Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, the day the apostles received the Holy Spirit. They were given power to heal, to bring people to Jesus, to speak in tongues to evangelize the world that they knew. It was a tremendous moment, one promised by Jesus before His Ascension to the Father.
I’m willing to say that we have all had “Holy Spirit Moments” in our lifetime. I can recall several Holy Spirit Moments in my lifetime. . .
(1) When our father told us we were going to be Catholic after years of going to many other Churches, depending on what neighborhood we lived in, and yes we actually did become Roman Catholic.
(2) One evening when I was ironing, thinking of mom and my other siblings and the desperate situation they were in; they needed to move but had no place to go. She had applied to the city housing authority and was told she was way down on the list. As I was ironing I kept getting the same message in my mind ~ “Tell your mother to pray and ask God for forgiveness for her sins. Tell her to pray and ask God to help her get the housing that she applied for. Tell her to trust and God will provide.” I heard it over and over again. It wouldn’t stop or leave me alone until I made the call and told her to do what I believed God wanted her to do. I kind of felt funny telling her this. I was afraid she would think I had lost my mind. She listened and said, “Ok, I’ll do it”. Once she agreed to do what God wanted her to do that phrase left me and and I was able to complete my ironing that evening.
The next morning, my mother called and said, “You are not going to believe this! I just got a call from the housing authority and they told me they had an apartment for us to live in.” “You were right, I did everything you said I should do and now we have a place to live.”
I was almost speechless!!! I told her that God does hear our prayers. It was an amazing thing to witness.
(3) The 7 months before my double lung transplant seemed as though it was orchestrated by God himself. And I believe it was. My husband retired in February of 2005. This was so very helpful because in April I started my evaluation process to see if I was eligible for a transplant in the first place.
He was available now to take me to doctor appointments and to the hospital for all the testing I would need done. He was able to help me get things done at home since I was on oxygen 24/7. I was on 50ft. of tubing to be able to move from the first floor to the basement. I told my friends that I had a new “leash” on life.
The biggest Holy Spirit Moment came in September 2005 when I got my call for new lungs. I was on the transplant list only 2 weeks to the day. When we arrived at the hospital at 1:30 in the morning we were told to wait in the waiting lounge off from the ER waiting room. The lighting was very dim and there was a man walking toward us through the shadows. When he got to us I recognized him as a priest I had worked for years before. What was so surprising is that I hadn’t seen him in years because he was living in the state of California ~ an entire country away.
The priest didn’t recognize me probably due to the fact that I gained weight from the steroids and I was wearing oxygen. He walked past my husband and I. I told my husband to go outside and bring him back in.
The priest’s name is Eugene B. He walked toward us and I said, “Eugene!” He very cautiously said, “Yeeesss”. I said, “You don’t know who I am do you?”
He answered, “Honey, I don’t know anybody at 1:30 in the morning.” I went on to explain who I was and that I worked for him and finally the recognition came. . .He said, “Sandy, what are you doing here?” I explained I was called for a double lung transplant. His eyes got big and very sweetly took my hands in his, he prayed for me and offered his prayers.” As he was getting ready to leave he said, “I just wish you all the best.” He left and flew back to California.
I knew at that very moment that I would be just fine. I wasn’t scared in the least, I knew that God was going to bring me home to my family, healing and happy
I saw Fr. Eugene 3 years later in my hometown and he asked me how I was doing. I told him I was doing well and thanked him again for his prayers. He then said to me, “You really don’t know why I was there that night”. I answered that I didn’t. He informed me that he had just left the bedside of a friend who had died. I went on to tell him that he walked from death to life that night!!!
Those are just a few of my Holy Spirit Moments. . .I would love to hear from you about your Holy Spirit Moments. . .
May you be blessed by the Holy Spirit this day and for the days and years to come!
Sandy Ozanich (c) May 2013
Sandys Hopeful Room 