Running the Race: "Spouse of the Holy Spirit"

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

"Spouse of the Holy Spirit"

Still up on the Pentecost vibe and whirling in from another awesome trip (LA pics to come at end of post!), I finally took some time to go to daily Mass and pray today. I've been feeling a greater connection to Mary lately (since May was her month and all). Plus, reflecting on the whole Holy Spirit thing, I've come to realize- Mary and the Spirit are TIGHT.

-It was by the Spirit that Jesus was conceived.

-Her heart was pierced by the proclamation at the Presentation and watching her Son at Calvary (Sometimes the Spirit works in tears!).

-She was with the apostles in the Upper Room when the Spirit came and breathed.

-And she was assumed into Heaven...assuming by the power of the Spirit ;)

We call Mary by many titles- Queen of the Apostles, Queen of Peace, Tower of Ivory, Hope of Christians, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Lourdes, etc, etc!

The title "Spouse of the Holy Spirit" has kind of come into my mind of late. I didn't even know if that was an actual title for her (it is ;) or if I made it up ( I didn't. I googled it, so therefore, it must exist ;)

But as I ponder, 'how do I stay close to the Holy Spirit?' the answer became clear: through Jesus. And through Mary.

In (still) re-reading "Abandonment to Divine Providence" I came across a few great passages this morning. One of which mentioned that Jesus was ALWAYS in tune with the Spirit. We reflected on this this past Sunday with Trinity Sunday- the awesome union/relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit.

Of course Jesus is all-knowing because He is God, but also because He was always in communication and docile to the Spirit.

So as I sat there today and said, "How do I stay close to the Spirit? How do I know what He is moving me to do and stay in communication with It/Him?" The answer came: "stay close to Jesus. Stay close to Mary." They were close to the Spirit.

Done and done ;) Literally, when I got that answer I was up and out of Adoration. I was satisfied with that!

After Adoration today, a friend had told me last minute about some of Mother Teresa's relics that were to be on display at the Shrine. I don't think I was fully mentally prepared to see them, but I went.

In true Mother Teresa fashion, the relics were few and small and simple. Just a couple reliqueries with a piece of her hair that we were able to venerate and kiss, a piece of one of her saris, her rosary in a case, and her sandals.

The sandals struck me the most. They were sooo worn, which is also to be expected. You just think of the work she did in those sandals. The love she poured. The sweat. The people she held in those sandals...all for Jesus.

I had just been praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament for my vocation and about discernment of work. And here was a symbol of HER vocation and work. Even though she KNEW her vocation and call (and to boot- wasn't always sure of it! Her dark nights of the soul in Come Be My Light were so telling)...but even though she had a sure vocation and work....she suffered. That was powerful for me to realize.

While in LA this past holiday weekend for Round 2 of vacay, I met up with an old friend (not an OLD friend, clearly ;) from Ohio who was one of the key players in my conversion back in high school. I had dinner with him and his wife who are SO in tune with God and The Spirit. I had a beautiful conversation with them about our current struggles, and again, like Mother Teresa- though they KNOW their vocation is to marriage- they still have problems, struggles, things to always discern.

I don't know why some of my friends and I seem to think: "oh, once we get this, that, or the other, we'll be all good". God has made it really clear to me lately that this waiting- while hard- isn't necessarily any harder than knowing your vocation and/or call.

A last thought :) As my friends and I cruised around California this weekend, they kept teasing me because we were stuck in a car together more than once for longer than I had anticipated. While I was certainly enjoying the company and not necessarily upset that we were in the car for long periods of time, I was caught pulling the "are we there yet?" sentiment more than once. My friends teased me: "It's not about the destination, Julia. It's about the journey!"

(I beg to differ- when winetasting is involved, it is about the destination! ;)