The two verses which ended yesterday’s Gospel passage also begin today’s passage.
“Do not be amazed that I told you,
‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wills,
and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
For us, those in ancient times, it appeared that the wind went wherever it chose. Our modern meteorology gives us a different understanding. However, just as the direction of the wind appeared somewhat arbitrary to the ancients, the work of the Holy Spirit might appear arbitrary to us. It is not though. The Holy Spirit does not unilaterally decide how to work. The will of the Father, Son, and Spirit are one. They do not work at odds with one another. They always work together. They are inseparable.
We can and should pray to the different Persons of the Trinity. Most of the prayers at Mass are directed to the Father through Jesus and in the unity of the Holy Spirit. We pray the “Our Father” prayer. The Anima Christi prayer is one example of how we pray to Jesus.
However, so many of us neglect the Holy Spirit in our prayers. There is an “epiclesis” in our Eucharistic Prayers at Mass that invokes the Holy Spirit. Those who have been on a Cursillo retreat likely pray to the Holy Spirit often (“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful…”).
But most of us do not pray to the Holy Spirit. Do we appreciate the role of the Spirit in our lives?
Most of these reflections are prepared in the morning on the day before they are posted. As I sit here typing this, I hear the wind whistling through the parking lot. I am reminded of how the Holy Spirit is present everywhere in this world. How the Spirit seemingly permeates everything.
It makes me wonder if I am fully open to this Spirit being operative in my life. Am I open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Am I open to the graces that the Spirit wishes to give me? Am I open to being led where the Spirit can take me? Can I be led on a path that leads to the fruits of the Holy Spirit…toward a fruition of what my life is supposed to be about? Or, am I more focused on following my own path?
One more time, I start to pray, “Come Holy Spirit…”