“I believe in the surprises of the Holy Spirit.”

“A man may read the figures on the dial, but he cannot tell how the day goes unless the sun is shining on it; so we may read the Bible over, but we cannot learn until the Spirit of God shines upon us and into our hearts.”

(Romans 8:26-30)
Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Think about a time when you were going to do something wrong. Remember that feeling in your gut that you shouldn’t do it? How about the time when you felt drawn to pray or go to church for no explicable reason? Some call this feeling conscience. Christians call it the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit tends to be the underappreciated person of the Trinity. When we are in trouble or filled with joy, we rarely call upon the Spirit. Yet, the Spirit is indispensible. As St. Paul tells us, the Spirit is the one who helps us, because we do not know how to pray without the Spirit. It is the Spirit who moves our hearts to God and enables us to pray.

Everyone likes to say, “With God all things are possible.” And this is very true. But, we must also remember, “Without the Spirit, nothing is possible.”