The Holy Spirit is present in the whispering wind (1 Kgs 19:12).Ī Lamp. The wind represents the Holy Spirit’s share in the creation of the world (Gen 1:2), and the breath or wind of God represents the Holy Spirit’s participation in the creation of human beings (Gen 2:7). This symbol is very difficult to show artistically, but one of the key ways that Luke uses to describe the presence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2). The tongue is a metaphor for speech, and those who receive the Holy Spirit are to use their tongues to proclaim Christ and speak words of kindness. Jesus said, “I have come to set the earth on fire” (Lk 12:49). Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire (Lk 3:16). Fire is an age-old symbol for God, whether it be God making the covenant with Abraham in a burning torch (Gen 15:7), speaking to Moses from the burning bush (Ex 3:2), guiding the Israelites with a column of fire (Ex 13:21), or sending down fire to consume the holocaust offered by Elijah (1 Kgs 18:38). This symbol is taken from Luke’s Pentecost account when a tongue of fire came to rest over the head of each of the disciples and they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4). The head of the dove is often surrounded by a nimbus or round halo-like sphere which may be solid, which represents holiness, or inlaid with three rays which indicates that the Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity.Ī Tongue of Fire or a Flame. When Jesus was baptized, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove (Mt 3:16 Mk 1:10 Lk 3:22 Jn 1:32). In the Old Testament, it was a dove that signaled the end of the flood (Gen 8:8-12). The dove is the most common symbol of the Holy Spirit.

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