Jesus said to His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). God desires to fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we may proclaim His love to others (Romans 10:17).

This raises the following questions: Am I filled with the Holy Spirit? And how can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? First, we must understand that being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event. God conveys His Spirit in various ways. Among the most significant are the sacraments, which is why the Church encourages frequent participation in the Holy Eucharist and Confession. Each time we receive Communion, confess our sins, or spend time in adoration, we experience an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Additionally, our daily interior conversations with God and meditations on the Scriptures unite us with Him and sanctify us. Similarly, helping those in need and bringing others to Christ invites the Holy Spirit’s presence.

We also receive His Spirit and are renewed in faith when we heed the prophetic words God continues to give us. Yahweh speaks to us prophetically and personally today, notably through the messages of our Mother Mary during her apparitions and through those of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

At the dawn of the 20th century, a great movement of God emerged as Christians earnestly sought to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was poured out across many Christian denominations as believers laid hands on one another. This intense desire for God’s Spirit sparked a new wave of evangelization and a renewed practice of the charisms. A key instrument of this renewal has been the Life in the Spirit seminars, which typically have two main objectives: to activate the power of the Holy Spirit in the faithful and to foster an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord.

God still desires us today to be filled and guided by His Spirit of love (Ephesians 5:18). To experience this, we must actively seek Him, spend time with Him, and draw ever closer to Him. Let this be our sole ambition. Then we need not worry about the fruits: by persevering and honoring His commandments, our Father will come with His Son to dwell in us, filling us with the Spirit according to our capacity.

By Pierre-Alain Giffard, Director of Pastoral Work

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