LIFE NIGHT: PARTICIPATE

As parents, we are all too familiar with what it is like to receive a variety of responses — or lack thereof — from our teens when we have requested something from them. It begins at a young age when we ask our kids to clean their room, get dressed, make their beds, or do their homework. We may become frustrated when our request is ignored, causing us to ask several times before the task is completed. This pattern does not end with childhood, though, as it carries on into the teen years. While the requests change, such as come home by curfew, fill out a college application, walk the dog, or apply for a job, our teens are either open and responsive to our request or they are not. As parents, we know the implications, consequences, and rewards that are contingent on the response that is received.

This is similar to what it is like to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised the disciples that He would send an advocate to be with them. This advocate, which was received during Pentecost, is the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus also told His disciples — and us — that they would do the works that He did and even greater things (John 14:12). This is sometimes hard for us to believe. We read about and reflect on Jesus’ life in the Gospels. We hear His teachings, know the miracles He performed, and are humbled by His sacrifice on the cross, which makes it hard for us to believe that we would be able to do greater things than Jesus.

This is the same notion the disciples had after Jesus ascended into heaven, but they remained open to the Holy Spirit. They were obedient to the requests of the Holy Spirit, so they were able to do miraculous things. We are called to do the same. As we conclude this Life Night series on miracles, we must accept that miracles still happen. If we are open to the Holy Spirit, if we allow ourselves to constantly be taught and guided by the Holy Spirit, we can courageously respond to the requests of the Holy Spirit and follow God’s plan for our lives. Through our docility to the Holy Spirit, we can witness the miraculous in our everyday lives. We should never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit that is working in our lives and in the lives of others. May we continue to open ourselves up to the miraculous workings of God, which are made possible in our lives through the Holy Spirit.