“I Will Pour Out My Spirit”

1. “I Will Pour Out My Spirit”

2. “I Will Pour Out My Spirit” • Monday: “What does the Holy Spirit have for us?” • Tuesday: “Common Questions” • Wednesday: “Where do we go from here as a parish?”

3. St. Mary Parish Vision Statement “Saint Mary Parish is a passionately Catholic, Spirit-filled, loving family. Her members are sacramental, evangelical, prayerful, merciful disciples who invites everyone to a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.”

4. Summary from Monday • In our day, the Church is in a privileged moment of the Spirit in which people are trying to know Him better as the Scripture reveals Him. Various outpourings of the Spirit have ushered in a providential rediscovery of the Church’s charismatic dimension, which, as the Popes have said, is co-essential to Her institutional dimension. This has generated a remarkable pattern of growth among those communities that have generously embraced Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit. Those communities that have received the infusion/baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is the release of the graces of our baptism and confirmation, experience an increase in boldness, power, increased love for the Scriptures, unity, love, effective preaching of the Gospel, conversions, manifestations of the Spirit, and so on. Millions of Catholics are experiencing the same power of the Holy Spirit that marked the normal lives of Christians in the early Church. Catholics and parishes are seeking to share and spread the grace of this baptism in the Spirit with others and in their ministries.

5. Summary from Tuesday • Jesus invented the expression “baptism in the Holy Spirit” as a reference to Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit came, AKA the Love of God, He rested on everyone, and all were filled with the Holy Spirit. Before Pentecost, the Apostles were focused on self, but afterward they experienced a unity like never before, and this same thing is available to us today. When filled with infinite Love, the body often cannot contain this, and so at times there are manifestations (gift of tears, laughter, smiling, looking drunk, etc). This is being re-taught by recent popes who have invited all Catholics to the beauty of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Once seen as exclusively linked to the saints, a powerful life in the Holy Spirit and charisms, Vatican II reminded us this is for everyone. One of the fruits is the rediscovery of the title and name of Jesus as “Lord,” not just objectively, but subjectively. Subjectively, these individuals experience the link between theological truth and living their daily life in the Lord in freedom. Their motivation for following the precepts of the Catholic Faith shifts from a mere reward/punishment model to an attraction/love/power model. They recognize that being comes before doing. Holy SpiritJesusBaptismChurch + community.

6. Implications for parishes The providential rediscovery of the charismatic dimensions of the Church, highlighted by the Popes, has enormous implications for the life of the Church. Given that importance, it is absolutely essential that those pastoring parishes and ministering in parishes are thoroughly conversant with the content and ramifications of that rediscovery.

7. What is a “disciple” of Jesus? • A disciple is someone who is intentionally engaged in a lifelong process of entering into deep communion with the heart of Jesus Christ in a vital and personal relationship with Him. This process includes growing, maturing, and learning the believer eagerly enters into, if truly evangelized. They are concerned for their own human, spiritual, and doctrinal formation and see them as necessary.

8. Pope Benedict XVI • “In this Baptism of the Holy Spirit the personal and community dimension, the "I" of the disciple and the "we" of the Church, are inseparable.” (May, 2008)

9. Call to evangelize • “Evangelization is now a moral obligation. It’s almost a selfish thing to not evangelize. If we find something wonderful and we keep it for ourselves, then we would be morally culpable.” • Benedict XVI, 2011, “Your great task in Evangelization is therefore to propose a personal relationship with Christ as key to complete fulfillment.” • The goal of evangelization is the “realization of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ in the Spirit, thereby leading to an experiencing of His Father and our Father.” • The call to evangelize is becoming widely known in the Church but it has failed to be accepted and totally. • Being Christian means being missionary, and loving one’s faith implies bearing witness to it, bringing it to others and allowing others to participate in it.

10. Community • More effective that individual witness is the witness of a community. This concerns you. • In the early Church it was based on personal initiative. • Local communities were forming, and the community was the evangelizer. This caused greater growth of the Christian religion than individuals. • First Christian communities formed straight out of Pentecost. This increase in membership is not attributed so much to priestly preaching, as it was to the wonder of groups of people living together in simplicity, joy, and sharing life in common. • Love goes from interior disposition of the heart to a visible manifestation in community, they will know you by your love.

11. Meaningful community • Communion is vital, meaningful community where an “encounter” with others disciples takes place. A place of encouragement, support and maturation. • All of these aspects, if authentic, lead spontaneously to mission: the mission to proclaim Jesus to others in joy, to love and serve the needy and build the Kingdom of God. • Disciples have a heart for community, not just meeting the minimum expectations of a “practicing Catholic.” • Does the gathering of a group of often isolated and anonymous individuals under the same roof for an hour constitute a community? No. • Authentic community is a place where we are known and loved, where we find others to whom we are accountable and who are accountable to us.

12. Meaningful community • The Greek word koinoniaiis translated as “fellowship.” • If community is a value of ours, is that reflected in our behavior, for example, after Mass? If someone video recorded people after Mass, what would they conclude? Would they see a mad dash for the parking lot? • If the Christian community is to be a place where everyone knows your name and you know their name, we seem to say to each other with our behavior, “I don’t want to know your name, I don’t really care if you came, your troubles are your own problem, now get out of my way.” • “The church cannot be a collection of individual believers practicing their faith in private, satisfied with their self-sufficiency.” (Archbishop Mancini) • If the renewal of the Church, of the diocese, and of the parish is to take place, the question of community will be essential.

13. What is community? • For us, community is a value • Structures are to be put in place. The structures reflect our values. • Different groups, meetings, connected groups, and other opportunities to connect with other people. • Not social gatherings for social gathering, but forming an authentic Christian culture. • The wisdom of teams: teamwork sounds great, but often gets bogged down. You have to commit to the possibility of being less productive at first vs. being on your own. Get comfortable with conflict, but for those who love others, they are ok with conflict because they are loving with fire of the Spirit, and are loved. • There is so much going on in life that it would be easy to cut out fellowship and community, and being together, and love each other, and speak into each others lives.

14. What is community? • Reading great books together, sharing highs and lows, etc. doing things other than work stuff. Taking time to get to know one another is rich and good. No business talk, get to know one another, and pray together. This allows you to experience others praying into your life. This creates a very satisfying spiritual bond. • Remaining small is always a good thing, no matter how big the parish. People are searching to belong and be cared for, and this is not the something the pastor can do for each person, nor should anyone expect him to do this. • Groups within the parish, caring for and knowing each other, and loving each other. The early Church model of gathering in homes and loving and doing life together is what the Holy Spirit wants to create.

15. Groups of Christians • Midsized community of people who have experienced a new life in the Holy Spirit through an event like Alpha, where people can connect and grow. • It’s a beautiful thing where people gather for shared meal, fellowship, building relationship, sharing, witness, breaking up into smaller groups for sharing and prayer. • We have conferences, missions, Alpha, seminars, etc., but then what, what do people do after these? • The question: What is next so people can continue to grow and progress together in intentional Christian community life? • Biggest challenge: leaders who are rooted in a life in the Holy Spirit in such a way they can help lead others into deeper life in Jesus in the power of the Spirit. To help people grow and be in relationship with each other. Joy, joy, joy.

16. Groups of Christians • Young adult group, for example. Is there anyone who has gone through intentional community, like Alpha, who is willing to start a young adult Christian community in the parish or area? • What are next steps after experiencing intentional community in an informal course like Alpha? That is the question. • After encountering the Lord, is there a social space where people can meet others and form deeper relationships? We say “after encountering the Lord” because intentional disciples want to learn and grow as disciples of Jesus, whereas non-disciples are not interested in these things. There needs to be a shared value here. • People don’t know how beautiful authentic Christian community can be like? For example, when people go through suffering. Huge. They get surrounded by their Christian community. Who are the people in your Christian community who will surround you and be with you? If your thinking “Fr. Mark” you are off.

17. Groups of Christians • People are lonelier and lonelier these days. The Church has an opportunity to tap into this hunger for fellowship. • People crave Christian community but don’t know how to do it. • Parishes are to become onramps for Christian communities. • Mature leaders need to be formed. • Last night at Alpha we talk about the importance of Christian community. But, we want to make it an easy jump to go from an encounter course into normal Christian community. That is a cultural change we want to make that other parishes are beginning to make. • Some fear and are scared about rejection. Everyone wants to be accepted and loved in a group, but also afraid of being rejected by that group. Courses like Alpha break down those barriers in peoples lives.

18. Groups of Christians • Not all have to look the same. But Christian community leaders need to be able to accompany people in their life in Christ, and not filled with anxiety or a negative worldview, but filled with joy and hope, a spirituality of Pentecost, and capable of creating an atmosphere of fun. • 20 somethings. One person orders pizza, and all others pay through an app, and boom, food is done. Do something stress free and help other keep the focus on the main thing, which is Christian fellowship and growing in holiness together. • But, parishes need to establish a culture of encounter with Jesus first, which is what we have been trying to focus on these past 4 ½ years. We want to intentionally move everyone into intentional community, with everyone in the parish eventually in Christian community. • We want to normalize this, so everyone is aware that this is a part of Christianity.

19. Alpha and community • Hosting evenings with 100 or so people gathered in St. Joseph hall on Friday nights to listen to a presentation of the Gospel message with an invitation to respond. Many lives have been touched and transformed. • Some who were lukewarm catch fire • Some who have been away from the Church are encountering Jesus in a new way • Non-Christians have decided to join the Church. In fact, I am going to witness the marriage of one of them this year. Amazing. • Many experienced the Holy Spirit and community in a new way. • These folks have a community foundation that is ripe for more intentional community life. A shared encounter with the Holy Spirit. They are more equipped to be encouragers because they’ve been on the receiving end of it.

20. Those in parish ministry • Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis are united in their clear call to the entire people of God to experience for themselves this gift of Pentecost, the gift that brought the Bride of Christ to life. Given the importance of this invitation, it is particularly crucial for those called by the Lord Jesus to minister to the local parishes to be fully immersed in Pentecost themselves. If they are to be the agents of this new outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the Popes have called for, then they especially must be walking in the fire of Pentecost as well. This will clearly impact how their ministry itself is lived out in the local parishes, for the call to the entire People of God to walk in the fire of Pentecost must clearly impact how their ministry is lived out for the sake of the People of God. It must truly be even more a Spirit-filled ministry.

21. Come holy spirit! Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blessed, and fill the hearts of Your Faithful and enkindle in them the Fire of Your Love.