Missionary Discipleship

The Holy Spirit is not optional. He is God’s gift and God’s power dwelling in us. He is the One who transforms our weakness into strength, our confusion into clarity, and our fear into courage. Without Him, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). With Him, we can live as authentic disciples of Jesus Christ.

​

The Spirit is given to us for two divine purposes:

• Our personal holiness – to conform us into the likeness of Christ, rooting out sin and filling us with the virtues of faith, hope, and love.

• Our mission – to send us forth as witnesses, using our charisms and gifts to build up the Body of Christ and draw others to salvation.

Both of these purposes are ordered toward the same end: eternal life with God.

 

If “Life in the Spirit” is offered as salvation, and if obedience to the Spirit’s promptings helps us along the path to heaven, then every pastoral plan, every parish team, every ministry, every minister, every parishioner—in short, every person—must learn to listen for the voice of the Spirit and respond in obedience.

 

To ignore the Holy Spirit is to risk missing the very guidance God has provided for our salvation. To follow Him is to step onto the sure path that leads to life. As the Catechism affirms: “Those who obey the prompting of the Spirit of truth are already on the way of salvation” (CCC #331).

 

But here lies the challenge: Who knows this? How many Catholics in the pews—or away from the pews—have been clearly taught that obedience to the Holy Spirit is not an optional extra but an essential requirement of Christian life? How many of us know how to discern the Spirit’s voice from the noise of the world, the deception of the enemy, or even our own self-centered desires?

 

This is why we must take time for formation and renewal. To be a disciple is to be a learner, and learning to live in the Spirit takes practice, humility, and openness.

 

We invite you to a special day of renewal—a sacred time set apart to:

• Reflect deeply on the promises of Jesus, who said: “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth” (Jn 16:13).

• Learn practical ways to quiet your heart and tune your ear to the Spirit’s gentle promptings.

• Grow in confidence that God speaks personally to you, not just to saints or clergy.

• Practice listening in prayer, Scripture, silence, and community discernment.

• Discover how the Spirit empowers you with charisms for the good of others and the mission of the Church.

 

Why is this so urgent? Because our eternal salvation depends upon it. The Christian life is not meant to be lived by our own strength. It is only by the Spirit that we can pray, believe, forgive, serve, love, and endure. The Spirit is the breath of God in us—without Him, we are lifeless; with Him, we are alive for eternity.

We must practice living in the Spirit and following His promptings until it becomes second nature—until obedience to the Spirit is woven into every thought, decision, and action of our lives. This is not a one-time event, but a daily choice to yield to His guidance. Like any skill, it requires repetition, perseverance, and grace.

 

Let us, then, commit ourselves to walking by the Spirit (Gal 5:16), bearing His fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). For these fruits are not only signs of holiness—they are foretastes of heaven itself.

​

Come, Holy Spirit! Teach us to listen. Teach us to obey. Teach us to live fully in You.