Photo by Tina Delaney

That night, however, around 3 a.m., the non-stop honking under my bedroom window made me feel less than smitten with these birds of a feather. When I returned to my retreat group in the morning, I jokingly asked: “Do we still like the geese?” Throughout the next two days, our geese came by regularly to add a comment or two to my presentations. At one point when I was trying to focus on the importance of silence in our spiritual lives, the geese were so loud that I could not speak over them, and our group could not stop laughing. It was time to see what these geese were trying to teach me, and it didn’t take long to figure out.

In Celtic spirituality, the Holy Spirit is seen not as a peaceful dove but as a wild goose — loud, sometimes unwelcome, insistent, unsettling. So often we wait for the Spirit to show up in our life in a way that feels comfortable and appropriately holy, the “still, small voice” we hear of in Scripture. We don’t necessarily want the Spirit to camp out under our figurative window honking and hollering and demanding we pay attention when all we want to do is stay asleep.

On Pentecost, we hear in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles: “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.”

The Spirit that descends in the upper room was not tame or controllable. It was unpredictable, maybe even scary. This version of the Spirit comes at us with so much spiritual force we might run in the other direction or duck and cover, but that would be to miss out on so much wonder and possibility. Imagine if Mary and the Apostles had closed themselves off to the Spirit that day. Where would we be if they had folded their arms against the gift and waited for something more reasonable? How often do we do just that, push away the loud and insistent call of the Holy Spirit because we don’t like the message or the delivery?

This week, as we celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit — the Advocate that Jesus promised would stay with us here on earth — can we open ourselves up to Spirit any way it chooses to show up, whether it’s a still, small voice that gently beckons us or a driving wind that threatens to pull the door of our life off its hinges? Can we, like our Celtic forebears in faith, recognize that the Holy Spirit is not likely to uphold the status quo in our lives but rather disrupt our sleep, disturb our thoughts, and redirect our paths in ways that might not be neat or comfortable but will surely bring us closer to our own version of the upper room?

On the last night of retreat, all was quiet in my room. No honking, no disruption. I had to admit that when I woke up the next morning and didn’t find my goose on the ledge outside my window, I was disappointed, but maybe the point had been made. And maybe I will be ready for the next Wild Goose chase that jolts me from my spiritual slumber and upsets my carefully laid out plans. Will you?

This column originally appeared in the May 15, 2024 issue of The Evangelist.

LISTEN: Wild Geese, read by Mary Oliver

The post Welcoming the Wild Goose appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

Sometimes I hop on Facebook and I see my book looking back at me from someone else’s page. My heart swells with gratitude. Here are two from just this week, one from a nearby parish and one from a local deacon.

We have a little more than two weeks left before we wrap up this journey. Thanks again to those who are reading and praying with me day by day. I am in the final stages of proofing the book of reflections for Lent 2021, so keep an eye out for Not By Bread Alone, which will be out in the late fall, although the pre-order link is already up on the Liturgical Press website.

The post Thank you for joining me on the journey! appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

I can tell you that from my perspective — as a writer and a pray-er — this particular book of reflections was a real gift. We tend to focus so intently on Lent each year and then, when Easter arrives, our spiritual focus dissipates. This book gives us a chance to center on the readings of the Easter season, mainly from the Acts of the Apostles, and to dwell on stories that may not be as familiar or are at the very least stories we have not spent a lot of time with in quiet prayer.

The great news is that this book is so reasonably priced they’re practically giving it away. It’s only $2 per copy for the pocket-size version. If you prefer or need large print, that’s only $5.95. It’s also available in Spanish and as an eBook. AND, if you order in bulk, the price is chopped in half. For orders of 50 copies or more, the books are only $1 each. This is perfect for parishes, retreat centers, or folks who want to donate a batch to a program or parish.

You can order directly from Liturgical Press by clicking HERE.

Amazon seems to be out of stock but I’m hoping that status will change soon, so you can check there as well. But Liturgical Press is your best bet at this point.

Here’s a “blurb” for my previous reflection books from Liturgical Press:

“Mary DeTurris Poust has a peculiar gift for finding the common experiences with which we can all identify and rendering them into profound meditations that are both consoling and instructive…” — Elizabeth Scalia, author of Strange Gods: Unmasking Idols in Everyday Life

The post New book of reflections available now! appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.