The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that liturgy is primarily the work of the Most Holy Trinity (CCC 1077–1112). In presenting the Holy Qurbana as the celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ, the Holy Spirit plays a decisive role. It is the Spirit who prepares the Church to encounter the Lord. It is the Holy Spirit who makes Christ and His Paschal Mystery present before the assembly of the faithful (CCC 1092). By stirring faith, bringing about conversion, and enabling obedience to the will of the Father, the Holy Spirit becomes actively operative in the Holy Qurbana (CCC 1098).
The principal mission of the Holy Spirit is sanctification. For this reason, the Syriac tradition refers to the Spirit as Ruha d-Qudsha-meaning “Spirit of Holiness” or “Sanctifying Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is the Author of the act of sanctification (Qudasha). The Syriac term Qudasha is employed in liturgy in various theological dimensions. In its ascending dimension (anabatic qudasha), Qudasha means praise and thanksgiving offered to God. In the descending dimension (katabatic qudasha), it refers to consecration, transformation, sanctification, or setting apart. In liturgy, katabatic qudasha particularly signifies the sanctification of persons and objects.
Both ascending and descending Qudasha constitute the main actions of the Holy Spirit in the Holy Qurbana. Most of the prayers in the Qurbana are expressions of anabatic qudasha—praise, glory, and thanksgiving offered to God—culminating ultimately through the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who inspires the Church to recall the salvific acts of God and offer Him praise and thanksgiving. It is through the Holy Spirit that human beings can offer true and worthy praise to God. St. Paul teaches us that it is the Spirit who enables us to call God “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).
In the background of the entire creation continuously glorifying God, the Qurbana’s Shuraya hymn reminds us believers to praise and magnify God through the hymns of the Divine Spirit. It is through the Spirit that we receive the grace to pray before God’s holy presence with contrition and gratitude-filled hearts. Jesus clearly taught how the Holy Spirit helps us stand in sincerity before God: “When He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit, as our Helper, prepares us to call upon and glorify God with genuine hearts. The second G’hantha prayer in the Qudasha of Mar Theodore highlights that it is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to offer anabatic qudasha: “Father, You have made all creation worthy to offer praise to Your adorable divinity through the good and true Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who strengthens and sanctifies.”
The katabatic qudasha is the unique and direct action of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The prayers of the Holy Qurbana emphatically proclaim that it is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the Divine Mysteries. The Epiclesis (invocation of the Spirit) in the Qudasha of Mar Addai and Mar Mari explicitly asks the Spirit to sanctify the Mysteries for our sanctification.
It is through the operation of the Holy Spirit that the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, as affirmed in the Epiclesis prayers of the Qudasha of Mar Theodore and Mar Nestorius. The Onitha (hymn) sung during the profound moment of prostration in the Raza liturgy likewise declares the Holy Spirit’s role in sanctifying the Mysteries.
Moreover, the prayers of the Qurbana emphasize that the Spirit sanctifies the Divine Mysteries for the sanctification of the community. In the Epiclesis of the Qudasha of Mar Addai and Mar Mari, more importance is given to the sanctification of the worshiping community than to the Mysteries themselves. The Epiclesis prayers in the Qudasha of Mar Theodore and Mar Nestorius clearly affirm that those who partake in the sanctified Mysteries may themselves be sanctified. The prayer in the Epiclesis of Mar Theodore intensifies this by petitioning, “May the Holy Spirit come down upon us and upon this Qurbana…”
The proclamation following the reception of Holy Communion states that it is through the gracious gift of the Holy Spirit that we are made worthy to approach and partake in the sanctified Divine Mysteries. During the penitential service of the Qurbana, the celebrant calls on the faithful to receive Holy Communion and be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
The sanctification of the Divine Mysteries in the Holy Qurbana and the consequent sanctification of the worshiping assembly by the Holy Spirit reveal the deep communion with God and with one another. Shawttha Susa expresses this profound unity. The Epiclesis prayer in the Qudasha of Mar Nestorius reflects this earnest longing: “Since we are called in one hope, may we become one body and one spirit, united in the bond of love and peace.” Similarly, the Eucharistic prayers of thanksgiving in the Latin tradition also fervently beseech that the worshiping community may become one body and one spirit.
Just as the bread and wine are consecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ, those who partake in the Divine Mysteries are likewise sanctified by the Holy Spirit to become members of the one Body of Christ. Pope Benedict, in his apostolic exhortation on the Sacrament of Love (Sacramentum Caritatis), teaches about the necessity of this sanctification. In the Epiclesis, the priest invokes the Holy Spirit not only to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ but also to transform the entire community more perfectly into the Body of Christ.
In summary, at every level of the celebration of the divine-human relationship in the Holy Qurbana, the active work of the Holy Spirit is clearly visible. With this awareness, when we respond genuinely to the gifts of the Spirit, the liturgy will indeed become a mighty force that transforms our entire life.
Rev. Dr. Pauly Maniyattu
