When I think of Pentecost I think of the Charismatic movement within the Catholic Church. It was how I became Catholic. I am Charismatic. I know I am a quieter Charismatic than I was when I entered the Church. I am going to go out on a limb and tell you that I can pray in tongues. I have been “slain in the Spirit” – yep fell over and came to on the floor of the Church. I have been to many healing retreats, healing masses, healing prayer services. I have prayed with many folks. I have been given (and received) Word of Knowledge. I believe in the Fruits of the Holy Spirit and have seen them in action in the world TODAY.
God wants us to participate fully – this includes all the old time miracles that we read about in Scriptures. He wants to talk to us if we will only listen!!!
All of this spiritual beauty comes with guidelines. Find a prayer group. Seek spiritual direction. Seek confirmation. Continue to grow in Holiness through conventional methods – confession, communion, Mass, reading Scripture, prayer, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. There are tough situations in life that come up. I usually ask folks to pray about – or if they’ve prayed about. When I come to one of these situations, I pray. I pray with folks. I ask people to pray for me. I ask for my desires to be put aside so I can hear what God really want me to do. I know that there are dark forces out there and they will direct me down the wrong path. I know that I can listen to my own desires which will lead me down a path that is NOT the one God intended for me. My goal in life is to follow God’s path. It may seem dark and scary sometimes, but in the end it will be better than anything that I could have imaged for myself. The Holy Spirit given to us during Pentecost is how we can hear God’s voice. The Novena to the Holy Spirit is, to the best of my knowledge, is the only novena officially endorsed by the Church. (The other ones are just “not going to send you to hell if you participate.
