The apostles and the saints were people who were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were on fire for God and it transformed their lives, and changed the world around them. They knew without a doubt that the message of Jesus Christ was not just a nice suggestion for a happier life, but was the only thing that really mattered.
The same Spirit that filled the apostles is with us today. The Holy Spirit who came upon the apostles with tongues of fire, who descended from heaven as a dove when Jesus was baptized, and who worked in the lives of countless men and women throughout the centuries is alive and active.
The question is: how can we invite the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in our lives and in our VBS?
PRAYER AND SILENCE
Prayer is something we hear about time and time again, but sometimes we need to be reminded of how completely trasformational it really is. The Holy Spirit wants to speak to us, but without silencing our hearts in prayer, it’s difficult to hear his voice. Even as a VBS Director, catechist, or busy parent, make time in your day to ask the Holy Spirit to come and fill your heart. Set an alarm on your phone to ring at a certain time, and when you hear it, take a few seconds and pray “Come Holy Spirit, come.”
GIVE GOD YOUR WILDEST DREAMS
How often are we afraid to tell God our wildest dreams because we don’t believe they’ll become a reality? Perhaps we’re afraid to be disappointed? We fall into a state of comfort and complacency because we’re hesitant to take risks with the Holy Spirit. Think about it... What do you want your community, your country, and your world to look like? How do you want things to be transformed in your life, in your parish, and at your VBS? Give God those dreams and trust that he wants them to happen even more than you do. In those times of prayer and silence, ask the Holy Spirit for big things and give him time to work.
TAKE ACTION
We may find ourselves dreaming and praying that things will start to be transformed, without recognizing that the Holy Spirit will call upon us to act and respond to his promptings. Part of living a life filled with the Holy Spirit means being open to having him use you. Maybe it’s a word that you feel you need to say to a friend, or someone you need to reach out to? Whatever it may be, pray for the courage and zeal to act on what the Holy Spirit may be calling you to do.
It says in Luke 11:13, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
God wants to fill us with the Holy Spirit, and when we open our hearts to him, he will start to transform us like he did the apostles.
