The
Holy Spirit
A Bible Study Guide for Catholics
The
Holy Spirit
A Bible Study Guide for Catholics
Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.
OurSundayVisitor
Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division
Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
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Nihil Obstat
Msgr. Michael Heintz, Ph.D.
Censor Librorum
Imprimatur
Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend
December 19, 2015
The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book is free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
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Copyright © 2016 by Mitch Pacwa, S.J. Published 2016.
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ISBN: 978-1-61278-959-0 (T1726)
elSBN: 978-1-61278-961-3
LCCN: 2016944025
Cover design: Chelsea Alt
Cover art: Shutterstock
Interior design: Sherri L. Hoffman
Interior art: iStockPhoto.com
Printed in the United States of America
In Memoriam
To Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation (1923-2016), who came to love Jesus Christ with all her heart and gave herself to him and his service. She followed the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, who led her through so many adventures of faith so that she could lead millions of others to faith, love, and hope in Christ. She spoke prophetically and with courage, always loving Jesus and his people more than her own ideas, benefit, or comfort. May we all meet again in the heaven she hoped to enter.
Contents
How to Use This Study Guide in a Group
Session 1 — The Holy Spirit in Creation
Session 2 — Authority and Power Come by the Holy Spirit
Session 3 — Prophets and the Spirit of God
Session 4 — Giver of Wisdom, Guidance, and Truth
Session 5 — Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity
Session 6 — Empowerment in the New Testament
Session 7 — The Spirit and the Spiritual Life
How to Use this Study Guide in a Group
This is an interactive study guide. It can be read with profit either alone or as part of a group Bible study. Below are suggestions for the use of this book in a group.
What You Will Need for Every Session
• This study guide
• A Bible
• A notebook
• Before Session 1, members of the group are encouraged to read the Introduction and Session 1 and to complete all the exercises in both. They should bring this study guide with them to the group session.
• Begin the session with prayer (for example, see the Veni, Creator Spiritus prayer on page 167.)
• Invite one person in the group to read one of the Scripture passages included in this session’s material.
• Allow five minutes of silent reflection on the passage. This allows the group’s members to quiet their inner thoughts and to center themselves on the lesson to be discussed.
• Catechesis: Give all members a chance to share some point that they have learned about the Holy Spirit. Was this something new or a new insight into something? Was there anything that raised a question? (Allow fifteen to twenty minutes for this.)
• Discussion: Use the discussion questions at the end of the session chapter to begin a deeper grasp of the material covered in the session. (Allow fifteen to twenty minutes for this.)
• Conclusion: Have all members of the group summarize the key concepts they learned about the Holy Spirit in the session. Assign the next session as homework, to be completed before the next group session.
Symbols Used in this Study Guide
| = Information | |
| = Stop and Read | |
| = Investigate | |
| = Quotation |
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture citations used in this work are taken from the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV), copyright © 1965, 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.