I opened the old pamphlet gingerly as its edges were tattered and worn. On the cover, it has a red sketch drawing of a dove beneath the title, “Novena to the Holy Spirit.” This old prayer is just one of the little treasures I have left of my Dad, who died of cancer eight years ago.
Dad had some special rituals for his prayer time – daily Mass and the Novena to the Holy Spirit were the two most consistent. As evidenced by the wear and tear on this paper pamphlet, he prayed the Novena to the Holy Spirit every day for over 20 years. Each day he prayed for a deeper outpouring of the Holy Spirit, reciting this prayer:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
In catechism classes I learned about the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity, including God the Father and the Son. But it was my Dad who really introduced me to the Spirit as the power and wisdom of God. As a recovering alcoholic, Dad sought more support through his faith connections. He recommitted himself to prayer and even became a lay minister in our local church. But nothing changed his life more than this personal connection to the Holy Spirit.
Dad started attending prayer meetings when I was in middle school. Soon after, he started praying aloud and singing praise to God in his room and in the shower. He was reading the Bible every day and spoke about God as if he really knew him personally. I was delighted, even while I was a little confused, because that’s how I felt about God. But I didn’t have this experience of the Holy Spirit — and I wanted it.
Soon after Dad started attending prayer meetings, I decided to join him. I loved the experience of spontaneous prayers and worship songs that were meaningful and heartfelt. I also experienced this outpouring of the Holy Spirit like my Dad did before me. God became very real to me. I encountered the presence of God in personal prayer and in reading the Bible.
I began to look for God everywhere. I wanted to hear from God in a big way, like in the Ten Commandments movie, when God spoke to Moses in a burning bush and parted the Red Sea. But the more I read, the more I realized that the Spirit of God often spoke in whispers to inspire those who sought God.
Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” Genesis 3:8.
The prophet Elijah found God, “not in the great and strong wind, breaking the mountains and rocks to pieces, not in the earthquake or the fire. But rather, Elijah found God in the sound of a gentle breeze.” 1 Kings 19:11-13
I studied the Bible and found numerous examples of God moving in the quiet, from the womb of Mary (Luke 2) and in the child that Jesus used as an example of holiness (Matthew 18:2). Jesus was often compelled by the Spirit with compassion “to heal the broken-hearted and set the captive free” Luke 4:18.
I learned to listen for the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and to see God moving in the everyday details of life. Sometimes the promptings of the Spirit were dramatic, like the day I was inspired to save my toddler from falling into our swimming pool.
I thought for sure I had pulled up the ladder on our above ground pool, after a fun afternoon of swimming. While the kids were playing on the deck, I started making a snack for my three hungry children. Just as I began slicing apples, I heard a strong intuitive voice clearly say to me “Run outside to the pool NOW.” I dropped the knife and ran outside to find my two-year-old standing at the edge of the ladder ready to to jump in. I snatched her up and secured the pool, grateful for the inspiration of the Spirit at work in mother’s intuition.
Other times, the Holy Spirit speaks to me in dreams, like a dream I had about my sister’s death and other dreams about my daughter’s life threatening disease.
But most of the time, I find the Spirit speaks in the quiet of everyday inspirations. This past week I saw the Spirit of God move in children with disabilities as they displayed their artwork and musical performances at a show in NYC.
The show was called “Express Yourself” sponsored by the Artworks Foundation at NYU Kimmel Theatre. In the entrance to the theater there were art displays from kids with severe chronic illnesses and disabilities. The vivid colors and creativity were very amazing.
Following the art exhibit, there was a talent show of performers. Children in wheelchairs sang songs as they smiled and moved to the music. Others who battled brain cancer, played piano and sang songs which displayed their victorious achievements. My own daughter rocked out as her music therapist accompanied her on the guitar.
I was in awe of the gifts that exuded from these beautiful kids. Their artistic expressions in the midst of severe trials and disabilities was for me, a sign of God in our midst, an inspiration of the Holy Spirit through these quiet and sometimes silent children. It’s the kind of inspiration that touches the depths of your soul.
For the past nine days, I’ve been praying for a deeper outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in preparation for today, the Feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in Acts, chapter 2. I couldn’t stop thinking of my Dad as I prayed.
Providentially, my Dad died only days before Pentecost, eight short years ago. In honor of Dad, we released a bunch of red and white balloons on Pentecost that year, as I thought how cool it was that Dad was spending this special day in heaven.
The Spirit of God still moves among all of us, sometimes speaking in magnificent displays of God’s mighty power and sometimes through small children whose voices are seldom heard. Inspiration still flows and God’s Spirit promises to renew the face of the earth.
Eileen Benthal is a writer, speaker and wellness coach with a B.A. in Theology from Franciscan University. She is the author of Breathing Underwater: A Caregiver’s Journey of Hope.
