With that prayer, Kris Frank invited us to consider more deeply who the Holy Spirit really is. Like many of us, Kris pointed out that he forgot about the Holy Spirit in his faith life when he was younger. The Spirit, however, is easily accessible and inviting the Spirit into our lives will change us for the better.
As we drew closer to Mass, the speaking team led teens in prayer and worship to call upon the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
They first explored the Spirit’s true purpose and identity by explaining what the Spirit is NOT. It is not an emotion. It is not a feeling. It is a person. It is God’s living water in its simplest, purest, and most powerful form. While our own spirit may be weak, the Holy Spirit is stirring strongly inside each heart. The Holy Spirit is changing us into His instruments of peace and filling us with the power to conquer all fears, heal all hurts, and have victory over all spiritual deaths. Each member of the team took turns asking the Spirit to pour out their favorite life-giving gifts on all of us.
This afternoon, teens could choose to attend a workshop presented by Matt Regitz about life in the Holy Spirit. He helped show teens how they can be more open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their own lives, especially this weekend.
The talk fittingly began with a prayer asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance both in the talk and in our lives. In order to receive the gifts that God wants to pour upon everyone present tonight, we must be open to receiving them. For example, as Matt explained, if you have an umbrella held up, it does not matter that water is being poured; you still will not get wet. The water is the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the umbrella is our own fear and resistance. We have to be open to what the Holy Spirit wants to give us.
This morning, to help us prepare to head home, the speaking team offered a few thoughts on the Fruits of the Holy Spirit – these gifts that God wants to give us to help us live the life He’s calling us to.
