In our prayers, meditations and spiritual practices we often forget to call upon the Holy Spirit, or as Jesus calls her in the Gospel of John, the Advocate or Paraclete (No not parakeet! Paraclete). Jesus says that he must leave, but he will not abandon us. He is sending the Advocate from the Father to be with us, guide us and provide us protection from the enemy within and without. In our spiritual lives the Holy Spirit is often like the Cinderella of the Trinity, everyone one went to the ball but she was left at home!
We tend to be a Christocentric people when it comes to our faith and prayers, forgetting the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Yet when we call upon the Holy Spirit she comes, and mighty is her presence. The Holy Spirit is there for us always, even when we can’t, or don’t know how to pray. The Apostle Paul tells us that she intercedes on our behalf to the Father, speaking in groans, moans and ways that we can’t understand.
Filled with the Holy Spirit we can overcome the darkness and challenges of this life, and triumph over chaos, despair, loss and hopelessness. The Spirit is a healing and transforming fire that ignites our hearts with a passionate blaze inspiring us to carry the Good News of Jesus Christ into the world. She also empowers our hearts, minds and souls with strength, courage and power to overcome all obstacles and pain that we experience in our own lives. All we have to do is invite the Spirit into our lives and our hearts, and she will transform our very ethos.
Pneumatology is the term for Christian theology regarding the the Holy Spirit. And while she is a mystery and talked about little, she is the third “Person” of the Holy Trinity. She is God herself who intercedes in our lives with a transforming power that instills love, hope and abundant joy where there was once brokenness, suffering, pain and sorrow. She comes into our lives like the rush of a mighty wind, just as she did when she empowered Jesus’ disciples for ministry after his death, resurrection and ascension. The same Holy Spirit will come to us in like fashion when we call upon her, empowering our lives with renewed faith, revitalized strength and spiritual fortitude, allowing us to meet our most intense daily challenges and hardships with faith and sure and certain confidence. The Advocate will never leave or abandon us. It is us who all to often abandons her.
It takes just the slightest glimmer of faith and trust in God to allow the Spirit to work in our lives. When we do, we will feel a transformation and genuine freedom that touches the very core of our soul. No evil or wickedness that assaults us can stand up to presence of God the Holy Spirit. Her radiant and bathing loving light empowers us through a renewed faith to defeat our worst enemies, usually our self - sabotaging self.
In all our brokenness we can call upon the Holy Spirit to heal and mend our broken hearts and spirits. The only thing worse that a broken spirit is a person completely void of a spirit. When invited to the ball we call our heart, the Holy Spirit blows through us revitalizing our lives, filling that hole that may exist within us with a healing light, renewed hope and life transforming love.
Invite the Holy Spirit to that ball we call our souls, and dance with her. She will lead us into a life of joy, happiness and purpose, a purpose that will fit like a glass slipper around our hearts, minds and spirits. All are invited to this dance, and no one gets left at home.
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1 comment:
Hello Father John. I am also a Church Priest from Mumbai, India. I am glad to stop by your profile on the blogger and the blog post. I am also blessed and feel privileged and honoured to get connected with you as well as know you and about you being a Church Priest. How true it is what you have said at the beginning of your post that we often forgot to call up on Holy Spirit. I fully agree with what you have said about Holy Spirit in your post too. Great post which reminds us of not ignoring the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. I am truly blessed by your blog post and these days I have been sharing from the Word of God on Holy Spirit. I love getting connected with the People of God around the globe to be encouraged, strengthened and praying for one another. I have been in the Pastoral ministry for last 40 yrs in this great city of Mumbai a city with a great contrast where richest of rich and the poorest of poor live. We reach out to the poorest of poor with the love of Christ to bring healing to the brokenhearted. We also encourage young and the adults from the west to come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. We would love to have your grown up children to come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. We also will be so happy to have you come to minister the body of Christ to be equipped and strengthened. I am sure you will have a blessed and rewarding time as well as the body of Christ too.Looking forward to hear from you very soon. God's richest blessings on you, your family and friends and also wishing you a blessed and a Christ centred rest of the year 2018. My email id is: dhwankhede(at)gmail(dot)com and my name is Diwakar Wankhede
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