When Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to his disciples, he makes only one condition: genuine love, which is proved by deeds, through a generous compliance with the divine will. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, cannot be given to any one who does not live in love. But the Holy Spirit is assured to any one who lives in love and therefore in grace, by the infallible promise and all-powerful prayer of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit is sent in order to “abide” with us forever. The divine Paraclete “abides” in the faithful in the state of grace: “in whose hearts the Holy Spirit dwells as in his temple” states the Council (LG 9). He is “the sweet guest of the soul” (Seq.) and the more the soul grows in grace and love, the more the Holy Spirit is pleased to dwell in it, and act within it to bring about its sanctification. The Holy Spirit abides in us in order to form us into Christ’s image, to urge us to fulfill God’s will, to support us in our struggle against evil and in attaining good.
If the baptized have so powerful an advocate, and so vigorous a support, why do we so rarely reach sanctity? This is the awful mystery of our freedom, and at the same time of our responsibility. God created us free, he does not sanctify us against our will. If we Christians do not attain holiness it is simply because we do not give full liberty to the action of the Holy Spirit within us, but hinder him by our sins, and our lack of docility and generosity. If we would use our freedom to open ourselves completely to the invasion of the divine Paraclete and submit to his promptings in everything he would take us under his guidance and make us saints.
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