Spirit light

Photo of Halema`uma`u Crater

Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

When molten lava is over 900 degrees C hot, it glows a bright orangey yellow, giving off light that can be seen from a distance.

I spent this Pentecost weekend attending a Life in the Spirit Seminar (LISS) facilitated by "Alex Loo Sdn Bhd" as Fr. Arro called the team.

Having attended one previously in 2003, I was not very keen on attending another except it happened to be in my parish. So to support the efforts of my parish community, I decided to attend.

Plus, what better way to spend Pentecost than to experience the Holy Spirit in a seminar that recognized and celebrated His power?

It was a spirit-full event and I came away with the Spirit burning even brighter in my heart, much like molten lava.

I am even more convinced of how much Jesus loves me and I feel truly blessed to have experienced that knowledge in my heart and soul, and not just merely in my mind.

What made it especially wonderful was that my cousin and her husband had attended the seminar as well. And it is very cool to witness a family member you love experience the power of the Holy Spirit for the very first time and be on fire. I feel like a proud mama!

Of course there was the drama of people resting in the Spirit, dropping like nine pins, a sea of healing tears and the heady rush of joy of a crowd 250-strong on a mutual spiritual high.

While being able to feel such elation and inner joy is great, faith is not merely emotion-driven.

For me, the most important message was in the final talk by Fr. Arro on how to grow in the Spirit.

He gave four simple ways on how we can continue to chart spiritual progress in our lives:

1) An eagerness and fidelity to prayer - switching to God's channel every day for some "quiet time" is vital for unless we give ourselves the chance to listen to God, we will not be able to know Him intimately and build a relationship full of vitality.

"Prayer is not magic," Fr. Arro reminded us. It should not be used as a means to get answers to questions in life. Rather prayer gives us the freedom to hear and love Him, to answer God's call, and consequently, know how to serve Him. Able to do the will of the Father, just like Jesus.

By starting the day with a question to the Father - "Show me how to love today?" - we will be better equipped to accomplish our mission daily, which is to sow seeds of love everywhere we go.

2) An eagerness and fidelity to reading and meditating on the Bible - Fr. A said the Bible should be our "best friend" and one we should look forward to spending time with, instead of viewing it as a chore we feel duty-bound to perform.

He encouraged us to use good Bible commentaries and attend Bible study courses to gain a better understanding.

While we may not understand everything, we must persist in reading consistently and systematically. In bite-sized pieces so as not to feel overwhelmed.

And the best starting point is to begin with is one of the four gospels.

3) To serve eagerly - with an open heart, we do whatever the Lord asks of us.

If we seek to be kingdom-builders, signs of God's love in the world, then we must see what is needed and do our best to fulfil the needs of the community by serving in the capacity we are called to by Jesus.

Always remember, it's not doing what I want to do, but doing what He wants me to do, whether I like it or not (and I won't like it much at times).

4) Accept that the process of forgiving and healing is a life-long one - there is no silver bullet or instant cure. Healing takes time, mostly a lifetime to achieve.

Even as we choose to forgive someone for hurting us, we may not have experienced healing.

And when healing does take place, we do not simply forget for "there is a duty of memory". However, if we can remember the past without bitterness, anger and a desire for revenge, then it is a sign of the presence of the Spirit within us.

We were reminded to avail ourselves of the power of the Eucharist in continuing the healing process.

Today I was given new heart, a new life in the Spirit. May the light shine bright always.