They had been prevented by the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit

Everything seemed to be going well for Paul and Timothy as they traveled from city to city,  sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.  But today, we read that they could not preach in certain cities because “they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit”.  What happened? Scripture does not say they heard a voice from the sky or were rebuked by a fiery prophet.  So how did the Spirit lead them, and why would he direct them not to go to certain areas?

Lessons from the Holy Spirit

Paul and Timothy experienced senses from the Lord, internal promptings to do certain things and not do others.  In a word, God guided them.  It is not a far fetched idea when you think about it.  We experience something similar when our conscience encourage us, “Do not  yell at him” or “Sit down and pray”.  Granted, Paul and Timothy’s  nudges from the Spirit were more consequential than these, but the same principle is at work in us.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tell us baptism give us “the power to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit”, so that we can bring God’s goodness into the world.  When we follow the Spirit, we become “free collaborators in his work in the Church, and in the world”.  That is what was happening with Paul and Timothy.

We are the flock of the Lord

The call is the same for us.  Scripture tells us that we, all of us, are the “flock” of the Lord, not just the first apostles or the pope or our bishop.  We can all learn to recognize the Spirit’s  guidance in our day to day activities just as a sheep recognizes the voice of the shepherd.  This means carrying on an interior conversation with the Lord throughout our day.  We can say, “Holy Spirit, show me how to treat my family today”.  “Holy Spirit, what should I do with my free time tonight?”  “Jesus, help me to resist temptation today”.

Try as best you can to stay connected to the Lord today.  Try to follow what you feel the Spirit is leading you to do.  As you practice, you will find yourself becoming more and more fruitful, you will find yourself working arm in arm with Jesus as he builds, the kingdom of God!