A Grace of God
Accepting the Baptism in the Holy Spirit does not mean joining a movement. It means
embracing the fullness of our Christian initiation. It can touch anyone and everyone. It has
an effect on every part of the life of the Church, because it equips us to serve God and
one another in love and power, and sends us out to participate in the Church's ministry in
the world. It revitalizes every program in our parish because it revitalizes every person
who is involved in the programs. Living in the Spirit means participating fully in the Body
of Christ. It can make our parishes real communities of love, from which we take the
challenge of the Gospel into our social and work environment. Our mission is the mission of
the Church – to transform society. What is essential is the presence and the power of the
Holy Spirit. On this and on the gifts of the Spirit I don't see how we can compromise. At a
recent public audience Pope John Paul II taught on the charisms in the life of the Church.
He explained their importance in this way:
"The people of God's sharing in the messianic missions is not obtained only
through the Church's ministerial structure and sacramental life. It also
occurs in other ways – that of the spiritual gifts and charisms."
Charles Whitehead – On the Charismatic Renewal
Life in the Spirit Seminar
A Life in the Spirit Seminar is a retreat which centers on God the Holy Spirit.
The sessions/topics of the whole Seminar include the following:
- God's Love.
- How Jesus saves us.
- Everyday life as a full-gospel Christian.
- Being open to all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
- Allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
- Growing in our New Life.
- Becoming more like Jesus.
What will the Holy Spirit do in my life?
- Lead me to a better personal friendship with Jesus and the Father.
- Help me better appreciate the Mass, Jesus in the Eucharist and the Scriptures.
- Help me to pray more effectively.
- Lead me to become a better Catholic.
- Give me boldness to be more active in my parish.
- Help me be a better parent, neighbor, parishioner, or citizen.
- Lead me to be all God created me to be.
- Help me deal with some of my personal problems.
- Make real the power of the sacraments.
- Help me lead a happier life.
The Life in the Spirit seminar is intended for anyone who desires a new awareness and deeper
relationship with God, especially through the working of the Holy Spirit, and to be more fully
spiritually equipped in building the Church. Participants are invited to pray for the "Baptism of
the Holy Spirit" which was evident in the Upper Room as the Holy Spirit was poured out on the
Church at Pentecost. It is an invitation to "stir into flame" in a renewed Pentecost the gift of
the Holy Spirit that was given at Baptism and Confirmation.
In speaking of the "New Pentecost," Pope John Paul II described it as "a grace directed to
sanctify the Church, to renew in her the taste for prayer, and to rediscover with the Holy
Spirit the sense of thankfulness, of joyful praise, of confident intercession, and to be
converted into a new fountain of evangelization."