Anybody have a Holy Spirit experience?

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Yes. Baptism was probably my most notable “Holy Spirit experience.” Confirmation would be rank just after that.
 
I as watching my son on the playground after one whopper of a miserable day. It was mostly cloudy. The thought suddenly came to me that I had not offered up any of the day as redemptive suffering. Almost at that exact second, the clouds literally parted and sunlight started to steam down. Even if a skeptic “proved” a coincidence, who made the universe and created coincidences?

2nd place goes to the time I was contemplating God on the couch in front of the sacred heart portrait. When I realized that my arms were out to the sides on top of the couch and that my feet were crossed in the place where his were nailed, the experience of the moment moved me to tears.
 
Nelka said:
An answered prayer would be better.
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Yes, that would be nice also. Petitioning God in prayer for something also brings encounters of Christ’s Holy Spirit.

As a matter of fact, the Holy Spirit even helps us pray.

You can pray something like, “Holy Spirit, help me pray for “whatever your petition is” in my cry to God”, as an example.

Romans 8:26
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
 
EvangelistVictor said:
So when you got confirmed you experienced this?
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It is a Sacrament, not so much about experience. I experienced nothing of the Holy Spirit as such when I was confirmed except that I could have another name beside my Baptism name. And that what happened to most of us - it did not make a difference to our lives.
 
Reuben_J said:
It is a Sacrament, not so much about experience. I experienced nothing of the Holy Spirit as such when I was confirmed except that I could have another name beside my Baptism name. And that what happened to most of us - it did not make a difference to our lives
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Yes, I didn’t get any experience in the sacraments either as a youth, but I believe it could happen there too.

Another way I can experience the Holy Spirit almost anytime as long as my heart is seeking God is during worship songs. Coming from a Charismatic Church background in past years I experienced this worship in song.

I must admit that I miss worshipping God this way in song at mass. I can literally feel the presence of the Holy Spirit all around me and within me, like anointing oil flowing through my veins. There is no other experience like this in the whole wide world. Luckily I can worship God at home anytime this way.

If you speak Spanish, I’ve been listening to worship songs by this Christian artist.

Vivo Para Cristo by Juan Carlos Alvarado
https://play.google.com/music/m/B5l...i2u?t=Vivo_Para_Cristo_-_Juan_Carlos_Alvarado
 
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I felt an overwhelming sense of love and peace during a prayer meeting, which may have been from the Holy Spirit. I don’t know what it was, but whatever it was, it was powerful.
 
drac16 said:
I felt an overwhelming sense of love and peace during a prayer meeting, which may have been from the Holy Spirit. I don’t know what it was, but whatever it was, it was powerful.
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Yes, that was the presence of the Holy Spirit. Awesome!!!

St. John 7:37-39
Rivers of Living Water
37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Today we have the Spirit as Jesus has been glorified!
 
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EvangelistVictor said:
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Reuben_J:
It is a Sacrament, not so much about experience. I experienced nothing of the Holy Spirit as such when I was confirmed except that I could have another name beside my Baptism name. And that what happened to most of us - it did not make a difference to our lives
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Yes, I didn’t get any experience in the sacraments either as a youth, but I believe it could happen there too.

Another way I can experience the Holy Spirit almost anytime as long as my heart is seeking God is during worship songs. Coming from a Charismatic Church background in past years I experienced this worship in song.

I must admit that I miss worshipping God this way in song at mass. I can literally feel the presence of the Holy Spirit all around me and within me, like anointing oil flowing through my veins. There is no other experience like this in the whole wide world. Luckily I can worship God at home anytime this way.

If you speak Spanish, I’ve been listening to worship songs by this Christian artist.

Vivo Para Cristo by Juan Carlos Alvarado
Google Play Music is no longer available
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I am a cradle Catholic and our observance of the faith was almost cultural – Sacraments were just practices we had to do. There was of course the spiritual aspect of it but as they said, it was really a matter of faith, nothing tangible or experiences.

It is probable for this reason that many Catholics are just nominal. I know because I was one. You went to church on Sundays, get married in the church and perhaps die there too. Are they passionate about their spirituality and belief? That varies a lot from person to person.

The Holy Spirit that is within us by virtue of our Baptism needs to be released, not bound, for us to feel the power He wants to give us in our lives. That’s the reason why the apostles were changed men after they received the Holy Spirit.

It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can experience the Sacraments tangibly, their meaning and their graces to increase our faith so that we can be the Church Militants here on earth and victorious against sins in our lives.

You can have it in the Sacraments, worship, prayers, word of God, spiritual songs and books, etc.

We are uniquely different individuals and so too are our tastes in spirituality.

Songs of worship is a great way to experience God but also are the Sacraments. (Thanks for the link btw)

The mass as a Sacrament has to be seen in its context and thus how to participate in it meaningfully. Its main features are the Rites within the mass, not so much the songs, so in understanding what they are, would be effective way to have deeper experience of the grace of the mass.

God bless.
 
Reuben_J said:
The Holy Spirit that is within us by virtue of our Baptism needs to be released, not bound, for us to feel the power He wants to give us in our lives. That’s the reason why the apostles were changed men after they received the Holy Spirit
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Yes, so powerfull and well said!! :))
 
John 14:26a

26 But the (Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things…

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal

Has had mercy on me since I was a child. He definitely moved mountains just so I could be baptized by a holy priest, confirmed me Himself (baptized with the Holy Spirit) when I was 22 and later saw to it that I was chrismated with holy oil by a holy priest.

I find kindred spirits when I read the lives of the saints. I can relate to their struggles.

St. Faustina, pray for us.
 
I went to a healing Mass where the Holy Spirit is called to come into people and heal them. I was having grief and anxiety.

I think the Holy Spirit did come into me as after the healing prayer with the priest I felt very emotional and cried, which is not normal behavior for me.

I have been trying to call on the Holy Spirit more as I had just finished a consecration renewal where one prays a lot to the Holy Spirit aka Holy Ghost with the Veni Creator and Litany of the Holy Ghost, etc. I kind of preferred when the Holy Spirit was Holy Ghost. It seems like there were a lot more prayers and consciousness of Him. The Litany of the Holy Ghost is a good prayer.

(Side question Does anyone know why the Church never approved the “Litany of the Holy Ghost” for public use? Seems weird that it didn’t.)
 
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The Catholic Church is the One True Church and the Catholic Faith the One True Faith. Any Catholic who practices the Faith, seeks to grow in Faith or anyone who seeks to enter the Catholic Church experiences the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit guides us into all Truth. Attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacraments, prayer especially the Rosary (at least that is my experience) reading Scripture through the mind of the Church, voluteering in your parish, reading spiritually edifying Catholic material. All of that is the Holy Spirit because again He will lead you into all Truth.
 
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I have. I was praying in the local cathedral, not actually about anything in particular it was just a general time to consider God in quiet adoration. Nothing special seemed to prompt it but I have never felt so close to God as I did then. I wept silently in the pure joy of it and the sense of love. It’s actually what led me to leave Catholicism and join the Quakers.
 
When I was dating my husband, I was praying for his conversion. One day we were out on my front porch and the upstairs neightbor came halfway down the stairs. Leaning over the stair rail, he made a few pleasantries and then it was though the air around us changed before he began to speak in such detail of the passion of Christ. When he finished, we were silent for a moment, an acorn hit my then boyfriend square in the forehead and he went inside and wept. It was one of several huge turning points in his conversion and I’ve always regarded it as a Holy Spirit experience.
 
Daily. Holy Spirit taught me everything exactly like St John said in the bible to do good works for God, how to pray, correct faulty, cheer me up and speak through me non-stop… Partial vocal gift is the first sign I recognized the Holy Spirit although Holy God blessed some long before that.

All this happened shortly after I practiced to purify the soul, love and defend God,
The Holy Spirit helps mostly in secret thought or guide to the right source.

There is the voice of THE HOLY SPIRIT, SATAN-lying spirits 2 Chron 18:22, YOUR SPIRIT (sourlish man), AND the voice of YOUR FLESH.

What devils hate are what I strive hard most…
 
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Rob2 said:
I trust every Catholic has had a Holy Spirit experience .

We have all received the Holy Spirit , but some give Him scant attention .

I hope there will come a time when the Church talks as much about the Real Presence of the Holy Spirit in each of us as it does about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist .
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At least we all should have–at Confirmation in particular, where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are bestowed. The problem is, many Catholics have extinguished the Spirit in themselves (been there, done that). Along the lines of your hope, I think it’s important for us to know how to discern whether or not we have extinguished the Spirit within us and, if we have, to return to His grace through the sacrament of penance.

I have found this passage from St. Robert Bellarmine helpful in this regard:
Let him then who has been confirmed enter into the chamber of his heart, and diligently inquire whether he has kept in his heart the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and especially wisdom and fortitude. Let him examine, I repeat, whether he possess the wisdom of the saints who esteemed eternal goods, and despised earthly ones; whether he has the fortitude of soldiers of Christ, who bear injuries more willingly than they do them. And lest he should possibly be deceived, let him descend to practise and examine his conscience. If he shall find that he is always truly ready to bestow alms, not to heap up riches; and if when injured he thinks not on revenge, but very readily .and willingly pardons the injury: he may justly exult in his heart as having in his soul a pledge of the adoption of the sons of God.

But if, after having received Confirmation, he perceives himself to be no less covetous, avaricious, passionate, and impatient, and if he with difficulty allows any money to be distributed for the relief of the poor; but, on the contrary, if he sees that he is ready to seize every opportunity of lucre, that he is quickly excited, prone to revenge, and when requested by his friends to forgive an offence is inexorable what is the conclusion, but that he has received indeed the sacrament, but not the grace of the sacrament?

What I have said is intended for those who are adults, when they approach the sacrament; for they who receive it at an age incapable of sin, receive, it is to be believed, all its gifts and graces. But these must stand in fear, lest by sin creeping upon them gradually, and deferring to do penance for a long time, they extinguish the spirit received that is, lose the grace of the Holy Spirit. Thus is to be understood what the Apostle saith: “Extinguish not the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians v. 19.) He extinguishes the Holy Spirit, as far as lies in him, who destroys in himself the grace of God.
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“The man who is filled with the Holy Spirit speaks in different languages. These languages are different ways of witnessing to Christ, such as humility, poverty, patience, and obedience; we speak in those languages when we reveal these virtues to others.” -St. Anthony of Padua
 
Yes! Its like a flame of fire that lives in us. I’m my experience, we must continue in prayer, devotions, bible reading, attending mass, etc so this flame doesn’t go out.

And most importantly pray, “Holy Spirit, fill me with your power and presence!” every day. Especially in the mornings. I’ve had my fire burn out several times for neglecting the things of God.
 
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