Thoughts on the Holy Spirit

 The Holy Spirit Blows Where It Wills

 

Many a retreat director can relate to Jesus’ description of the grain of wheat and how it sprouts and grows, though the farmer knows not how.  Yet all by itself it sprouts and grows and produces the blade, then the ear and then the full grain in the ear. (Mark 4, 28- 29).

 

It sometimes happens after a retreat or after giving a series of talks a person will come up to you and say something like, ‘you know when you said such and such in your presentation, it was exactly what I needed to hear,’ or perhaps ‘I cannot tell you how deeply it affected me and my relationship with our Lord.’

 

Of course, you thank the individual for saying this and let them know you're very happy for them.  But then often the wisest thing you can do is to bite your tongue and say nothing else. Why?  What’s the problem? You realize that you did not say what they thought you did. In fact, sometimes what you said was even contrary to what they heard.

Many retreat directors have told me that they too have had similar experiences. It is for this reason that a director will often tell their audience that the real director of the retreat is the Holy Spirit.  Moreover, the work of the Spirit isn't something we can completely understand. We know that what the Spirit does works, and why, but the intricacies are beyond our comprehension.

Jim Blumeyer, S.J.