Surrender to the Holy Spirit

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.” 1 Cor 12:4

I have been invited multiple times to a “Life in the Spirit” retreat. If I’m honest with myself, I have been afraid to attend. I have heard the stories of people talking in tongues and people falling down. If you invite me to a silent retreat, I’m all in. But a retreat where I may fall down? Not for me.

But God knows what we need better than we know ourselves, so He sent the Holy Spirit to my house. I guess He figured that if I didn’t want to go to the mountain, He had to send the mountain to me.

Last night, I hosted a rosary at my home. I invited my Belen Emmaus sisters, and I also invited Sheila. I met Sheila by phone last December. Sheila had just finished writing her first book, and I was asked by a mutual friend if I could guide her with the next steps to take. I did not think I was the right person to guide her since I had sent my book to three publishers without success, but I decided to share with Sheila all the research that I had done regarding book publishing.

Fast forward three months, and last night I finally met Sheila in person. I realized that instead of God sending her to me so I could help her, God sent her to me so she could help me. First, her book, “One Soul: Awaken to His Love,” has already been published, and Sheila has decided to help me get my book published. But whether that happens or not, after last night, I know that the main reason God sent her to me is so she can help me get closer to the Holy Spirit. 

Sheila shared with us how terrified she felt the first time that she attended a meeting where people were praising, worshipping and speaking in tongues. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. But little by little, she was drawn in. And now, she is part of the team that puts together the “Life in the Spirit” retreats. 

In the times of Jesus, it was very common to speak in tongues. St. Paul talks about this in his letter to the Corinthians: “For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to human beings but to God” (1 Cor 14:2). He explains that “there are different kinds of spiritual gifts… To one is given through the Spirit varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues” (1 Cor 12:4, 8, 10).  Jesus foretold of speaking in tongues: “These signs will accompany those who believe… they will speak new languages” (Mark 16:17). When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, “they began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim” (Acts 2:4).

The gift of tongues is just one of many gifts of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul mentions nine: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment of spirits, varieties of tongues, and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor 12:8-10). Sheila explained to us that we all have the Spirit within us, but like a bottle of champagne, we need to pop the cork for the Spirit to overflow and explode. We need to wake up the Spirit that has been dormant within us in order to discover which spiritual gift we have within us.

God certainly works in mysterious ways, and leads us in paths that are much better and unexpected than the ones we planned. He is definitely asking me to surrender to the Holy Spirit. It’s time to push my fears aside, and say out-loud: “Come Holy Spirit.”

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