I can’t stress enough that this isn’t complicated. It’s just being faithful to what the disciples did: they waited and prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And God is faithful to that.
The Largest Movement of the Holy Spirit in the History of the Church. At least that is what Fr. Dave Pivonka, the man behind The Wild Goose series, is hoping for this Pentecost.
“What our vision is, is to have people from all over the world gather on the vigil of Pentecost to pray. Nothing more complicated than that. To pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” says Pivonka, who is organizing the vigil together with Dumb Ox Ministries, 4PM Media and the Vigil Project (who we’ve been featuring hereat Cecilia Music).
The artists behind the Vigil Project will be gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana, for their own Pentecost vigil, consisting in prayer, liturgy, adoration and worship, praying and waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. If you happen to be in the area, you can sign up for the vigil here.
And if you aren’t in the New Orleans area? That’s kind of the point: “Our vision is actually something that was an experience I had in prayer,” explains Fr. Dave. “And that was seeing the world and just seeing God’s fire falling down on all different places in the world. I think that’s what God wants to do. God wants to come with his power and his fire upon the world.”
This is a worldwide event, a universal vigil for the universal Church. The idea is to gather together with your parish, your Bible study or your men’s or women’s group on the eve of Pentecost. Or even by yourself at home, wherever you are. We will gather together for one purpose: to pray, Come, Holy Spirit.
So, practically speaking, what exactly do you do? First, take this week to prepare.
Pray. Ask God to prepare you for the outpouring of His Spirit. Ask God what you can offer him. Meditate on the Scriptures, especially John 20 and the first few chapters of the acts of the apostles. Fast. Offer something to God. Take the clutter out of your life. Empty yourself. Ask God to take away anything that takes you away from him. Make a good confession.
Then, on the eve of Pentecost, hold your own Pentecost vigil.
“I can’t stress enough that this isn’t complicated,” urges Fr. Dave. “It’s just being faithful to what the disciples did: they waited and prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And God is faithful to that.” It’s as simple as gathering together with others (or even by yourself), praying for the outpouring of the Spirit, and waiting. Like the apostles. They’ve even put together some materialswith practical help for organizing your own vigil, including resources for prayer, meditation, and learning more about the Holy Spirit.
“We’re going to say ‘Come, Holy Spirit,’ and then we’re going to see what happens. I’m just really excited to see what the Lord is going to do.”
Let us know what you’re planning on doing for Pentecost: Tell us about your own vigil by heading over to the Vigil Project’s website.We’re looking forward to praying with you.
Libby Reichert
And today we celebrate...