Resting In The Spirit

[Laudate_Dominum]

[quote name='mortify' post='1443237' date='Jan 8 2008, 02:48 AM']Yes I'm sure. I saw him placing his hand on the back of people's necks when he prayed over them and he did the same to me. He tugged two times to signal I should fall.[/quote]
Why the back of the neck? I don't think I've never seen that. I've only experienced the push on the forehead. I guess the back of the neck thing might be a little more discreet.

[Deb]

[quote name='qfnol31' post='1443243' date='Jan 8 2008, 02:17 AM']The people in charge of Steubenville conferences discourage this from happening during Adoration, saying that it seems odd that the Holy Ghost would take the emphasis away from Christ in the Blessed Sacrament...

I would apply that same reasoning to the Mass as well.[/quote]


It is not like it is a choice and it does nothing more than relax you to a point that your only focus is on God. If the Holy Spirit, who comes from Jesus, decides to move in you, I don't question the timing. It has only enhanced my mass or adoration. The love for God that pours out at that moment is incredible or maybe I am confused and it is Christ at those moments and not the holy spirit. Amazing things take place during adoration and during mass. God is so present.

[Deb]

[quote name='Noel's angel' post='1443074' date='Jan 7 2008, 06:28 PM']I really can't get round to believing in this. The more people talk about it, the more it makes me think it's fake. People are often so desperate to believe in things, they see things that aren't there. We've all heard of phony 'faith-healers'. "If you're not healed, then you mustn't have had enough faith." If I thought that one prayer said by a priest would heal me, I would go for it. But the whole things seems a bit...odd.[/quote]


Well, if you don't know what it is, you laugh at people who fall down and the next thing you know, you are on the floor, you can't really attribute that to being desperate to believe in things. I am sure there are phony faith healers and one must discern whom they trust to be a gifted representative of Christ. I have found all the Priests that I have gone to to be authentic.

Jesus said," I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, "Go throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes what he says will happen, it will be done for him."

God is still interacting with man every single day. This is just one of his ways.

[Deb]

[quote name='mortify' post='1441831' date='Jan 3 2008, 10:09 PM']If "resting in the Spirit" is what Deb just mentioned, then I saw it occur at a healing mass myself. To be honest I'm quite skeptical. When I went to be healed by the priest, he said some prayer over me and then placed his hand at the back of my neck. After he was finished praying he tugged the back of my neck several times, signaling me that I should fall. I didn't. I just stood there, while others fell when the priest tugged their neck.

The whole thing appeared to be associated with the charismatic movement, and it's done among protestant circles.[/quote]

Very strange. I have not seen Priests do anything like that before. I am usually so filled with the spirit before the Priest gets to me that I am lucky if he gets his hand on top of my head before I go down. I can feel him approaching three people off.
My sister though told me that a Priest in confession from another country was praying over her and seemed to be actually trying to push her down. She figured he was very overzealous and maybe didn't get the Holy Spirit thing at all. It either comes in that fashion or it doesn't. It comes in many other ways too and all are of the same value. Going down is not the main objective. The prayer is the objective. The healing of the spirit is the objective.

I have had several major healings from these masses and they are amazing.

[Oik]

As someone who grew up in a post-sexual revolution, quasi-liberal nominal Irish Catholic household, I had no experience with the "Charismatic Catholic" movement/renewal until I was well into my teens. I was born in 1982. The churches I attended growing up were Contemporary post-Vatican II Churches. The first Latin Mass I attended in a Church was 2002 or so.

I was involved in the Charismatic Catholic movement. While I think that it is mostly harmless, I do not see it as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has allows been outpouring since Pentecost. That's what Pentecost was about. We recieve the graces of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. We can choose to act out this life or not. The Charismatic renewal does not offer anything new or anything that the Church hasn't always had.

The Charismatic renewal was basically a group of people who adopted a Charismatic Spirituality which is very close to the Pentecostals (notice that Pentecostal and Pentecost are similar?).

I see Charismatic Catholics like I see the estatic prophets from the Old Testament. They teach people to pray and such, but really, not necessary.

I myself am Melkite Catholic and the whole Charismatic thing doesn't offer anything to our spirituality. Especially because of our emphasis on the mystical and hesychastic tradition. Besides, we don't have Eucharistic adoration. We use leavened bread and we never use a Monstrance.

I'm not saying these things are bad, but honestly, the Church has what she needs. The Charismatic renewal/movement is a passing spiritual fad. It isn't standing the test of time, nor does it stand up to the time honored traditions of the Church, especially not the Eastern Churches.

[Proud2BCatholic139]

Here is my experience with resting in the Spirit:

I was at a college retreat in Orlando, Florida area this past fall. My boyfriend was on this retreat and so were a few of my friends. It was a three day retreat and this experience happened on the second day.

Before Reconciliation I prayed to the Holy Spirit for healing. I was struggling with a lot of life issues and it was wearing me down. I had a very powerful confession which I knew I was face to face with Jesus. I felt as if I was sitting right next to him having a conversation, a peaceful conversation. This priest told me, "For you penance, you will look into the monstrance, and see and hear no one but Jesus." So, as I kneed on the floor and as soon as I began my penance I fell to the floor. It was not hard, but, it was different than just resting. I fell into this deep sleep and I didn't know what my living state was like. I know that my breathing was minimal and I felt as if I was in a different world. I could hear the praise music playing, and I could hear voices, but I could not open my eyes...I could not move. My boyfriend had no idea what was going on and he was panicing. I felt as if I was being pinned down. When I tried to move I felt as if I was weightless, but one ton of bricks was on me. I started hyperventalating and my body was being electrified like I was under an AED machine. At this point I could not open my eyes. About 1 hour later I woke up, I barely rose myself up, I had no clue on what happened, but all the events that I wrote I was told about by peers. I felt much better after this experience.

God is good.

[qfnol31]

[quote name='Deb' post='1445342' date='Jan 13 2008, 03:47 PM']It is not like it is a choice and it does nothing more than relax you to a point that your only focus is on God. If the Holy Spirit, who comes from Jesus, decides to move in you, I don't question the timing. It has only enhanced my mass or adoration. The love for God that pours out at that moment is incredible or maybe I am confused and it is Christ at those moments and not the holy spirit. Amazing things take place during adoration and during mass. God is so present.[/quote]

In what way is God most present at that point?

[Fr. Antony Maria OSB]

I've noticed a lot of people saying that Resting in the Spirit happens a lot when a priest prays over you, but that's not always the case. As in my own experience and (I'm sorry, I don't remember your name) the experience of the person above me who experienced it during her penance, it happens when you least expect it. I was in the middle of a whole bunch of my peers, the nearest priest three rows behind me, so while there may be some priests who try and force people to fall by pushing them, that's not always the case.

May God bless and protect you always in all of your endeavors!

Your Brother in Christ,

Joe

[Deb]

[quote name='qfnol31' post='1445432' date='Jan 13 2008, 09:21 PM']In what way is God most present at that point?[/quote]


I am not sure if I can adequately explain this but, I will try to give an example. When the Gospel is being read. God fills me up. Every muscle in my body relaxes. I can barely stand up while listening. I am at complete and total peace. I hear nothing else that goes on around me in the church. It is like I am alone with the Priest. I hear only the word of God. I am not aware of any thoughts of my own. It is a high unlike anything I ever got from drugs. (and I had a lot of them over my life) Every word is like a bell ringing in my soul. Beautiful words. I don't blink, I don't move. I barely breathe. I am just surrounded by God and the Word.
When we sit for the homily, I am floating in the pew. Later, I remember the Gospel and I can meditate on it because it is in my mind so clearly. This is God's presence.
In adoration I am filled with the Holy Spirit and I can pray with more intensity or I can just sit in the silence with Jesus. I hear no one around me and an hour passes like minutes. It is just me and God. If I could spend eight hours a day in adoration instead of working, that is where I would be.
It is almost mystical except I don't do anything but pray and give thanks and praise the Lord. He gives me the consolations of his heavenly presence.
I don't understand most of this. I don't have a clue about 99% of my religious experiences because I don't know anything. I am reading everything I can get my hands on but, I am still in RCIA. I have a couple of Priests I talk to and they just tell me that Christ is in me and he is working in me. I only know that God is real and he can touch us and heal us physically and spiritually because he has done this for me. I am being transformed more and more every day and resting in spirit has played a part in that. Healing masses do heal. Mine mostly internal but, healing nonetheless. I am so blessed that God woke me up to his Love. I was wandering in darkness for decades. I need a lot of fixing.

[Deb]

[quote name='NazFarmer' post='1445445' date='Jan 13 2008, 09:49 PM']I've noticed a lot of people saying that Resting in the Spirit happens a lot when a priest prays over you, but that's not always the case. As in my own experience and (I'm sorry, I don't remember your name) the experience of the person above me who experienced it during her penance, it happens when you least expect it. I was in the middle of a whole bunch of my peers, the nearest priest three rows behind me, so while there may be some priests who try and force people to fall by pushing them, that's not always the case.

May God bless and protect you always in all of your endeavors!

Your Brother in Christ,

Joe[/quote]

When the Lord comes, he comes. Who knows the whys?

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='curtins' post='1438380' date='Dec 25 2007, 12:55 PM']What is resting in the spirit

is it legitimate, are there any church teachings on it or anything like that?

How does it relate to mysticism?[/quote]
This phrase sounds Charismatic to me, and so I would avoid it.

I would prefer to say that the [i]Spirit rests upon a Christian[/i] (i.e., through the mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation), and when He (i.e., the Spirit) rests upon a man in this way, He energizes him so that he can act in a way that manifests Christ's presence in the world.

[jeffpugh]

[quote name='Oik' post='1445387' date='Jan 13 2008, 06:06 PM']As someone who grew up in a post-sexual revolution, quasi-liberal nominal Irish Catholic household, I had no experience with the "Charismatic Catholic" movement/renewal until I was well into my teens. I was born in 1982. The churches I attended growing up were Contemporary post-Vatican II Churches. The first Latin Mass I attended in a Church was 2002 or so.

I was involved in the Charismatic Catholic movement. While I think that it is mostly harmless, I do not see it as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has allows been outpouring since Pentecost. That's what Pentecost was about. We recieve the graces of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. We can choose to act out this life or not. The Charismatic renewal does not offer anything new or anything that the Church hasn't always had.

The Charismatic renewal was basically a group of people who adopted a Charismatic Spirituality which is very close to the Pentecostals (notice that Pentecostal and Pentecost are similar?).

I see Charismatic Catholics like I see the estatic prophets from the Old Testament. They teach people to pray and such, but really, not necessary.

I myself am Melkite Catholic and the whole Charismatic thing doesn't offer anything to our spirituality. Especially because of our emphasis on the mystical and hesychastic tradition. Besides, we don't have Eucharistic adoration. We use leavened bread and we never use a Monstrance.

I'm not saying these things are bad, but honestly, the Church has what she needs. The Charismatic renewal/movement is a passing spiritual fad. It isn't standing the test of time, nor does it stand up to the time honored traditions of the Church, especially not the Eastern Churches.[/quote]
Great post!
I'm thinking we can work something out with the accidents of Bread from the eastern mass though... make a sunburst monstrance with a bit of a globe in the middle opposed to flat glass.

[Oik]

[quote]I'm thinking we can work something out with the accidents of Bread from the eastern mass though... make a sunburst monstrance with a bit of a globe in the middle opposed to flat glass.[/quote]

LOL! hahaha...oh wait, are you being serious.

Ummm...sorry, we don't do that in our Church. During the Divine Liturgy, the Priest makes a procession throughout the Church called the Great Entrance. He carries the blessed bread and blessed wine prepared at the Prothesis before the Divine Liturgy for the consecration. What is not consumed by the communicants is then consumed by the deacon (and/or priest). We reserve the eucharist in the tabernacle on the Altar, but this is a very small place inside and probably only fits a small Eucharist.

Besides, we use leavened bread and do not practice Eucharistic adoration. unless you count to three seconds after Holy Communion when the priest blesses the faithful with the Precious Blood and Spotless Body that was not consumed before he carries it to the Prothesis table to be consumed by the deacon (and/or priest).

Sorry, but it's not our tradition to have Eucharistic adoration. Christ is meant to be consumed in our tradition.

[Oik]

[quote]This phrase sounds Charismatic to me, and so I would avoid it.

I would prefer to say that the Spirit rests upon a Christian (i.e., through the mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation), and when He (i.e., the Spirit) rests upon a man in this way, He energizes him so that he can act in a way that manifests Christ's presence in the world.[/quote]

Apotheoun,

This is a great post. I good explanation too. I would add though, that in the Eastern traditions, the Holy Mysteries of Illumination, that is, Holy Baptism, Holy Chrismation and Holy Communion, are all recieved at the same time, usually as an infant (and infants continue to receive Holy Communion thereon afterwards).

So, going off your post, the Gracesof the Holy Spirit, in connection with the Holy Mysteries of Illumination, come during infancy (for those Eastern Christians who are born Eastern Christians).

[Noel's angel]

I've noticed how these things occur during adoration or 'healing Masses'. We don't have those. We have Adoration in silence which is just as wonderful and amazing as when people are dropping like flies. But we've never had a healing Mass in our parish or any parish close to me. Maybe the Irish are too reserved for the Spirit to 'move' in us...

I'm trying desperately to see the benefit in making people fall over, but I see no reason why the Holy Spirit would just want people to fall...

Edited January 14, 2008 by Noel's angel