Come Holy Spirit!

When you hear about someone living in isolation or with feelings of abandonment, it is heart-wrenching. Primarily because it is contrary to how God created us to live. We are designed to live in relationship with God and others. One of the consequences of the Fall is the rupture of these harmonious relationships. I certainly understand that circumstances of life can be the cause of an individual’s physical and emotional abandonment, which, to me, is heart-wrenching. 

This is all the more reason why we need to live fully in and from the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life. Pentecost is the visible manifestation of God fulfilling His promise to us: “I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you,” or translated another way, “I will not leave you desolate” (John 14:18). 

Just as Jesus’ bodily resurrection testified to the fulfillment of God’s promise to restore us to His friendship, the events surrounding the sending of the Holy Spirit strongly testify to and confirm the power of God. While we can certainly be moved by the wind, tongues of fire, baptisms, and seeming drunkenness of the apostles, the most comforting truth and reality to me is this: He does not leave us orphans or desolate. He comes to dwell within us, as we are, temples of the Holy Spirit.  

In order to deepen your understanding of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life, I encourage you to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Name, Title and Symbols of the Holy Spirit (nn. 691 to 701). This knowledge will awaken you to the Spirit’s living presence. And of course, baptized Christians are infused with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Educator’s Guide to Living a Virtuous Life and The Virtue Field Guide contain explanations of these amazing gifts. God has truly lavished us with all the graces we need to live in friendship with Him. He has not left us orphans or desolate. He has come and continues to come to dwell within us!