Baptism In The Holy Spirit - Seven

Saint Peter In Prison

About that time King Herod laid hands upon some members of the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (It was the feast of Unleavened Bread. He had him taken into custody and put in prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. He intended to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being made to God on his behalf.

On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, “Get up quickly.” The chains fell from his wrists. The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.” He did so. Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” So he followed him out, not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate leading out to the city, which opened for them by itself. They emerged and made their way down an alley, and suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter recovered his senses and said, “Now I know for certain that [the] Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.” 

When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who is called Mark, where there were many people gathered in prayer. When he knocked on the gateway door, a maid named Rhoda came to answer it. She was so overjoyed when she recognized Peter’s voice that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They told her, “You are out of your mind,” but she insisted that it was so. But they kept saying, “It is his angel.” But Peter continued to knock, and when they opened it, they saw him and were astounded. He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet and explained to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison, and said, “Report this to James and the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place. At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. Herod, after instituting a search but not finding him, ordered the guards tried and executed. Then he left Judea to spend some time in Caesarea.

PRAYER FOR GRACE:

Jesus my Lord, I confess to you and to all the world my need for your presence in my life. I am alone and in darkness without you. I am influenced and controlled by the many forces that surround me. Even though I struggle against them, it is sin that so easily dominates my life. Who can save me but you alone, my Lord and my God. Deliver me from the Evil One. Touch my life with that power which flows from your resurrection. Cause your Holy Spirit to be born in me anew. Prince of Peace and Lord of Glory reign now in my heart. Baptize me with your Holy Spirit and Fire. Raise me up to a New Life in you.

POINTS TO CONSIDER AS YOU PRAY:

•  The battle of the cross of Jesus, in which Satan was defeated, is now being  waged against the infant Church. (Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon   ....  the huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it .....Re. 12:) 
• No human resource, of its own, can prevail against these attacks, but the Church is now empowered by the Spirit, and equipped with powerful chrism's 
• People today, often report the experience of someone entering their life, seemingly out of nowhere, and influencing their conversion or return to the faith.
• The presence and action of the Spirit abounds in our world today, do we perceive it?
• Make it a point in the days to come, to be aware of your surroundings and grace at work.

REVIEW OF PRAYER: 

• Was there a time in your prayer that evoked a change in the way you were feeling?
  
• Were you able to picture the event in your imagination?Did you identify with any particular person in the passage?
• Was there anything in your prayer that touched your heart?
• Can you name the feelings you experienced?
• Did you hear the Spirit, in your mind's ear, speaking to you?
• What areas of your personal life seemed to be coming to mind as you prayed?
• Do you have a desire to return again to this passage and prayer?
• Described what you have learned.
• What questions do you now have following your prayer?

In 1977, the synod of bishops met in Rome to discuss the theme, "Catechesis In Ourtime." There was a special focus on the catechesis of children and young people. Three years earlier a synod on evangelization had taken place  with its document on evangelization, Evangelii Nuntiandi. These two synods, 1974 and 1977, are complimentary to each other, and clearly define the terms, evangelization and catechesis.

In paragraph #19 we have the following:

• Catechesis and the Initial Proclamation of the Gospel
  
  
  19. The specific character of catechesis, as distinct from the initial conversion - bringing proclamation of the Gospel, has the twofold objective of maturing the initial faith and of educating the true disciple of Christ by means of a deeper and more systematic knowledge of the person and the message of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  
  
  But in catechetical practice, this model order must allow for the fact that the initial evangelization has often not taken place. A certain number of children baptized in infancy come for catechesis in the parish without receiving any other initiation into the faith and still without any explicit personal attachment to Jesus Christ; they only have the capacity to believe placed within them by Baptism and the presence of the Holy Spirit; and opposition is quickly created by the prejudices of their non-Christian family background or of the positivist spirit of their education.
  
  

The sacrament of baptism brings the soul into communion with the Holy Spirit. But this "explicit personal attachment to Jesus Christ", is the result of the soul cooperating with the Holy Spirit. What has occurred in recent years, often called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, or the Grace of Renewal, is people  awaking to and cooperating with the Holy Spirit to bring about this, "explicit personal attachment to Jesus Christ". It is my hope, that these exercises of prayer, may contribute to this, "awaking to the Grace of Renewal".