Stir Him Up

A Reflection on the Second Reading for July 5th, 2020:
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Romans
8.9, 11-13

Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

It took me a long time to recognize my early experiences of the Spirit of God dwelling in me. I didn’t understand that the Holy Spirit is a person until university. Through conversations with my friends, intentional prayer, and exploring scripture, I was able to learn more and eventually recognize that this Spirit had been communicating with me throughout my life. It had simply been in ways I couldn’t yet recognize.


I remembered moments of feeling one with God as I rested in, or curiously observed, nature — especially during soft snowfalls or next to the crashing waves along the ocean. There were moments where I suddenly felt compelled to pray, and although I didn’t know if my requests were directly answered, I couldn’t find peace until I responded to the restlessness within me. On the day of my confirmation I remember nearly shaking with joy and anticipation — I was so overcome with excitement about receiving the sacrament that I actually began to laugh uncontrollably during the liturgy. This was so uncharacteristic of me — yet I didn’t dwell on this mysterious moment and it didn’t dawn on me until years later that He has been the one to inspire this beautiful joy and assurance of good things to come.


A faith study leader once presented an analogy: When we add chocolate syrup to milk, it often sinks to the bottom and sits there until we stir it up. The mixture can even resettle after much time has passed, requiring further mixing. In a similar way, we receive the Holy Spirit at our baptism, and a further outpouring of His grace at our confirmation. The Holy Spirit is within us, but we may not recognize His presence and be fully one with Him unless we ask Him to stir in our hearts and make us one again. It isn’t a perfect analogy, however this illustrated an important point to me — that the Spirit can be within me and I can be unaware of Him because I am not enabling His activity. The necessary “stirring up” requires my willingness to freely surrender to Him, my patience and endurance in prayer, and my dedication to the practice of quieting my heart to recognize His presence. If I want to be aware of His dwelling in me, I must also watch for the moments where I have let my spirit become stagnant.


The Holy Spirit is alive, and He requires and desires us to move with Him — as in a dance. He does invite us to moments of stillness, to find Him in silence and rest in Him, but He is living water. His love is made to be given and shared and through movement He transmits His life — as in the way wide and active rivers have the capacity to support wider ecosystems than small and tranquil ponds. In reflecting, I’ve realized that I’ve become comfortable and inactive lately, and I invite you to join me in prayer if your desire is for the Holy Spirit to stir within you again.


Let us pray:

​Spirit of God, I believe and I trust that You dwell within me. Although I do not always sense You, or move with You, I know in my heart that You are closer than I can comprehend. Please, stir within me and renew my resolve to live according to Your way. I love You, and I want You to guide my life and transform me into the person You have made me to be. Come Holy Spirit, and make me new. Amen.




Kendra L.

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