Awake in the Summer-Like Brilliance of the Holy Spirit

Posted on June 28, 2017 by the Bouchers

Do you wake up to favorite tones on your cell phone, an alarm clock, music, or the voice of a household member? Do you wake up slowly or all at once? The Bible reminds us that waking up gives us a new opportunity to live with a capital “L”.  Therese enjoys opening the blinds before breakfast, especially on a bright summer day. What do you do when first wake up, or are you a night person?

“Live as children of the light…Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:8,14

Each of us is invited to follow Jesus by the ever-present light of the Holy Spirit. The voice of God beckons us. “Be alive and awake in my Spirit! Share my light with those around you!” And so we embrace being missionary disciples and witnesses. And we work at awakening those around us who seem to be asleep in the Spirit. We approach them as fellow adventurers seeking to stir up the embers of a vital summer-like faith.  We share with others who are aware of a God-given suspicion that Jesus lives, even in the darkness.

One way to do this is share a spontaneous prayer with someone in need. Another way is to share a similar experience with the added twist of a personal witness. A third way is to offer a piece of Scripture that is meaningful for you. Andrea’s sister, Jenn, was distraught about entering her friend’s house after that friend had died. So Andrea asked if they could pray for a moment. “Jesus, help Jenn. Be with her when she opens the door. Help her know that you want to walk in with her, as she cares for the pets and all the details that need your touch. Amen”

Who are you called to share the light with? Which of these three approaches are you most comfortable using? Why? Perhaps you might practice with a friend.

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Did You See Him? Ron Did! Kat Did!

Posted on May 4, 2017 by the Bouchers

Can you imagine the buzz after Jesus rose from the dead? Word spread from person to person like wildfire. And questions came just as fast. Did he look the same? Could he eat? Did you touch him? What did he say? And today is no different. News of seeing Jesus is meant to spread from person to person, like wildfire, the all-consuming wildfire of the Holy Spirit. Here are some examples of people who experienced Jesus from our latest booklet.

  • Ronald was a Presbyterian who rejected God because of a lack of support, ugly pastoral scandals, and professors who questioned God’s existence. He married a Catholic involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, but faith still eluded him. Then came September 11, 2001, when he watched out his office window as smoke billowed from the Pentagon. He cried out to Jesus in prayer. He experienced a deep desire for Jesus’s presence and the new life the Savior offers. Shortly after that tragic day, Ronald decided to join the Catholic Church and also a charismatic prayer group. “Now,” he writes, “I have a solid formation and have become a fervent… believer.”
  • Kat, from Ireland, often prayed the rosary and attended parish missions, but she did not have a very close relationship with God. She was just going through the motions. Then one day she hit rock bottom as a result of abuse. Kat was putting clothes on the line when she stopped and cried out to God, “Are you there? Do you care about what is happening to me?” It was a cry for God’s love and for a SAVIOR.

    Kat writes that three weeks later, as she was “sitting by the fireplace and thinking about Jesus, all of a sudden a tremendous peace came over me. I knew without a doubt that God loved me. As a simple confirmation of this grace, I noticed a nearby spider, and for the first time in my life, I was not afraid, and I have not been afraid of spiders since. The next morning, I went to Mass and asked Jesus to use me to help others. Then a lady sat down behind me who had an awful wheeze, so I started to pray for her. What a change! Here I was praying for someone else!

  • For more stories about people meeting Jesus in lots of different ways read our new “An Introduction to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.” This book is also a user-friendly guide for a post Resurrection meeting between you and Jesus.
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Choose One: Holy Cow! Holy Moly! Holy Week!

Posted on April 4, 2017 by the Bouchers

Great beginning! The crowds go wild as Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and then, on Holy Thursday, the disciples have a delicious meal in a room with an astounding view. (Apparently it was so good that it took four days to cook it.) But the story goes downhill from there, way down! Jesus experiences a “Rock bottom” CRISIS! He sweats blood and then dies as a criminal on the smelly, raucous outskirts of Jerusalem on Good Friday. But WAIT! Here comes the SURPRISE ending, not the “let’s pretend, fairy tale” kind of a surprise. But a dazzling SHOCKER that unfolds on Holy Saturday, a surprise akin to seeing Uncle Henry in a casket one afternoon and meeting him as you jog down the street the next day! And the whole plot, the climax and the punch line is that LOVE WINS! Jesus saves every one of us from the clutches of our own deaths, even if yours is the worst “science fiction, horrible, concentration camp, torture” kind of death. Because Jesus came to usher us into ETERNAL HAPPINESS! (Which by the way, most of us barely understand except for rare sneak previews).

 

So now you have heard our quasi-Hollywood version of what happens during Holy Week. There are many other explanations. But the important thing is that all of these celebrations, taken together, offer us a recap, or a front-row instant replay of the Good News about God made flesh in Jesus, the Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Please consider this blog as a PERSONAL INVITATION to your nearby church and come see for yourself. If you already plan on participating, invite a friend (by sharing this blog); or just bring a friend who might not come otherwise; and top off your time together with a coffee and a conversation at a restaurant. If you are not sure what Catholic Churches are nearby, visit masstimes.org/ and bring a friend for moral support.

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