Actions of the Holy Spirit

               Last week, my attention focused on events that came together in an interesting way. I stopped and pondered the connection. How often has the Holy Spirit been active in my life when I was not aware of it?

              

                On Thursday, my son turned 16.  Some years I am focused on find the right gift or gifts for him.  Other years, I prepare when I shop for Christmas, since his birthday is in January.  This year, the day arrived without a package wrapped. (Part of the reason is that he is a Baltimore Raven’s fan and he is hoping for Super Bowl Championship clothing this coming week.)

               As his birthday approached this year, I was filled with wonder at the gift of being a parent.  A variety of my favorite memories played over and over in my brain.  I remember those first weeks and my husband and I navigated our new roles of mom and dad.  Visits to the zoo, our vacation to Yosemite when he, as an 18-month old, carried a stick in every picture, reading the entire series of Magic Tree House books as a family and watching him play baseball. 

               As he is on the cusp of adulthood, I wondered at the wisdom of giving my son to God when he was just days old.  At that time in my life, I believe in God, but didn’t have a consistent prayer life.  The first night that I but him to sleep in his room, before I put him in the crib, I held him, said an Our Father in his ear and traced a cross on his forehead. And he I said something like, “God, I can’t protect him from all of the dangers of this world, only you can.   Please protect him, he is yours.”  I kissed him on his forehead and laid him in the crib.  That began a pattern of praying an Our Father with him every night until he began going to bed by himself.

               As I listened to the priest’s summary of Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, I realized that the day I committed my son to God was close to, if not on this feast.  It has its roots in a day of purification and of presentation and consecration.  I had no idea that this feast even existed at the time.  I can only believe that it was the Holy Spirit that encouraged me to entrust my son to God.

               As he begins to drive in the next year, look at colleges and spends more time with friends, I will continue to pray for his protection and for him to have the wisdom to follow God’s plan for him. May the Holy Spirit continue to act in both of our lives, even when we aren’t conscious of his action.