SAINT MARTIN I, POPE AND MARTYR (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes. 

“The Wind,” a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, describes a person’s experience of the wind like this:

I saw the different things you did,
But always you yourself you hid.
I felt you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all.

When Jesus describes the “invisible” action of the Holy Spirit to Nicodemus, he uses similar images. Like the wind, the Spirit can’t be seen, but we can sense his call and feel his “push.” We’ve all experienced this type of thing; we’ve all felt prompted at times to do something—or not to do something—that we hadn’t thought of before. You might remember and want to contact someone you haven’t called in a long time. Or just as you’re about to say something negative, you realize you should hold your tongue. That’s the Holy Spirit!

When you obey those promptings of the Spirit, you make him “visible” to the people around you. Like Nicodemus, many people today are looking for tangible proof that God is real. Oftentimes, even if you speak persuasively, it’s not the actual words that draw people to Jesus. It’s the spirit behind your words. That’s where listening to the Spirit comes in. When you’re trying to follow the Spirit, people will see that God is real and is at work in and through your witness.

The more you try to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, the better you get at it. Instead of turning a blind eye, you might offer money or a kind word to a homeless person. When someone tells you their problems, instead of getting annoyed, you’ll listen patiently and offer to say a prayer with them. When you are criticized unfairly, you’ll respond with gentleness instead of anger.

Although we can’t see the Spirit with our eyes, his movements will be hard to miss. Through you, people will be able to feel his gentle call. Even better, they may be drawn in by his invisible—but powerful—loving embrace.

“Lord, open my ears to hear your Spirit calling, and give me the courage to follow where he leads me.”

Acts 4:32-37
Psalm 93:1-2, 5
John 3:7-15

WORD AMONG US