Discovering a Deeper Relationship
with the Holy Spirit
(Parts 1 thru 7)
Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR
The Wild Goose was a term that the ancient Celts had for the Holy Spirit, and apart from the Wild Goose there is no life.
THE WILD GOOSE - PART 1
GOD'S LOVE POURED OUT
"God is Love." (1 John 4:8)
"This simple statement is the beginning and the ending of our pilgrimage of Faith. God is Love and the Lord’s Love is perfect, passionate and unconditional. There is nothing that we can do that would cause God to love us more and nothing we can do that would cause Him to love us less. We are able to come to experience the beauty and freedom of God’s Love by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God reveals the Love of the Father that changes us. When we experience God’s Love we come to understand in a powerful way that we are in fact 'lovable.' God’s Love reveals our beauty and goodness before Him."
"This simple statement is the beginning and the ending of our pilgrimage of Faith. God is Love and the Lord’s Love is perfect, passionate and unconditional. There is nothing that we can do that would cause God to love us more and nothing we can do that would cause Him to love us less. We are able to come to experience the beauty and freedom of God’s Love by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God reveals the Love of the Father that changes us. When we experience God’s Love we come to understand in a powerful way that we are in fact 'lovable.' God’s Love reveals our beauty and goodness before Him."
THE WILD GOOSE - PART 2
THE BREATH OF GOD
"The breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4)
"The only way we are able to live a life of faith, a life full of love, peace, joy and power is by the Holy Spirit. We see this most clearly in the lives of the Apostles. They had every advantage in being with Jesus and hearing Him preach and seeing the many miracles that He had done. And yet, even with that advantage they were frightened men living their faith life in a locked room before they received the Holy Spirit. What took place in the upper room changed the lives of these men and women and would change the course of human history. This experience of the Holy Spirit is an encounter available to everyone; it is not reserved for a select few. Pentecost and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit is the theme of this segment."
"The only way we are able to live a life of faith, a life full of love, peace, joy and power is by the Holy Spirit. We see this most clearly in the lives of the Apostles. They had every advantage in being with Jesus and hearing Him preach and seeing the many miracles that He had done. And yet, even with that advantage they were frightened men living their faith life in a locked room before they received the Holy Spirit. What took place in the upper room changed the lives of these men and women and would change the course of human history. This experience of the Holy Spirit is an encounter available to everyone; it is not reserved for a select few. Pentecost and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit is the theme of this segment."
THE WILD GOOSE - PART 3
BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE
"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (Matthew 3:11)
"Jesus came to baptize us in the Holy Spirit, and the power and grace that comes from the baptism in the Holy Spirit changes lives. For the millions of Catholics worldwide who have had this experience it is a transforming grace that brings freedom, peace, and the very presence of God. Unfortunately for many Catholics the term 'baptism in the Holy Spirit' is not a term with which they are familiar. In this segment we will discuss what the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is all about."
THE WILD GOOSE - PART 4
THE SPIRIT AND OUR LADY
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." (Luke 1:35)
"Our Lady, from the moment of her conception, was overshadowed by the Holy Spirt. As the Spouse of the Holy Spirit she models for us what our lives can look like when we say 'yes' to God's will and fully give ourselves over to the actions of the Spirit of God. Mary's fiat led her to the cross, the empty tomb, and ultimately the upper room where she was once again overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. If we have the courage, as Mary did, to say yes to God’s Spirit, to surrender our will to His, we too will experience the power of the Most High overshadowing us."
THE WILD GOOSE - PART 5
GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
“The Spirit Himself is ‘God's gift’ par excellence (John 4:10) a gift from God, and in turn communicates different spiritual gifts to those who welcome Him." _ Pope Francis
"The greatest gift of the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit. The living God gives the gift of Himself to those who are baptized. From the Spirit flows other gifts, some of which are for our personal sanctification while others are for the building up and support of the body of Christ. Many of the gifts are very familiar to us (wisdom, counsel, love) while others are somewhat foreign (healing, prophecy, tongues). Whatever our experience, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for all Christians, and no one should think that the gifts are not for them."
THE WILD GOOSE - PART 6
THE SPIRIT AND THE EUCHARIST
At the center of the Church is the Eucharist, where Christ is present and active in humanity and in the whole world by means of the Holy Spirit.” _ Pope St. John Paul II
"The Eucharistic Liturgy is saturated with the presence of the Holy Spirit. From the moment you decide to go to Mass, the Holy Spirit is active and alive. Sadly, many people don’t experience the Holy Spirit, and attending Mass becomes a chore for them rather than a life giving encounter with Jesus. In this segment we will look at a few of the many ways that the Holy Spirit is present in the Mass that will enable you to encounter God when you attend the Liturgy."
THE WILD GOOSE - PART 7
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION
"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, 'Abba, Father!'" (Romans 8:14-16)
"The Holy Spirit reveals many things to us. One of the most beautiful is the Spirit revealing God as our loving Father, our 'Abba - Daddy.' Jesus related to His Father as Abba and never before had God been spoken of in such personal and intimate terms. God as Abba is a uniquely beautiful Christian revelation. The Spirit of Jesus desires to free us from fear and a master-slave relationship to a Father-Daughter or Father-Son relationship."
_______________
