THE WILD GOOSE II

Discovering a Deeper Relationship 

with the Holy Spirit
(Parts 8 thru 14)

 

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 8
THE SPIRIT AND THE SACRAMENTS

 

“Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.” _ Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213
"The Sacraments are always an encounter with the Holy Spirit and each and every time we come to the Sacraments, the Holy Spirit is present. Often times when we think of the Holy Spirit and His work in the Sacraments we only think of Confirmation. This is great, but the Holy Spirit is present in all of them. In this segment we will look at how the Holy Spirit is present in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Marriage and how this can impact your life."

THE WILD GOOSE - PART 9
THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

 

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control... If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit." (Galatians 5:22-25)
"By the way we live and how we treat people, our lives produce some type of fruit. The sort of fruit our lives produce has eternal consequences for us personally as well as a profound impact on those people we love. In fact, our fruit impacts all of our relationships, from the most casual to the most intimate. When we live animated by the Holy Spirit, our lives produce fruit that not only makes our own life more peaceful, patient, and loving but also influences positively those whom we encounter each and every day."

THE WILD GOOSE - PART 10
THE SPIRIT AND THE DESERT

 

“[Jesus] was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the Devil.” (Luke 4:1)
"On the day Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit anointed Him. Immediately after this event the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the desert. The desert was a place of isolation, death and defeat but Jesus was led to the desert so that it may be forever changed. So that it may be a place of grace. The Spirit led Jesus to the desert and also protected and cared for Him while He was there. The desert is a part of every Christian’s life but it does not have to be a place of despair or isolation. The Holy Spirit is present to life’s deserts and when we experience His presence, it changes our spiritual life. The desert is no longer a place to be feared, but can be a profound encounter with Jesus."

THE WILD GOOSE - PART 11
THE SPIRIT CONVICTS

 

“And when He comes He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in Me.” (John 16:8)
"Pope Francis has stated that we must stop 'masquerading before God' in relation to our sin. We must take seriously the reality and nature of sin and the impact that sin has in our lives. It is not an exaggeration to say that our attitude towards sin has eternal consequence. Sin wounds and at times destroys our relationship with Christ. The Spirit of God convicts us of our sin, not to condemn us but to convert us. In this segment we will see how the Spirit draws us closer to Christ by revealing to us our sin."

THE WILD GOOSE - PART 12
THE SPIRIT'S FREEDOM

 

“When the Son sets you free you are free indeed.” (John 8:36)
"The Holy Spirit brings freedom from fear, anger, and the past. So often Christians find themselves bound by so many things and are not aware that the Holy Spirit wants to bring the freedom of God to them. Many are slaves to anger, envy, jealousy, comparisons, and addictions. You do not have to live life like that. In this segment we will discuss how the Holy Spirit can bring you greater freedom."

 

THE WILD GOOSE - PART 13
THE SPIRIT'S WITNESS

 

“We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5:32)
"The Holy Spirit gives witness to Jesus. We are not able to fully understand who Jesus is on our own strength, intellect, and power. The Holy Spirit aids us in moving from our limited intellectual perception of who Christ is and what He has done for us, to a life-changing understanding of Christ. It is also the Holy Spirit who inspires us to give witness to Christ by our words and actions. This segment will look at how we are best able to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that we may see Jesus as He is and give witness to Him."

THE WILD GOOSE - PART 14
THE SPIRIT REMEMBERS

 

“For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration His gift of the Spirit.” (John 3:34)
"It’s important for us to remember the great things that God has done for us. Often we become consumed with our daily struggles and forget all that the Lord has done. We may also only focus on God not doing what we want of Him. One of the blessings of the Holy Spirit is that the Spirit reminds us what Jesus said and what He has done for us. There is no limit to what God has done or what He desires to do in our lives."

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