Fill The House

And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. // Acts 2:2 (From the Readings for Pentecost Sunday - Mass During the Day)

Sometimes I like to imagine my soul as an estate home, or as Saint Teresa of Ávila called it, a mansion. If you have ever watched Downton Abbey or read a novel like Rebecca or Jane Eyre, then you’ll be able to visualize a house with many levels, rooms, or corridors. 

Our hearts are like this, are they not? Expansive, textured, weathered, detailed. There are rooms in which we invite guests, rooms in which we rest, and rooms we would rather neglect. There are hallways that lead to splendid dining rooms and hallways that lead to underground cellars of protection. We show off the sparkle of some rooms while others gather dust. 

On this glorious feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit invites us to open all the doors and windows in the houses of our hearts. 

During that first Pentecost, Scripture says that the Holy Spirit’s presence “filled the entire house in which they were” (Acts 2:2). The entire house. Today, He wants to fill the entire house of your heart, too.

How do we let Him do this? The Gospel for today’s Mass During the Day (see John 20:19-23) provides the answer: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22).

Jesus is the One Who breathes the Holy Spirit into our hearts. For His breath to reach us, we must be close to Him. 

We like to keep the Lord at arm’s length, letting Him see only the rooms that are “suitable.” But His desire is to fill our entire house, and that means letting Him be close enough to behold every corridor.

What rooms are you withholding from the Holy Spirit? Draw close to Jesus today. Invite Him into the interior of your house. Ask Him to breathe on you. Open the windows and let the “strong driving wind” touch every corner!