Beginning Again with the Holy Spirit

Paul says for the gospel did not come to you in word alone but also in power and in the Holy Spirit I just found myself reflecting what had it been what would it have been like if the word or the gospel would have come to us just word alone God could have just sent an email seriously could've been word alone right he could have sent us an email we just kind of read it we hear about it we listen to it right so he he tells us everything that we're supposed to know in fact maybe that's what it was like before maybe they knew everything that they were supposed to know maybe they had read everything that they were supposed to know maybe they had had all these words in front of them but the scripture tells us that it wasn't we did not encounter engage the gospel in Word alone so we obviously know that the word the logo started the word becomes flesh so it's not just going to be the word anymore but the word is literally going to be a living being a breathing being in that name as Jesus a man come on folks a man so the word becomes flesh but even then it could have just been word he could have just been there and he could have just talked a lot Jesus could have come to the stage and read and told us everything we need to know right you need to pay attention there's to this to this to this don't do that don't do that don't do that he could have been just words but it wasn't that Jesus didn't just merely come to earth and tell us and speak to us and preach to us rather he comes to earth and he proclaims the kingdom of God is present now amen and it is present and how do we know that it is present because of the signs and the wonders that Jesus does it's not all about talk talk his chief brothers and sisters but Jesus comes and he shows power that he says to the person is blind you don't have to be blind anymore it's not just gonna be the word but the word is gonna have power there's gonna be an efficacious nature to it amen they did not just come with power he does not just come with words rather it comes with power Jesus says to the crippled get up walk Jesus says to the man for in blind see the man is brought to him on a stretcher your sins are forgiven but to show you that it's not just a matter of words get up and walk the power of the gospel so Paul says that it is not just the word but also in power but if we imagine it for some of you it's not that hard to imagine if the gospel was only words in many ways that's what the prescribes and Pharisees they were they were laying these burdens upon these people do this do that follow this law time after time after time and it becomes this burden right this burden because all they know is the law all they know is the word they don't have the power to live this and brothers and sisters Jesus reminds us time and time again about laying that burden on somebody else but we've been freed from the law we've been treat from that burden amen the question we have to ask ourselves is what has been the gospel that I've encountered what gospel have you encountered because I want to suggest you guys if the only gospel we know is a matter of words it becomes a burden because we hear words like freedom and somebody tells us you can be free you don't have to be a slave to your addiction you don't have to be slave to a number on a scale you don't have to be a slave to your past and we hear this word about freedom and people talk about this word of freedom but if it's never been our experience brothers and sisters it becomes a weight and it causes us to be frustrated and angry because it's just another word we hear about mercy but is that our experience the scripture tells us that it was the gospel is not the word alone but it's a power in brothers and sisters I want to suggest that once we encounter the gospel of power its transformative we know that we've encountered the Lord we know that we've encountered Jesus not merely a word that's something that's transformed us because of our experience I know from so when I encountered Jesus and the power of Jesus my life changed so it wasn't just his word that I had heard but my life was literally changed I was blind and I was able to see I was trapped and I was freed amen the question you have to ask yourself is what is you experience have you experienced the power of the gospel because there's not merely a word but it is a power that's supposed to be encountered and if you have not encountered that power I prayed my brothers and sisters that you do every one of us amen and I suggested that it's an empower that you experience 20 years ago it's time to encounter it again today right because the power of the gospel is ever ancient and it is ever new God is always about doing something new in us and oftentimes we rest in this power that happened 20 or 30 years ago we've heard again we've heard stories about the power we've heard stories about the past it's time to begin stories once again stories that are with you and with me about God doing powerful things here on the campus amen amen but how can that but but how do we do this right we again it can all be just words it can be just things that we heard how is it that we can experience this power jesus says that Paul says in Galatians that Christ has come to set us free it's just a word unless we hear the second part of this that you who have also received power in the Holy Spirit that's how this becomes a reality if we want to know what the church looks like we're their brothers and sisters look like having seen and heard the word of Jesus we just need to go to an upper room where they're hiding and they're frightened and they don't want to be seen but whatever it takes place in that upper room by the power of the Holy Spirit literally changes them they walk out of that room differently they are now able to live what Jesus desired them to live amen but before that moment they didn't have the power to do it so imagine being asked by Jesus go out and proclaim the kingdom imagine hearing words about mercy in freedom and healing and restoration but not having that power brother and sisters we are able to do nothing we're not able to do anything apart from the Holy Spirit amen what are we able to do apart from the Holy Spirit pardon me then we need to quit trying a recipe for frustration is to trying to do this on our own power or by our own strength or by own anointing it's not our power it's the power of the Holy Spirit a man it doesn't matter to me all these people have been asking me about what do I think about this or that I don't care if anybody here is involved in the charismatic through no it doesn't matter at all to me but what does matter to me is the power of the Holy Spirit and animating your life is the power of the Holy Spirit transforming you changing you freeing you restoring you making you new that's what I care about we looked at the Catechism that says if baptism what does baptism do it opens up to us a life and the Holy Spirit brothers and sisters it is impossible for us to be Catholic for us to follow Jesus for us to be faithful for us to love for us to be patient to be kind to be generous it is impossible apart from the Holy Spirit but with the Holy Spirit we can do all things what is ultimately going to transform and change our hearts is not merely just just hearing but hearing in that anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit that brings forth power change signs and wonders miracles where do they get to experience that just 2,000 years ago why can't we see that here right why can't we see that here why shouldn't we see it here I want to suggest the reason we don't is because we don't ask and brothers and sisters we are going to start asking because if we're looking at me to fix this and to make everything all new we're in big trouble but if that wasn't exactly about a confidence but uh but it is the truth right no what we will do news we will look to encounter the power of Jesus in the anointing of the Holy Spirit we will be Catholic we will look to see what God did in the hearts and the lives of the people locked in a room that literally went out changed and different that's my prayer for you here right is the one we graduated when we leave you literally open up the doors and you go out to all the world and the power and the grace of the Holy Spirit and we live a life of power and I can I'm firmly convinced when people see the gospel preached in power when they see young people's lives transformed in the power of the Holy Spirit that is the most attractive thing we have to offer in the entire world amen and it's here right it's here that by the power of the Holy Spirit bread and wine is gonna be transformed by the body and blood but the power of the Holy Spirit this body all of these individuals are now going to become one United in the grace United in this Eucharist United in the power United in the Holy Spirit so we begin again we ask that that same Holy Spirit that fell upon Pentecost and received and gave them power will fall upon us we have that same power amen you

Channel: Franciscan University of Steubenville

Views: 4,910

Rating: 4.9560437 out of 5

Keywords: Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio, Catholic, college, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Franciscan University of Steubenville (College / University), 2019, opening mass, homily, convocation, Fr. Dave Pivonka TOR

Id: KWp70_MJvdI

Length: 10min 21sec (621 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 29 2019