At a time when, for many Catholics, the Holy Spirit was considered as the person in the third tier of the Holy Trinity, St George Preca promoted the worship of the Holy Spirit which He truly deserves. The Founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine (MUSEUM) delved deeply into the theology on the Holy Spirit, and he explained, both in talks and in writing, the doctrine of the Church on the Holy spirit, invoking Him with a variety of prayers that are so dear to us.
St George Preca may have based his teaching on the nature of the Holy Spirit upon the ‘Symbol’ (or Creed) attributed to Saint Athanasius. Saint George maintained that the role of the Holy Spirit is as essential as the roles of the Father and the Son. Power is attributed to the Father, Wisdom to the Son and Goodness to the Holy Spirit.
St George Preca also explains in a clear way the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, as revealed in Isaiah (11, 2-3). The gift of wisdom brings joy mostly in heavenly things, not in worldly ones, which are nothing but vanity; understanding brings clarity to the truths in our faith; counsel brings light to the soul in choosing the necessary means for holiness; fortitude gives courage and ability against all fear caused by evil; knowledge helps learning, that esteems all things according to their real value; piety brings delight in the soul during religious practices and in completing works of mercy with our neighbour in need; the fear of the Lord places in the soul a healthy reverence that surpasses any other fear that we may feel.
He also explains the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, mentioned by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians (5, 22-23). Love is the root of all kinds of good, because charity does not consist in words only; joy is a companion that is never separated from a good conscience; peace always follows restraint of passion; patience helps one to suffer trials without anxiety; mercy sustains patience so that it is never lacking; with gentleness, (or meekness), one quietly endures rudeness, faults and injuries that may be caused by others; goodness entices one towards doing what is good; righteousness perfects goodness by combining it with affability and gentleness; faith strengthens one in fulfilling promises in time, abhorring all kinds of lies and deception; self-control restrains all impure acts, thoughts and desires.
St George Preca concludes his thoughts on the Fruits of the Holy Spirit with a question: “Who does not see the indispensability of the Holy Spirit?” He further says that without the Holy Spirit nothing would even exist, because the three divine Persons concur together in all creation.
Since man is so much in need of the Holy Spirit, St George Preca invites all to invoke Him often, particularly in certain situations when his help is most needed: during temptation, during the examination of conscience, before hearing the Word of God, when in tribulation, before meditation, before speaking, in sickness, in doubt, in time of desolation and in the choice of one’s vocation. Saint George Preca assures us: the Holy Spirit will certainly listen to our prayers and grant us help.
Joe Galea
SDC Member
