Feel the Presence of the Holy Spirit

Feel the presence of the Holy Spirit

Elijah fled to the mountain awaiting a word from God.  A strong wind was severely blowing; but God was not in the wind.  There was an earthquake, but the Lord was not there.  Then there was fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  After the fire was a tiny whispering sound.  Elijah hid his face and stood at the entrance of the cave.”  1 Kings 19: 11 ff.

“Who has seen the wind? 

Neither you nor I.  

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by”. 

Robert Louis Stevenson

How often do we really seek the Holy Spirit or listen to His whispering from deep within our consciousness?  Are we even acutely aware that this third person of the Holy Trinity constantly speaks to us, convicting us (not condemning us) of the corrections from a detour we may have stepped into and guides our trek back on course.  But the primary task of the Holy Spirit is more than conviction.  Remember the words of the bishop at your Confirmation;  “Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit”!  

This gift of God, from God, and in God Himself completes the journey that began with our Baptism.  It opens before us an adventure that God shares with us, each step we take.  

God is not visible to the naked eye, but He can be seen in the works that man does in His name.  A composer sits while the notes and symbols that appear on paper will ultimately produce a melody that angels dance to; this is the Holy Spirit.  An author picks up a pencil and the words pour out in prose that may astound a readers interest; this too is the Holy Spirit.  Find a doctor who may be baffled by a severe malady that science has not yet resolved; and a solution as where to begin surfaces;  again, the Holy Spirit is at work.

What of the many persons that find life’s problems too difficult to adhere to and someone comes along and lifts their spirit and sees to thier needs.  Who but the Holy Spirit sent this angel in human form to relieve the stress and confusion.  

From a book by Louis M. Savary, S. J., “Who has seen the Wind”, the author states that Reverend Morton T. Kelsey, after taking time to count the biblical verses where the Spirit is mentioned, found that 47% of the entire New Testament is about the Holy Spirit.  That in itself indicates the importance of the third person of the Holy Trinity is extremely important.  

Jesus was emphatic when He said; “Behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”  Lk. 24: 49.  His words were stern in the fact that Jesus will be present through His Spirit, and the Person of the Holy Spirit will guide, teach, protect, and correct all of us till the end of the world.  

Feel His very Presence as each time we are blessed, forgiven, and enriched with the Grace of God, it is the Holy Spirit, that tiny whispering Elijah heard, that deep voice inside we often ignore, and the knowing of someone told me, that the Holy Spirit is at work.

Earlier I wrote a reflection titled “My Best Friend the Holy Spirit” wherein the emphasis was “a friend will never leave you or turn away when things become intolerable.”  You may be sure that the Holy Spirit is always present and does not leave us when we fail, sin, or raise doubts about God’s Love for us.  In fact, it is when we find ourselves in dire straits, weak because of failure, and reaching out for solace that God is the closest to us.  He was there when we were baptized and will be with us when the words are spoken; “In the waters of baptism (your name) died with Christ and rose with him to new life.  May he/she now share with him eternal glory.”