Pentecost Sunday

PENTECOST

intro to Penitential rite— The Spirit sanctifies.

There is a saying:

If you have the Word without the Spirit, you dry up."

If we don’t let air in or fan the embers or charcoal until they glow, no BBQ. 2 Timothy, Chapter 1 Verse 6 mentions:

“That is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift of God that you possess through the laying on of my hands.”

…The grace, which St. Paul here exhorts Timothy to stir up in him, was the grace he had received by imposition of hands, either in his confirmation, or at receiving the sacrament of orders, being a bishop.

We fan into flame our Sacrament of Confirmation by praise and worship music, or bible study or Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, prayer with the heart—what-ever-we-need-to-make-the-words and-works of Jesus real and obvious in our lives and thereby to help us to strengthen others in their faith and commitment to Christ.

The allure and glamor of sin wants us to discharge our soul’s energy to leave us drained, with less or even nothing that it had before.

The Holy Spirit PUTS light and fire into us.

E.g. A charismatic renewal leader named Randy said that he faced a jealously temptation with his first intern, who was only 20 years old at the time. The first time this intern ministered with Randy, Randy gave several words of knowledge. He asked the intern if he had any words, and the young man went on to give twice as many words as Randy had. Immediately, Randy could feel insecurity rise up, and he began distancing himself.

He remembers clearly what the Lord told him: "And the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, 'If that were your son'—who was exactly [the intern's] age in years—'would you be distancing yourself now? Or would you be so grateful to Me that your son is getting more than you have?'"

The Lord went on to tell Randy that he can't be a spiritual father until he feels for his spiritual sons as if they were his own flesh and blood. When raising up the next generation, there's no room for feeling threatened by others' anointing. [source: Charisma Magazine]

Helping others thrive shines a positive light and helps us thrive.

e.g. One translation of Advocate or Paraclete is the English word encourager.

E.g. Coping with stress when it has already arrived is the time to give the Holy Spirit a little attention. E.g. Rest in the Lord. Take a break for yourself—breath, step out of the situation and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance using any words in the moment.

A Jesuit priest was talking about stepping back and removing yourself from the equation to look at things objectively, saying that St. Teresa of Avila said God gave her the grace of disidentifying herself with herself. You hear children talk that way. A two-year-old says, "Billy had his breakfast this morning". He doesn't say "I ", although he is Billy. He says "Billy" - in the third person.

Saying “Jane, you can do this!” instead of “I can do this!” creates helpful distance between you and your situation — distance that helps you see a situation more rationally and zoom in on what you can control.

Talk to yourself out loud. There is research which suggests that talking through your excuses, problems and obstacles out loud may motivate you take action by blocking out distractions and help you keep on task. Talk to the Holy Spirit out loud, too. [Source: Omada]

There is another saying that goes,

“If you have the Spirit without the Word, you can blow up.

The spirit blows where it wills, its a current of grace. Pope Francis says that the charismatic renewal was born ecumenical and creates unity. And the Holy Spirit helps us to live the Word of God.

When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people; the vehicle God uses to reveal himself to us, the means by which we come to know the depth of God's love for us, and the responsibilities entailed.

Lastly, there is saying that “if you also have the discerning charism, you grow up.”

There is no contraction between institution and charisma/prophecy.

The bible alone does not suffice because it does not self-interpret.

—read the Apostolic faith of the early Christian writers to see what the NT meant. e.g. St. Ignatius of Antioch—“do nothing without the bishop and be subject to the presbytery.”

Jesus says expressly that the teaching office of the Holy Spirit will guide the Apostles into all truth, with all its consequences.

This is the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

Conclusion—Many of you have probably never driven a car that doesn’t have power steering. If you had ever driven a truck or bus without power steering, you’d realize how difficult it is to steer the vehicle, especially at slower speeds. You are constantly fighting the vehicle’s natural desire to go where it wants to go rather than where you want it to go. That is how it is if we do not surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit in our life and try living a Christian life without His power. Your carnal desire is to go in the wrong direction. The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls this inclination to sin concupiscence” (No. 1264). Concupiscence is not itself sin. It’s just the tendency and its why we need the Holy Spirit in our life. [source: Sermon Central]