To be stagnant in spirit is to be dead in spirit. Stagnation freezes the Spirit, preventing any inner movement of the heart and within the heart to occur; the heart becomes hardened. In today’s reading from Acts, the disciples are anything but stagnant, as the Spirit fills them, giving them mobility to move from town to town. We are “moved” by people who move about freely in the Spirit of Christ, inspiring us to see life in néw and life changing ways.
Is your life stagnant, stuck, seemingly lifeless? What needs to happen for inner movement to occur? If you don’t want to remain stagnant, since your very purpose is NOT to ever be stagnant in spirit, you have to make a change. Perhaps the gift of courage is needed to end a relationship that needs to end, to shift careers, to finally accept what you can’t change, to be more creative with your time, to move into a new situation that places you with people who are not quite as affluent or comfortable as you...
Jesus teaches us to not let our hearts be troubled, let His peace flow through your heart. The Peace of Christ is usually not first experienced as tranquility and gentleness, especially if one is stagnant. The Peace that Christ gives will stir the waters of the Spirit, begin to soften the heart, and cause one to make needed changes. This just isn’t easy for most of us... change is so hard but essential to growth and life.
Peace,
Fr. Frank