Day 102: The Holy Spirit's Mission

The entire mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the fullness of time, is contained in this: that the Son is the one anointed by the Father's Spirit since his Incarnation - Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Everything in the second chapter of the Creed is to be read in this light. Christ's whole work is in fact a joint mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit. CCC 727

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks of the mission of the Holy Spirit one that He has jointly with the Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit prepared the way for the Incarnation through Mary. By His grace, she is "the burning bush of the definitive theophany," Theotokos and the Ark of the Bread of Life, the "Seat of Wisdom" as acclaimed in the liturgy, and through "her virginity became uniquely fruitful." As the Catechism Compendium explains:

The Holy Spirit brought to fulfillment in Mary all the waiting and the preparation of the Old Testament for the coming of Christ. In a singular way he filled her with grace and made her virginity fruitful so that she could give birth to the Son of God made flesh. He made her the Mother of the “whole Christ”, that is, of Jesus the Head and of the Church his body. Mary was present with the twelve on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit inaugurated the “last days” with the manifestation of the Church. (#142)

By the grace of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary was "conceived without sin as the most humble of creatures" (CCC 722) and I like how the Catechism Companion, Vol I puts this on humility for us too:

Humility is "not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less." The humble person is always rejoicing and giving glory to God because they realize that everything they have comes from the Lord. (p. 208)

All of this was in preparation for the Holy Spirit working with Jesus Christ in fulfillment of the Father's will. As the Catechism Compendium explains:

Beginning with his Incarnation, the Son of God was consecrated in his humanity as the Messiah by means of the anointing of the Spirit. He revealed the Spirit in his teaching, fulfilled the promises made to the Fathers, and bestowed him upon the Church at its birth when he breathed on the apostles after the Resurrection. (#143) 

The Holy Spirit was slowly revealed to the Apostles as our promised Paraclete, to "lead us into all truth" and "glorify Christ" (CCC 729). From the time of Christ's Apostles to us today, "the mission of Christ and the Spirit becomes the mission of the Church: 'As the Father has sent me, even so I send you'" (CCC 730).