Thomas Aquinas once defined the Holy Spirit as “the love between the Father and the Son.” Fr. Ron Rolheiser writes that this definition is valuable, though more theologically than spiritually and pastorally. In terms of appropriating the Holy Spirit more personally, the biblical definition of the Holy Spirit is more described than defined. There are various ways, all of them rich, in which the Spirit is described in scripture. For example, St. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, tells us that there are two kinds of spirit: the spirit of the sarx (a spirit that opposes God) and the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. The former is the spirit of envy, anger, gossip, factionalism, idolatry, impurity, self-centeredness, and bitterness. Conversely, there is the Holy Spirit, the spirit of charity, joy, peace, patience, goodness, long-suffering, mildness, faith, fidelity, and chastity. In terms of personal renewal, one of the things we might do is to stop deluding ourselves about what spirit we often live within. Suppose my life habitually contains more envy than admiration, anger than joy, gossip than praise, factionalism than community, impurity than chastity, and impatience than perseverance. In that case, I am not living in the Holy Spirit, irrespective of whatever religious or liturgical activities I am involved in and might feel good about. But that is the Holy Spirit at one level. John, in his Gospel, describes the Holy Spirit as a paraclete, an advocate, a lawyer for the poor. John tells us that the crucifixion of Jesus will set free the paraclete and that it will convict the world of its wrongness in crucifying an innocent person, Jesus. Among other things, then, the Holy Spirit in John is the defender of the accused, of the victim, of the scapegoat, of anyone whom society deems expendable for the sake of the culture. To live in the Holy Spirit, therefore, is to be an advocate, a lawyer, for the poor, and for those who are being victimized and scapegoated by the culture. Living in the Holy Spirit is not just a state of being, but a transformative journey. It is the person and the principle both of private renewal and of social justice. By living in the Holy Spirit, we are not only filled with selflessness and joy, but we also become advocates for the poor, bringing hope and justice to those in need.