Though the Holy Spirit has been active from the beginning of creation and from the beginning of salvation history, a self-revelation similar to that of the heavenly Father and of the Son of God is not seen in the Bible. It is not through an individual name, or through a direct revelation that the Spirit reveals himself to man but through the influx of grace. In Congar’s opinion, the name of the Holy Spirit is in keeping with the essence of God in general, and with the Father and the Son, in particular. However, through the usage in the Bible, this term began to denote only the third person of the blessed Trinity. The Spirit of God empties himself and withholds an objective self-presentation. This is a greater sacrifice than the self-emptying of the Father who gives us his Son and the self-humbling of the Son who embraces the cross.
 
 

The meaning of the Hebrew word "Rouah" is breath, wind, air or spirit. This word is used 378 times in the Old Testament with varied meanings. Terms like the power- giving Spirit, the Seat of knowledge, and divine Life are examples. In the New Testament the term Spirit is used 297 times. It was to denote the living power pulsating in the entire universe, and, particularly, in all living things, that the ancients used the term Rouah. But for the Israelites Rouah was a principle of life that was action-orientated and action-generating.

For the Hebrew people breath was an earnest of life (cf Gen 2:7). It is clear from the book of Genesis that man is the crown and culmination of the evolution of the universe and the descent of the divine realm. In the great plan of the heavenly Father, when the mud of material creation and the spirit of divinity united, man came into being. God, the Creator, made man out of the slime of the earth, and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils. Thus man became a living creature (cf Gen 2:7). This breath of life in the Holy Bible is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is described as breath, the connotation is that he is the source of divine life in the believer. The believer is purified through the breath of God, acquires a new life and becomes worthy of eternal life. The heaven-orientated life of the believer in this world, may, at times, be long and unpleasant. The afflictions to which the spirit of man is subject, are tempered by the gentle touch of the Divine Spirit. Just as a cool breeze infuses energy into the body, tired out from physical labour, the Rouah supplies new energy to the weary spirit of man. Through this Spirit, Jesus consoles, gladdens and refreshes the believer who labours hard and is burdened (cf Mt 16:28).

To all appearances, the direction of the wind cannot be predicted. Nor does it have any particular form. The Spirit of God, too, has no precise form or any particular name. The entry of the Rouah into the believer and his action in him are beyond the calculations of man. The accounts of the Pentecost in Acts (cf 2:1-4; 4:30-31;8:16-17;10:44),the conversion of Paul (cf Acts 9: 10-19) and the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch (cf Acts 8:26-39) are only a few examples of the same. The manner in which the Holy Spirit filled the cenacle as wind, as storm, as fire, as tongues of fire, was above the imagination of the disciples (cf Acts 2:1-4). The community of believers who took refuge in prayer in the midst of threats of persecution, became filled with the Holy Spirit who came down in the midst of an earthquake (cf Acts 4:30). When the Samaritans became filled with the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands by Peter and John, the believers were amazed (cf Acts 8:4-18). When Saul heard God’s message through Ananias, the scales in his eyes peeled off and he was anointed in the Holy Spirit (cf Acts 9:10-19). The Spirit came as the messenger who snatched Philip away from the Ethiopian eunuch (cf Acts 8:39). Though we cannot see the wind, we can hear its sound, experience its touch and observe it swaying the trees. In brief, just as we know the wind from its action and its effect, we can know the Spirit through his action in the universe and, particularly, in the believer and through the fruits he produces in him (cf Gal 5:22). Just as the wind blows gently and strongly, the Spirit of God also comes down in diverse manner. Often without the believers realising it, he caresses them gently and guides them. At times he flows into them as a great power, in a clear manner (cf Jer 20:1-7; Acts 2:1-4; 4:30).

Just as the rhythms of the wind give coolness and delight, the Holy Spirit gives joy and unction to the soul of the believer. The blowing of the wind can pave the way for great destruction, turn the calculations of man topsy turvy . The Spirit of God prepares the way in the community of believers for a total upheaval and conversion in order to lead the mysteries of the universe towards the ultimate good that is Christ. This is more a discipline than a punishment. Even that which seems to be destruction in the eyes of man, is the beginning of a new creation in the eyes of God. Another peculiarity that is evoked when we compare the Holy Spirit to the wind or the air, is that we do not know where it comes from. The wind blows strongly from different directions every now and then. It does not belong exclusively to any particular direction. It is the same with the Holy Spirit. He is not the exclusive possession of any church or community. For that very reason the Spirit invites us to study and accept his action in other religions.
 
 

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, a significant symbol that describes the Holy Spirit is that of the "living water" (cf Is 44:3-4; Jn 4:10; 7:34-39). The Bible substantiates the fact that this "living water" perpetually quenches the believer’s thirst for the Creator.

For the Israelite nation water was the symbol of life and of salvation. Jesus internalised this great symbol and pictured the Holy Spirit as the "living water" in the Gospel of St John. Jesus taught that this water gave not only earthly life but also eternal life. That is, the Holy Spirit slakes the thirst of the living soul for God its Father. Do not the water courses engineered by man and the waterfalls provided by nature give delight to the eye and music to the ear and coolness to the body? If so, how much more cannot the Holy Spirit, the living water, proceeding from the Father and the Son, touch not only the bodily senses but also the inner senses and enrich them? When water is available how beautiful is this earth! Luscious vegetation covering the earth like green velvet! Birds and animals of various kinds! Melodious music! An exhilarating and satisfying experience! Pulsating life everywhere! But if water disappeared completely from the face of the earth, the earth would be like the surface of the moon. Devoid of vegetation, or living creatures, or mankind, with no rivers, streams, seas, soil or rain-nothing but a void! When the living water of the Holy Spirit begins to flow into the life of faith, life becomes beautiful like water-drenched land. If the throb of the Divine Spirit is absent, the life of faith becomes as dry and barren as the surface of the moon. The quality of water is that it is formless, it takes the shape of its container. It flows from one place to another, from one thing to another, rises up as vapour, falls down as rain, unites heaven and earth. The Holy Spirit, too, is active all the time. The Living Water flowed into the heart of the Samaritan woman. From her it flowed into the city of Samaria. In the flood of that water the whole of Samaria came flocking around Jesus (cf Jn 4:39). Isaiah prophesied that God the Father would send an outpouring of his Spirit not only on mankind but on all his creation (cf 44:2-4).
 
 

In the Old Testament, fire was the symbol of God’s mysterious presence. Jeremiah presented the Spirit that penetrates the flesh and marrow of man’s bones and gives him renewed life, as fire (cf 20:9). Prophet Isaiah experienced the Spirit as a purifying coal of fire (cf 6:6). John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus would baptise with fire (cf Lk 3:16). Jesus confirmed this saying: "I have come to cast fire on this earth" (Lk 12:49). That action was perfected with his glorification. It was as flames of fire that the disciples received and experienced the Holy Spirit (cf Acts 2:3-4).

Fire gives light and heat. The Spirit of God gives divine wisdom and the truth to the believer and leads him to inner enlightenment (Jn 16:13). Fire purifies material things like gold. The Spirit gives the faithful a sense of sin and righteousness and judgment (cf Jn16:8). Darkness is dispelled in the light of fire and as a result the fear which comes from darkness is also cast out. Through the fire of the Holy Spirit the fear that this world kindles in the heart of the believers, is banished and they become brave and fearless witnesses of Jesus (cf Jn 15:26; Acts 2:1; 4:30; Tim 1:6-7). Just as fire helps to give taste to our food, the Holy Spirit makes the Christian life more enjoyable and easy. Under the impact of fire everything turns into ashes. Nothing escapes its consuming power. In the fire of the Holy Spirit, the power of evil in the believers is destroyed. Moreover, they grow daily in virtue. Just as water heated by fire, rises upwards, the upward movement of the believer towards heaven becomes effortless by the power of the Holy Spirit.