“Pentecost” by Jen Norton. 20×16″ Acrylic on wood, $1600 SOLD.
The Movement of the Holy Spirit
My life has offered many moments of inspiration, some obvious and some obscure. Yours probably has too. Sometimes it’s about art, but not always. Maybe I’m inspired to call a friend, only to find out they had been thinking of calling me. Maybe I’ve felt a desire to exercise more, attend mass, or I’ve been part of healing a soul. And sometimes it’s just an overwhelming sense of calm and love that seems to come out of nowhere. These are all movements of the Holy Spirit.
What would it have been like to be in that upper room when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples? How powerful of a force was it that caused them to leave their hiding spot and risk everything to evangelize in a dangerous world? And why don’t most of us experience the spirit in such an unwavering way?
I think the key is our relationship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the Love between Father and Son… that entity of energy that exists in every strong relationship that seems to have a life of its own. It’s stories shared, food passed and inside jokes. It’s walks taken, tears shed and trust established. The disciples had that with Jesus. He called them “friend.” And Mary, his mother, knew him best of all.
The Holy Spirit lives in Friendship
If we want to know the Spirit, we must also call him “friend.” It can’t just be a spiritual inside-our-head kind of worship either. We are humans, living in human bodies and our physical experience is important. Fasting and praying, following Jesus’ teachings, partaking in his body in the eucharist and asking for his guidance in all things help build that intimacy. It’s a continuous conversation. As the relationship is built, the voice of the Holy Spirit becomes stronger and the offerings of the world become less compelling. Jesus knows our hearts; he’s asking us to come closer to his and share in that Spirit. He wants to set our hearts on fire!
