A Total Stranger
Picture this: It’s Christmas day and you are celebrating with your extended family. Everyone is there- your cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. For most of us, there are people in our families that we feel very close to and get along well with. There are others that we fight with or don’t particularly enjoy being around. Then there’s your weird uncle George (everybody’s got one! Ok, not always named George, but you get the point!) And then maybe there is a relative who you have always wanted to get to know better, but just have never spent that much time with. Often, this is exactly how we relate to the Holy Spirit; we are part of the same family and have been at the same gatherings for years, but we don’t really know Him well at all.
This Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles and set their hearts on fire for the Gospel (Acts 2). This deepening of their relationship with God gave them a passion to go out and share the good news of Jesus with all of the people they met. The impact was huge!
Thousands of people at a time began converting to Christianity! With the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles weren’t discouraged or afraid when they were criticized, mocked, beaten up, and imprisoned. How is that possible? Because the Holy Spirit had shown them that they belonged to God and were his children. With that confidence, they were empowered to face many struggles. St. Paul went on to write about this to the Galatians: “As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father! So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God” (Galatians 4:6-7). The Holy Spirit brings us into God’s family, allows us to participate in God’s love, and then sends us out fearlessly to invite others into this relationship. So, how can the Holy Spirit impact our lives?
A ‘Him’ Not An ‘It’
First of all, let’s set something straight. The Holy Spirit is not an “It”. He’s a Person. He’s not like the Force in Star Wars – an energy or power that you can use to accomplish things.
Too often, we think about the Holy Spirit like that. We profess the exact opposite of that idea whenever we make the sign of the Cross and say, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” If we are praying in the name of the Holy Spirit, that means he is a Person we can come to know and love just like Jesus and the Father.
Pray to Him:
We are all called to have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. That means praying to Him every day and letting Him into our lives. The question is “do we?” Is the Holy Spirit someone that we feel comfortable praying to? Do we talk to Him daily and ask Him to guide and empower us? If you want to pray to the Holy Spirit but don’t know where to begin, start with one of my favorite simple prayers: “Come, Holy Spirit.” This is a prayer that I pray multiple times every day- before a conversation with someone, before I start a project, or when I begin my prayer time. Jesus himself tells us that asking the Father to send us the Spirit is essential to our life. He says, “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11: 11-13). God wants to give you the Holy Spirit! All you have to do is ask! Invite the Holy Spirit into your life every day and ask Him to make you as fearless as the first Apostles in living your faith.
Let the Jailbreak Happen!
If you’ve been baptized, you’ve received the Holy Spirit. If you’ve been Confirmed, you’ve received an even greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life. However, we can choose to keep the Holy Spirit trapped inside us and not allow Him to lead us forward in faith like the Apostles. Last week, Pope Francis said that we often, “have the Holy Spirit in our heart as a ‘prisoner of luxury’: we do not let Him encourage us, we do not let Him move us” (Homily, May 9, 2016). We keep the Holy Spirit as a prisoner in our hearts who is not free to give us direction and guidance. Even though it can be scary, we have to let the Holy Spirit break out from His jail cell and lead us forward. That means He might ask us to stop doing certain things that we know aren’t helping us become who we’re made to be, like gossiping about others or acting impurely. He might encourage us to give more time to daily prayer instead of just the last 30 seconds before we fall asleep at night. He might lead us to live our faith more confidently around other people and even share it with them.
Where is the Holy Spirit trying to lead you? What is it that you believe God is calling you to do, but you’re too afraid or weak to do on your own? That’s where the Holy Spirit wants to come and encourage you. He will give you the strength to do what you can’t alone. Whatever it is, life is so much better when we trust Him and follow His lead! Wherever He leads, trust Him this week, and ask Him to give you fearless faith like the Apostles.
About the Author
Jake Stanley
I enjoy playing the guitar, the great outdoors, and any sport that involves a ball (except water polo). I firmly believe that Pluto will always be a planet. Jesus completely changed my life when I was in high school so I’m a big fan of His. I strive to be more like Him every day. Follow me on twitter@moderncatholic1.
