Born of the Spirit

April 17, 2012

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

By Beth DeCristofaro

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. (Acts 4:32)

Jesus said to Nicodemus: "'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:7-8)

Piety

Come Holy Spirit
Fill the Hearts of your faithful
And enkindle in us the fire of your love
Send forth your spirit
And we shall be recreated
And You shall renew the face of the earth

Study

Recently I was on a retreat in a lovely setting in Richmond. The strong wind made me shiver under a shawl even with a brilliant and warm sunshine. The geese were enervated by the wind, honking joyfully. It felt very luxuriant with pollen blowing, fresh scents wrapping around me, dry leaves tossed up into the air, jigging for one last time before becoming compost. Of course this past week we dramatically saw the power of wind in the 120+ tornados which slammed into the Midwest.

Where does the wind begin? I’ve experienced rainstorms which soaked me but then left quickly as the one brimming-over cloud moved on. But wind doesn’t have definable edges. Nor is there a clear starting point to wind. One notices the wind and then one notices it when it is gone.

When there is no wind we speak of dead air and the doldrums. Wind is a pretty marvelous thing whether we scientifically define and measure it or harness it or we merely fly our kites and admire birds soaring in it.

God’s spirit flows through us, gifted to us by the God made man. The Spirit is not hampered by human boundaries or expectations but, rather, brings new gifts, new expectations, new ways of seeing and being. We can’t experience it without listening. And we can’t experience it completely without community.

Action

Get out into the wind. Listen to it. Hear the glory and majesty of God in it. Share that with someone, perhaps by writing palanca to one of the candidates on this Men’s Weekend or perhaps with a potential candidate who has not yet decided on Cursillo.