By Marcia Moore
Just having celebrated Pentecost, it’s timely to mention the work of the Holy Spirit. I last wrote about the intense schedule during school and in-between sessions for spiritual direction students. What happens to the students is far more important because the Holy Spirit is at work!
New students come with a range of emotions from fear to being over-confident. A classmate of mine recently confessed that she went to learn so she could go home and tell others what to do! (We had a good laugh.) Tears are shed, secrets kept and disclosed, anger hidden and expressed and all this is the work of the Holy Spirit transforming each student into a new spiritual director. The ultimate goal is maturity and humility. The lessons are difficult and I’ve seen amazing things happen in the students.
I’ll share a brief story of a woman who came with doubt about God’s call on her life and how she might ever be of use to him. The next year there was a little change. She had found a pastor who encouraged her to continue and she was less doubtful. In her third year it was clear that the Holy Spirit was at work. She was beaming with joy and amazed that God had opened doors for her within her own church!
As we are in the season of Pentecost let’s invite the Holy Spirit to come into our lives with fire once again!
(Marcia Moore, M.S. Ed., is a longtime professional Christian therapist and certified Spiritual Director who founded Eagles’ Wings to provide counseling from a Christian perspective. She is a member of St. Alphonsus Parish, Davenport.)