The story is in the second chapter of Acts: they were all together in one place, when a sound like violent wind swept through the building. Tongues of fire appeared among them and above them, and suddenly they could understand each other. They were all speaking their own languages, but because they were listening to each other — listening to each other with the power and in the presence of the Holy Spirit — they understood each other.
The prayer to the Holy Spirit asks it to create us, so that through us the Holy Spirit can renew the face of the earth. We call the Holy Spirit "Paraclete," because that's how Jesus described it at the Last Supper. He said he would ask the Father to send us a παράκλητος, which depending on the translation might be an advocate, or a helper, or a comforter. The word literally means "called to one's side."
Faith, Paul told the Hebrews, is the assurance of what we hope for and the evidence of what we don't see. The Holy Spirit boosts our faith, pulls us along when all we see is devastation. You are better than this, the Holy Spirit says. You are not an accident. You have been created. You can make things better.
Catholic tradition tells us that the Holy Spirit offers seven gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. If ever we needed those things, it's today—but that is true every day.
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