Eastertide ended with our celebration of Pentecost and this week we move back to Ordinary Time. Sometimes it can be tempting to pack away the insights we’ve learned during the season along with the special tapestries, decorations and liturgy papers. But Pentecost is not an ending it’s another new beginning.
So I’ve been reflecting on what I can take forward from those seasons into the rest of my life. These words from St Paul’s letter to the Romans have been running through my mind:
“Since in our weakness we do not know how to pray as we ought, the Spirit comes to help us and intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.”
They’re words I return to again and again because they describe so clearly a reality that I often experience. There are many times in life when we need to pray and want to pray, and simply don’t have the words to express our need.
I find that especially true in times of hardship and suffering. In these times when hardship and suffering seem to be multiplying in every direction there are many times when prayer is needed and we feel too overwhelmed by the circumstances to articulate our need.
In those situations, I find St Paul’s words full of consolation and hope. It is a great comfort to know that when we are unable to pray the Spirit is there to speak for us, to bring our prayers into the presence of the God who understands even the wordless sighs that come from the very depths of our hearts.
As we move back to Ordinary Time what does the Spirit carry from the depths of your heart to the presence of God?