Experiencing the Holy Spirit is kind of like a visit from a butterfly. You can’t force a visit from a butterfly. You can’t send an invite and expect one to show up for tea next Tuesday afternoon. No, butterflies come and go with the breeze. Jesus describes the Holy Spirit in a similar way: “the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going…” (Jn 3:8). When a butterfly does appear, you’re compelled to be still, watch, and simply enjoy its presence. Sometimes when I’m outside alone and I see one flitting around I think, “This is a tiny gift from God, this butterfly, in this moment, it’s just for me.” Then I smile and breathe a prayer of thankfulness for this small sign of His love.
And isn’t this how we encounter the Holy Spirit in our lives: in still, unexpected moments? It doesn’t come loudly, with pomp and circumstance. Rather, it comes in small, quiet ways. The Lord appeared to Elijah in this very way. “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave” (1 Kgs 19: 11-13).
God chose to reveal Himself to Elijah not in power or majesty, but instead in a gentle whisper. Yes, sometimes God appears in trembling earthquakes or in pillars of whirling smoke and fire. But the Holy Spirit usually comes to us in everyday ways in our everyday lives. He comes to us in the sunshine that warms our faces and melts away the stress when we step outside after a long day at work. In the cool breeze that comes before a much-needed rain, relieving a parched, 97-degree summer day. He comes to us and whispers, Everything will be okay. I am here, and I am with you. The Holy Spirit comes to us in this way: in a gentle voice that speaks directly to our hearts—softly, personally.
Consider this though, if the Holy Spirit usually speaks to us in quiet ways, how will we hear Him if we’re distracted and our world is full of noise? It’s all too easy to miss small, grace-filled moments when we’re rushing from place to place and task to task. So often our day goes from the phone screen to the computer screen and ends with the TV screen. To notice, we must be quiet and observant: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).
Finding time for stillness and silence to sit in His presence in the adoration chapel, alone in your backyard, or even just for a few minutes in your car can help you notice that God is always present with you, loving you no matter where you are. Try setting time aside some “time for peace” each day this week. When you do, first take a few moments to relax, set aside the troubles of your day, and just breathe. Then, watch and listen with your heart; pay attention to the gentle fluttering of the Holy Spirit, however small and quiet it may be.
Come Holy Spirit. Come dwell in the stillness of my heart. Console me, strengthen me, and fill me with faith, hope, and love.
Readings for Pentecost
ACTS 2:1-11
PSALM 104:1-34
1 CORINTHIANS 12:3-13
JOHN 20:19-23