What Catholics Believe, The Creed Part 4

[Covered in What Catholics Believe, The Creed Parts 1-3]

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

        the Lord, the giver of life,

    who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

    who with the Father and the Son

        is adored and glorified,

        who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one God, the Father almighty,

    maker of heaven and earth,

    of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

        the Only Begotten Son of God,

        born of the Father before all ages.

    God from God, Light from Light,

        true God from true God,

    begotten, not made, consubstantial

       with the Father;

        Through him all things were made.

    For us men and for our salvation

        he came down from heaven,

        and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate

        of the Virgin Mary,

        and became man.

    For our sake he was crucified

      under Pontius Pilate,

        he suffered death and was buried,

        and rose again on the third day

        in accordance with the Scriptures.

    He ascended into heaven

        and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

    He will come again in glory

        to judge the living and the dead

        and his kingdom will have no end.

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Carlo Docci, 1630

I believe in the Holy Spirit, 

The Holy Spirit is, we believe, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.  He can be seen in Scripture.  He appeared at Jesus' Baptism and at His Transfiguration in the form of  a dove.  At Pentecost, He came in the form of wind and of fire.  He, too, is called Lord, and He, too, is God.  This Person of God is often neglected by believers, but remains forever in the Body of Christ, the Church.

  
      the Lord, the giver of life,

Lord is used in the Old Testament in place of JHWH (Jahweh, Jehovah, the name for God that was not pronounced).  Lord was used to refer to God without using His name.  Jesus was called Lord in the New Testament.  The Holy Spirit makes subtle appearances in the Old Testament, but more overtly in the New Testament.  We call Him Lord because He is God.    

    who proceeds from the Father and the Son, 

The Spirit proceeds from the Father in a special way, in a way similar to the Son.  He, the Holy Spirit, can be seen in all of Salvation history as the work of God.  He inspired the Old Testament writers (in Hebrew and Greek) and made Himself visible to His people.  For example, He came in a form of a pillar of cloud and fire to Israel.

He proceeds from the Son, also.  The Son sent the Spirit to His Apostles.  We see this is Scripture when He said, "For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send Him to you." (John 16:7; NAB)  and he breathed on the Apostles and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:22; NAB)  The filioque, the phrase "and the Son" was added to the Creed for this very reason--Jesus gave the Spirit to His Apostles and promised Him to His Church.

    
who with the Father and the Son

        is adored and glorified, 

The Holy Spirit is God just as the Father and the Son are God, therefore He is worthy of the same worship, adoration, and glory as the Father and the Son.
 

        who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe that He is the source of inspiration for the prophets.  He spoke through them to His people, then He used men and their talents to write what He willed to be written in the Scriptures.  

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I believe in one, holy, catholic,

     and apostolic Church.

    I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins

        and I look forward to the resurrection

        of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.