While God loves us as we are at any given moment, He doesn’t want us to get “stuck.” God wants us to become the best version of ourselves and strives to help us along that path throughout our earthly journey.

Looking from just a logical perspective, it really doesn’t make sense that the early Christians succeeded in evangelizing when so many were being tortured and killed. These early followers changed their way of life and were ready to die rather than renounce their faith. We read in the Acts of the Apostles that they gathered as a community, shared the sacred meal, and would sell excess property and give the profits to the church to distribute. And it just wasn’t the Jewish people who welcomed this change, but also the Gentiles, as seen in the letters St. Paul writes to the various communities. The early Christians’ way of life reflected their response to the preaching of the Word of God. Just as in ancient times, Christians today continue to respond to God’s call and reflect His love in their communities.

When we see an act of charity being performed, we are touched by the goodness of others and want to assist. We say we are inspired by that action, but what does that really mean? The etymology of the word “inspired,”  rooted in Latin, means to breathe. The first use of the word in the 14th century carried a similar definition as today, according to Merriam-Webster, “to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural influence or action.” This definition evokes the story of creation in Genesis, when God animated Adam by breathing life into him. Going back even farther, God spoke all creation into being, and since one naturally exhales when speaking, every word of God contains His breath. When we are inspired, we are filled with awe in Divine Providence. We have the opportunity to react: will we respond with kindness and goodness, or to totally ignore any desire to be helpful? Our reaction either brings us closer to God or moves us further away. 

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God continues to reach out to us. It could be a call to lend our time, talent, or resources towards local needs identified by our parish or diocese. When we respond positively to the Spirit’s guidance, we change. We are a little less focused on ourselves. Little by little, if we allow it, we can move toward achieving our full, God given potential. This transformation is essential to the process of becoming a saint. Some may fear that becoming a saint means to live uncomfortably and to suffer all the time. However, if we’re being honest, even living a secular life can be uncomfortable and include suffering as well.  The difference is that when we center ourselves on God and accept His will for us, we can find meaning in our struggles and suffering. These situations present opportunities to practice trusting God by recognizing that He alone is in control. In fact, during their earthly life, many saints invited struggles and suffering as a way to get closer to God and to practice what it means to live and love like He does.

There are many sources of inspiration to lead us closer to God: the New Testament, biographies of the saints, the sky, the land, the sea, all of the animals, and the people we encounter in our daily lives. How will you allow the Holy Spirit to inspire you today?