How The Holy Spirit Leads Us

By Father John Catoir

The Holy Spirit enters our lives in five ways: through sadness, through dread, through our holy desires, through hope and through joy.

We are sad about our weakness and vulnerability. The saddest thing is in not being a saint. The Holy Spirit uses the dark night of the soul to teach us that we are utterly dependent upon Him.

To intensify this realization He sometimes sends the terrifying emotion of dread. Jesus Himself agonized over the manner in which He was to die, "Oh God, Oh God, why have you forsaken me!" We feel this pain in different ways ourselves.

From all this darkness, the Spirit awakens holy desires in us. We long for a closer relationship with God. Without taking away our freedom, he sends actual graces to enlighten our minds. We ponder the scriptures, "What would it profit a man to gain the whole world, if in the process he lost his immortal soul?" The desire to love God with one's whole heart, mind and soul begins to strengthen.

At this stage, the words of Jesus begin to hit home,"If you love me, then feed my lambs, feed my little sheep." Your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak. You fear the sacrifices that are involved, and you pray for help.

These jumbled up feelings of sadness, dread, desire and hope do not necessarily come in any given sequence. Hope for instance, permeates the entire process. When you have faith, there is always light at the end of tunnel. The Holy Spirit infuses us with hope every step of the way.

Exactly what is hope? Hope is the sure expectation of happiness. At first it is only a glimmer. The quality of certitude about it, doesn't ripen all at once, it takes time, maybe years. Some people are gifted with an amazing level of hope from childhood, but that is rare.

As hope matures, the knowledge that all will be well becomes habitual. Hopefulness dominates one's thinking in every troublesome situation. A quiet peace prevails. One even feels God's love in a palpable way. But it must be remembered that God's infinite love is always present whether we feel it or not.

Through all these emotions the Holy Spirit gradually leads us to destinies we might not have chosen for ourselves. As I approach the age of 70 next September, I know well that there are times when dark thoughts reappear, but they can be brushed aside more easily. They tend to lose their power.

Joy prevails over sorrow. Joy is the fruit of faith, hope and charity. Joy is the infallible sign of the Holy Spirit.

God is the source of all joy. Turn to Him for guidance.