How to Become a River of Peace | Pentecost Sunday Reflection

Happy Pentecost Sunday! ️ Filming this one on the road in beautiful Stillwater, Minnesota — stopped by the river to talk about the Holy Spirit before heading to a REBOOT event in Wisconsin. And I have to say... it felt fitting. In this reflection, I share about a friend and mentor, Fr. Dave Pivonka — now President of Franciscan University of Steubenville — and the one word that has always described him, even as his responsibilities have grown: chill. Not because he's checked out. Because he's constantly calling on the Holy Spirit. That's what living in the Holy Spirit looks like. Not a shallow stream making a lot of noise. A deep river — powerful, moving, peaceful. We also look at St. Bede the Venerable, whose feast falls the day after Pentecost, and what he said about the dove as the perfect symbol for the Holy Spirit — and for us. Here's the challenge I give in this video: Look up the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5 — love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, self-control — and honestly ask yourself: Do those words describe me? Not in the big battlefield moments. In the everyday ones. When you walk through the front door after work. When someone annoys you. When life is hard. Two simple steps to get there: - Pray constantly — "Come, Holy Spirit." - Get intentional about cooperating with that grace. Simple? Yes. Easy? No. But if you live that way, you will become a river of peace flowing through everyone you touch. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Chris describes a life in the Holy Spirit as a "deep river" — powerful but peaceful — as opposed to a shallow stream making a lot of noise. Where in your life do you feel more like a shallow stream than a deep river, and what do you think is driving that? 2. Fr. Dave prays "Come, Holy Spirit" hundreds of times a day as a simple, constant prayer throughout his work. Is there a short prayer you already return to during the day — or could you adopt one? What gets in the way of praying constantly? 3. St. Paul lists the fruits of the Holy Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). Which of these fruits do you think is most visible in your life right now? Which one do you most need to grow in? 4. Chris distinguishes between stoicism (muscling up virtue by willpower alone) and quietism (passively waiting for God to do everything) — both extremes to avoid. How do you personally tend to lean? Do you rely too much on your own effort, or do you sometimes use "waiting on God" as an excuse for inaction? 5. The reflection ends with a very practical image: the way you walk through the front door after work, and what your face and body language communicate to your family. Where is one concrete, everyday situation — at home, at work, or in your community — where you could be more intentional about letting the fruits of the Holy Spirit show? ----- Sign up for the Daily Anchor for free daily reflections from Chris Stefanick in your inbox: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP ----- Join the mission to spread the joy of the Gospel! Become a Missionary of Joy to support this free content: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0 ----- Help support us as we seek to bring our transformative CORE Confirmation program (featuring Father Dave Pivonka himself) to this next generation: https://reallifecatholic.com/confirmation/ ----- Watch my interview with Fr. John Nepil here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lswNx-HTz6o Chapters (00:00:00) - Stillwater, Minnesota(00:00:37) - A Moment of Honor for Father Dave Pavanka(00:05:33) - Fruits of the Holy Spirit(00:09:56) - One Christian's Conversion Story