windy
"The wind blows where it will. You hear the sound it makes but you do not know where it comes from, or where it goes." —John 3:8
If we are begotten of the Spirit, we are like the wind that blows where it wills (Jn 3:8). This does not mean we are erratic, capricious, or unstable. Rather, those in the Spirit are confirmed and strongly rooted in their faith and commitments (2 Cor 1:21-22). However, like the wind, we are free — free to respond to the Lord in anything, at any time, even immediately.
"The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Cor 3:17). Like St. Joseph, we can get up in the middle of the night and go to Egypt, if the Lord so wills (Mt 2:14). Like St. Barnabas, we can sell our farms, houses, and property, and lay the proceeds at the feet of the apostles (Acts 4:34-37). Like St. Matthew, we can quit our jobs at the drop of a hat to follow Jesus (Mt 9:9). Like Ananias, we can risk our lives to visit an enemy, persecutor, and murderer (Acts 9:11ff). Like Sts. Paul and Barnabas, we can go to Mass rooted in our ministry and then leave on our way to the foreign missions (Acts 13:3). These people were not impulsive but immediately obedient to the Holy Spirit, like the wind that blows where God wills.
Prayer: Risen Christ, make me free enough to obey You instantaneously.
Promise: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life in Him." —Jn 3:14-15
Praise: St. Vincent's openness to the Holy Spirit bore the fruit of preaching so empowered that it drew crowds too large to fit in a church. He often preached out of doors.
Reference: (Pentecost is coming. Prepare for a spirit-filled Pentecost by praying the Pentecost Novena. For supporting teaching, order our leaflet Pentecost Novena or on audio AV 103-1 or video V-103.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 12, 2004
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