Dear Debra,Luke 1:41; 1:67; 2:25 - “Filled with the Holy Spirit.”
What did this mean prior to Pentecost?
What was the Holy Spirit doing before Pentecost?
The Holy Spirit is given to the infant Church, empowering and legitimating her teaching authority and sacraments; insuring that the presence and saving activity of Jesus would be perpetuated. It is in this sense that saving grace is found within the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.
The Spirit of God is instrumental in creation and in maintaining all that exists. The wondrous signs of the Old Testament and the witness of the prophets was all made possible by this same Spirit. The sacred figures of the New Testament are filled with heavenly wisdom and purpose by the Spirit of God. Christ is conceived, his miracles empowered, and his resurrection made real by the Holy Spirit.
God acts when and where he wills.
Peace and blessings,
Fr. Joe Jenkins
