Sharing The Gift Of The Spirit

In 2017, at the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Rome, Pope Francis told the faithful gathered there that he wanted us to “share with everyone in the Church the gift of Baptism in the Holy Spirit”.

What is this Baptism in the Holy Spirit that the Charismatic Renewal and Pope Francis are talking about?

Firstly, it’s not to be confused with the sacrament of baptism where we were baptised as babies or through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism in the Holy Spirit unleashes the Holy Spirit, that is already within us by revitalising the graces we have received in the sacrament of baptism.

For Baptism in the Holy Spirit to occur one needs to be to open to this stirring and revitalisation with a heart open, surrendered, responsive and a simple “YES”. Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher to the papal household exhorts that,

“Baptism in the Holy Spirt is the act of God pouring out the sacrament in our lives, BUT the full actualisation of our baptism comes about only through our own personal “YES”, our response of faith, to his divine grace.”

When I experienced receiving prayer for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit it changed my life...for the better! I would liken it to heart surgery and a reignition of faith – kind of like God giving me new spark plugs.

Firstly, my relationship with Jesus became real and intimate. I discovered that Jesus was a real person who did die for me, was interested in me, even LOVED me and better still, knew my heart. Over time the Holy Spirit also softened my heart to receive his love and enabled me to love others. I can remember going to mass and understanding it more, thinking ‘wow what’s changed? Have they changed the mass?”.  It was actually me that had changed, or more so, the Holy Spirit moving in me and transforming my heart.

We as Missionaries of God’s Love want to share the gift of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the whole world because we have experienced the rich blessing it has brought to our own lives. We want others to experience this same gift. We look for ways to share this gift and desire for all people to respond with their own “YES”.

Mary was the first missionary of God’s love when she brought Jesus into the world and even though she was shadowed by the Holy Spirit during the Annunciation, she took her place in the upper room with the disciples and received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Mary is the perfect model of a disciple who continues to say “YES” to the promptings of God at every stage of her life. Little is said of the impact the Baptism of the Holy Spirit had on Mary’s life in the Gospels, but we can be sure that like the other disciples, she was empowered to share the Love of God in a new way.

May we all like Mary, continue to respond with a resounding “YES” each day to Jesus, to share his love and Spirit will all those we meet.

Therese Mills