S18 E16 - Preparing for Pentecost
About This Episode
In this episode, we reflect on how Pentecost is more than just an event of the past, but can be an ongoing outpouring of God’s love and grace in our lives today. We discuss how the Holy Spirit helps heal our wounds, restores communion with God, and teaches us how to live with power and boldness, even in the places where we feel unable to love the Lord. As we prepare our hearts for Pentecost, we talk practically about cultivating a posture of receptivity, learning to invite the Holy Spirit more deeply into our hearts, and how to allow His fire to illuminate our identity and transform us from within. The Holy Spirit is alive within us, able to enter even the locked places of our hearts, and desires to help us bear much fruit in our lives.
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Show Notes
One Thing We Love This Week:
Sister Miriam’s one thing - The Discerning Hearts Podcast App
Michelle’s one thing - College Graduations
Heather’s one thing - Pentecost | Holy Spirit Rest on Us Playlist
Heather’s other one thing - Wild Goose Series with Fr. Dave Pivonka
Other Resources Mentioned:
Discussion Questions:
How can you welcome the Holy Spirit into your life in a deeper way?
What does it look like to experience the Holy Spirit in community?
What gifts of the Holy Spirit do you desire to empower your work of building the Kingdom of God?
How will you celebrate Pentecost?
Journal Questions:
How can I make myself more open to encounter the Holy Spirit pirit this Pentecost?
Where in my life do I feel powerless?
Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to make me more like Jesus?
How am I rationing the boldness of the Holy Spirit?
Where do I need to unlock the doors of my heart?
Quotes to Ponder:
“If there be among the gifts of God none greater than love, and there is no greater gift of God than the Holy Spirit, what follows more naturally than that He is Himself love….”
“This great mystical tradition . . . shows how prayer can progress, as a genuine dialogue of love, to the point of rendering the person wholly possessed by the divine Beloved, vibrating at the Spirit’s touch, resting filially within the Father’s heart.”
“A noble and delicate soul ... follows faithfully the faintest breath of the Holy Spirit; it rejoices in this Spiritual Guest and holds onto Him like a child to its mother.”
Scripture for Lectio Divina:
“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”
This episode is sponsored by:
Mary’s Meals
Every mother knows what it's like to want to protect their child and provide for them, to make sure there's food on the table, to make sure her child is safe, cared for, and able to grow into who God created them to be. But for millions of mothers around the world, hunger stands in the way of that hope. Their children walk to school carrying empty bowls, wondering if today they'll have anything to eat. And that's where Mary's Meals steps in.
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One mother experiencing relief instead of worry.
One life changed through a simple act of love.
So if your hearts are moved to help, we invite you to join us in supporting Mary's Meals. You can head over to their website marysmealsusa.org (or marysmeals.ca for Canada) and together we can offer hope, dignity and a daily meal to a child who needs it most.