Ignorance of the Holy Spirit

“it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers? They answered, ‘No, we were never even told that there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’ He asked, ‘Then how were you baptized?’ They replied, ‘With John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – namely Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy.” (Acts 19: 1 – 17)

Today we might smile to learn that some early disciples of Jesus did not know that “there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.” Yet, many years ago in the midst of my desert experience, when I received the message that “all that I need is the Holy Spirit.” I wondered: “What is the relevance of the Holy Spirit to my pressing problems of unemployment, money, health and a host of other problem?” Because I considered the messenger trustworthy, I did not discard the message. I did the Novena to the Holy Spirit before Pentecost of that year and on the final day of the Novena, following the instruction in the booklet I was using, knelt down and pleaded with all my heart for the Holy Spirit. When I got up, I was filled with a serene joy. My joy in the Holy Spirit continued to grow throughout the years. Then one day about three years ago, I discovered this amazing truth from the Roman Missal: “God is the source of all inspiration and power.” This is it for me. The search has ended! The Holy Spirit is all that I need. It is true! He is the source of all inspiration and power.