The Spirit Christ Gave Us

The Resurrection event has continued to unfold in our Scripture readings and, hopefully, in our lives as well. Christ is risen and still among us. The First Letter of John tells us that “the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.” Although I believe that to be true, it does sort of beg the question: how do we know we have the Spirit?

I don’t know how to answer this exactly. I don’t have a convincing argument to prove the Spirit is working in my life. But I know that it is. I know because of how I experience the Spirit. Sometimes I feel the Spirit in my emotions, like excitement, joy, peace, love. Sometimes the Spirit makes its presence known in my mind too, so it’s not necessarily a strong emotion but a cognitive experience, like inspiration or a deepening of reflection. I know the ideas arising in me come from me but also come from someone else. That’s the Spirit. And sometimes I sense the Spirit’s effect bodily; I feel a stirring in my chest or goosebumps or butterflies in my stomach. When I feel the Spirit working, I sometimes feel surprised, a sudden recognition. At other times it’s a subtle and gentle presence that slowly dawns into my awareness.

So, I know the Spirit is with me when I experience it, and I like experiencing it (or her or him or them). I want more encounters with the Spirit, and so I do what I can to evoke those. Now, you might be thinking, “What can you do to have an experience of the Spirit, since it does what it will”? That is a fair point. God encounters are certainly not within my control. However, there are things that I can do to show up for an encounter, like praying. I don’t always have a felt sense of God when I pray, but being intentional about seeking God in prayer helps me to notice God with me. I also meet the Spirit with other people. More often than not, when I’m praying with others in a small group, I feel the Spirit with us. Almost always in spiritual direction, as someone is sharing their own God experience, God evokes a spiritual experience in me, too. For whatever reason, it’s easy to see the Spirit at work in someone else; it’s as clear as day.

In recent years, I have become more intentional about praying to the Spirit and inviting it in. Actually, I know exactly when that shift happened. I was about to direct my first retreat, and I was suffering from an intense case of impostor syndrome. Who am I to direct people on retreat? How can they let me be in this role? I have no idea what I’m doing! I had no choice at all but to pray to the Spirit (actually, beg it to show up). And, whoosh! The Spirit showed up. I felt it. The retreatants felt it. The Spirit directed the whole retreat, and I could just sit back and not make it about me. That was a moving experience, and since then, I pray to the Spirit. I feel less like an impostor now because I know the Spirit is the real thing. I think it likes to be invited in, although it will likely show up uninvited too. Moreover, the Spirit is probably present when I don’t feel it too, and so there are times when I only notice in hindsight or miss the presence of the Spirit entirely. That’s okay. My obliviousness doesn’t seem to deter it.

We can’t bring about a Spirit experience on our own, but we can lean in and do the things that invite the Spirit to be with us. And that brings me back to our passage and its first line: “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” So, don’t just say we love God and other people, but show it through our actions. What does that look like? Here again is the work of the Spirit. The Spirit reveals truth and guides us as we discern how best to love and serve people, how to best follow God’s commandments.

We know that Christ remains in us because of the Spirit Christ gave us, and we know the Spirit is with us in the ways it makes itself known. As you reflect over your own experiences of Spirit, what do you notice about how the Spirit has been present to you? How do you know when it’s with you, working in your life? What practices do you do that help you to be present to the Spirit?

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She also serves on the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International. She enjoys music, dancing, meaningful conversations, and this present moment.