Monday in the Second Week of Easter
Today we hear Jesus’ mysterious words to Nicodemus: “The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (Jn 3:8). What is this wind that blows in our lives from an unknown source and is unpredictable in terms of where it goes? It is the same wind described in the opening lines of the book of Genesis: “and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters” Gn 1:2. This “wind” or “breath” is the Holy Spirit, who brings about a new creation in us, a new birth “from above.”
The 17th-century Jesuit Jean-Pierre de Caussade said “… agitation and anxiety in the soul are an obstacle to the hearing of the gentle voice and soft breathing of the Holy Spirit. To keep yourself in this peace which will, I hope, continually increase, there is no better way than always to practice total abandonment…” (Abandonment to Divine Providence). If we are to sense the gentle breath of the Holy Spirit in our lives and follow his voice, we must abandon ourselves completely into the hands of God and allow him to lead us along whatever path He wishes to take us. Surrendering our wills to God is the only way to find true peace.
Jesus challenges Nicodemus to move in new directions in his life—”to be born of water and the Spirit”—and he challenges us as well. Are we willing to follow the Spirit’s lead and surrender ourselves completely into the hands of our loving God?
Reflection by Br. Michael Marcotte, OSB
Posted in Article for Easter, Daily Reflections