Who With The Father And The Son Is Adored And Glorified
When Jesus came in human form, he came to reveal the Father and his Father’s plan for us. But he didn’t act in his own power, although, as the Son of God, he could have. Everything he did, he did through the Holy Spirit. “In their joint mission, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct but inseparable. To be sure, it is Christ who is seen, the visible image of the invisible God, but it is the Spirit who reveals him.” (CCC 689)
When the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism, it was a visible sign of God’s anointing. It showed to the people the means by which Jesus would do all of his mighty works. It showed to the people the authority, the Eternal Wisdom, behind all of his words. In other words, He worked through Jesus just the same way as he does through us today. The difference is because of Jesus’ divinity, the Holy Spirit worked through Jesus perfectly, while in working through us it’s often imperfectly. This is because sometimes there’s an awful lot of “us” in our “it’s all about Jesus”.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples gathered in the Upper Room, the joint mission of Jesus and the Holy Spirit was fully revealed to them. Before he left, Jesus had told them to wait for the Spirit. He knew without the Spirit’s anointing, they would be unable to fulfill the commission to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28: 19-20 NABRE) Prior to Pentecost, they had the will, they had the desire, what they lacked was the power.
After Pentecost, throughout the entire book of Acts, we can read how the Apostles went out and did all of the things Jesus had done here on earth. Because the power of the Holy Spirit flowed through them, they were able to be “Jesus” to their world.
It’s no different today. Often we want to do things for God, we love Jesus, we believe in Jesus, but we don’t seem to tap into the power source that allows us to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of…” the people in my family. In my workplace. In my town. We don’t tap into the power of the Holy Spirit, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of those around us. The fact of the matter is, we can’t be “Jesus” to our world, we can’t proclaim him with the way we live our lives and not just with our words, without the Holy Spirit’s anointing upon us.
That’s why, “with the Father and the Son he is adored and glorified.” They are one. They are consubstantial (of the same substance). When you adore and glorify the Father who sent the Son, you adore the Son who was sent. When you adore the Son who was sent, you adore the Spirit who “proceeds from the Father and the Son. Who provides the strength and power for us to accomplish the task God has laid before each one of us. It’s impossible not to.
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