Paying Attention to God's Spirit

  “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him." Jn 1:32

The Spirit of God is powerful and transforming, and when John the Baptist sees the spirit in the form of a dove descend and remain upon the Lord, he knows Jesus is the Messiah, the promised one. What is more remarkable is that this same spirit is promised to and comes upon us as well. While it is true that we can turn away from or reject the transforming power of the Spirit, it is God's desire that we accept and live in, with and through the Spirit.

It can be difficult and dangerous to speak of God's desire, but when we carefully read the scriptures and the tradition of the church, we can speak confidently. God wants to be near us. He sends prophets our way and eventually his own Son to demonstrate that he desires our salvation. God wants to be with us, to love us totally and to guide us to the fullness of life.

Paying attention to the Spirit around us, within us and among us will allow us to see God's love and know God's desire not only for us but for all creation.

Today, look for signs of the Spirit in your everyday life.

Where do you most often "see" God's Spirit?

Two Edged Sword

 "The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart." Heb 4:12

St Anthony of Egypt heard God call him in this gospel passage, "Go sell all you have and come follow me." Anthony complied immediately and fled to the desert to live a life of austerity, penance and prayer. But got it wrong, and God called him back to his society so that he could help others find God in a society gone mad with wealth, power and lust.

Most of us have known the rushing of God's spirit upon us, at least for a time, but we don't always respond as completely St. Anthony because we are fearful that a call as radical as this might disrupt our lives and everyone around us.

Today, trust that God's sword will not harm us.

Have you risked responding to God when you were afraid of his two edged sword?

True Friendship

  "They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying." Mk 2:3-4

Where would we be without friends? A paralyzed man who hears about Jesus has no way to see or visit the Lord unless friends help him. Though Jesus is  surrounded by needy people, the paralytic's friends are not deterred. They go up on the roof, dig through it and lower their friend in front of Jesus. It is really an amazing scene which the scribes cannot spoil with the mumbling about Jesus not having the power to forgive sins. So anxious not to lose their teaching role in the society, the scribes think nothing about the paralytic while the man's friends think of nothing else. Who doesn't yearn for friends like this?

The twelfth century monk and writer, Aelred of Rievaulx, says it this way:

No medicine is more valuable, none more efficacious, none better suited to the cure of all our temporal ills than a friend to whom we may turn for consolation in time of trouble, and with whom we may share our happiness in time of joy. ― Aelred of Rievaulx Spiritual Friendship

Today, be gracious and accept the help of your friends.

To which friends are you most grateful?

Waiting for God to Heal Us

  "Lord, if you wish you can make me clean." Lk 5:12

From time to time, all of us have to ask for help, even from those we don't like or admire. The man "full of leprosy" (Lk 5:12) asks Jesus to be made clean and as soon as he does, his life changes. Though Jesus does not want the leper to tell anyone who healed him, the crowds following Jesus spread the news about the leper's cleansing and soon everyone knows.

There is a simple lesson in this text for us. Though we may be reluctant to ask God for help, thinking our faith is not strong enough, we should not hesitate. We should always ask to be healed, and trust that healing comes in many forms. Sometimes God's healing allows us to accept the burden of a dark period in our lives, and while that might not be what we were praying for, it does allow us to move forward in faith .

Today, ask God for healing and wait.

Have their been instances in your life when asking for help changed how you viewed the burdens you carry?