Signs of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God and God is invisible. So how can I know that someone is “spiritual” in the true sense of the word meaning? Although God is invisible, nevertheless we certainly know it is. We know it from the signs of its scope. The same applies to the presence of the Holy Spirit in man. And here there are certain signs from which it can be concluded that someone is spiritual. Which ones are the most impressive?
They asked about the spiritual value of people in the first Christian times, especially the so-called agnostics. These sectarians divided people into three groups: materialistic people, people with mental interests, and finally those who are spiritual. The latter is recognized by the fact that they are adults to gnosis, i.e. to higher knowledge of divine things. He does what others have no idea about.
St. wrote against the Gnostic’s. Irenaeus of Lyons. did you notice that they are primarily committing a double mistake here? We must not divide people into groups so that some are fundamentally and permanently higher than others. Christ promised his Spirit to all Christians, so everyone can be spiritual. They cannot reach any higher knowledge of the secrets of the world. However, this is not true spirituality. Undeceive the sign of God’s Spirit in man is, on the contrary, love: According to this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another (Jn 13, 35).
With the tongues of men and angels, and I would not have love, I would be like tinkling metal and a tinkling cymbal (1 Cor 13, 1).
It is a simple answer, quite true, according to the Gospel. However, it does not solve all of their doubts. How do we know someone has true love? After all, love is God (1 Jn 4, 8) and God is a mystery. So let’s push the basic question a little further: How does it manifest itself when someone has true love?
Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (Jn 15, 13). In the spirit of these words the Church from the very beginning, it considered it infallible a sign of holiness, and martyrdom for Christ. A row of worshipers and saints is thus opened by martyrs. The fact that they endured the torture, and were able to lay down their lives “in weakness”, is clear proof of the power of the Spirit that strengthened them. However, it is not given to all to confirm their blood union with God. That’s why St. Irenaeus (who himself died as a martyr) points out that other believers can also bear witness to God’s love and the Holy Spirit “through faith and an intact life”. Theologians still claim today that without God’s grace, no one can fully preserve the laws of morality.
If one lives by faith and keeps the commandments, he is it is a sign that God is with him. He who has my commandments and keeps them loves me (Jn 14, 21). The expression of a spiritual person/is therefore pure faith, a good life, virtues, and intact morals. What then to judge about other, extraordinary signs of grace? We read about miracles in the lives of the saints. It is interesting that they hid them and did not consider them to be manifestations of personal holiness. Miraculous hearing rather confirms belief in the power of prayer and trust in God. Spiritual life, however, bears witness to the personal value of the one who can pray with such confidence. When it comes to visions, apparitions, ecstasies, etc., it happens.

The Church has long held back its judgment. There is a great danger of lies and diseases. In addition, St. Jan Klimak doubts the usefulness of some revelations. Someone said to him: «Blessed are the eyes that saw an angel!»  Who answered: « Far more blessed is he who sees his  sin !» However, this does not mean that apparitions and visions are not also true. They mostly have a special mission. It is impossible but infallibly conclude that they would only be obtained by those who are more spiritually advanced than others.

The Gnostic is considered perfect, the one who has special knowledge. The Monetarists sought those who could “prophesy”, and reveal hidden things. Also rating of the spiritual life, however, leads to eccentricity and astray. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit gives Christians a kind of strange, penetrating knowledge. They are starting to get refined a sense of what is good and what is bad, even a special feeling for others if they are good or if they are on a bad path. Saints can often «read the heart». Even for ordinary Christians, we estimate their progress in spiritual life according to correctness and clarity of conscience, sensitivity to good. After all, piety is according to St. Thomas Aquinas «emergency room to all the best». We cannot see God, says St. Gregory the Great. But we see his work. The same applies to the Holy Spirit in the heart of man. «If we see miraculous deeds, we are certain that God resides in the minds of the people who do them.»