In this lotto age one of the most familiar images used to advertise the draw is that of a huge hand in the sky, a pointing finger and a loud voice announcing, "It could be you!" You, the ad suggests could be the one to win a million or more. Lucky you! Go out and buy a ticket now! Millions of people every week do just that. But of those millions only a few ever win. Yet people keep on week after week buying tickets because there is the hope that maybe this will be the ticket to riches, maybe this will be their lucky day.
We don't realise that the finger of God has already singled us out to be sharers in a wealth beyond all imagining. The Holy Spirit, ‘best gift of God' lives in us, loves us, guides us throughout the days of our lives.
Who does not love to receive a gift, even our child's smudged painting, the off?key song of our old neighbour, the good humour of our workmates. Often because of other cares or because we are so out of harmony we may not even notice many of the gifts that come our way. They come to us gently and unless we see and open them we are the poorer.
The gifts God gives us, whether of nature or grace, are for our happiness, for our growth, for our joy. We don't earn them, they are freely and lovingly given. Gifts are not meant to be stored away or only taken out, dusted down and looked at every now and then. The more we enjoy the gifts, the more we delight the Giver.
Why then do we leave that great and special Gift of the Father, unopened, as it were, in our life? We so often live as though this great Advocate had no place in our life, as though we were to go it alone, without the help and guidance so readily available to us. It's as if we were lost in the wilderness, forgetting the map that will give us sure direction is in our pocket.
St Paul tells us what it is to be people who live in and by the Spirit. Our lives change from being thoughtless and self?centred to being loving, just and forgiving. Paul gives practical examples; when we talk let's try to uplift or console others, no foul?mouthed tirades; there should be no place for grudges in our life or any hint of spitefulness. Otherwise, Paul of says, "You will grieve the Holy Spirit" (Eph 4:30). He urges us to be friends with one another, to be kind, to be forgiving.
Loneliness is a characteristic of our times. The wonderful thing is we are not alone in our efforts. The Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to change, to really try to live a Christian life of love and service. How often do we ask the Spirit to help us, not only to pray but in our relationships, in our work, in the daily grind? The struggles and failures, the futility of many of our undertakings, the pain of family feuds, the heartbreak of broken friendships ? we know them all. But how well do we know our loving Guide and Comforter? He it is who encourages us and strengthens us on our journey.
No winning ticket can ever buy the deep joy and peace that is God's gift to you. In the final months of this year dedicated to the Holy Spirit what better gift could you give God than to delight in the Gift he has already given you and allow the Spirit to work in your life. The prayer of Jesus, "Thy Kingdom come!" will become a reality through your ‘spirited' words and actions.