. For more information visit owensborodiocese.org/faith-formation, email jay.vanhoosier@pastoral.org or call (270) 852-8324.
Originally printed in the November 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
