Sanctuary of Sacred Breath

Today we talk about the Holy Spirit and how the early church described the Holy Spirit as breath, as wind, using both the Hebrew and the Greek words for breath. So we can calm as we grieve and know that this is the Holy Spirit accompanying us, is with us, is noticing us, breathe in and breathe out.

The journey through grief can often feel like a lonely one, but you're not alone. Whether you're longing for spiritual direction, struggling with surrender, or simply seeking a comforting voice, this episode offers a beacon of hope.

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SPIRITUAL DIRECTION WHILE GRIEVING IS AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE

You can reach us at: ccoutreach@dsj.org
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Our theme music is:  Gentle Breeze by Yeti Music from the album "Uppbeat".
Additional Music and sound effects today by:   via Pixabay

Transcript

candee lucas: 0:20

We welcome you to SOLACE: Soul + Grief. I'm Candee Lucas, your host. When we started this ministry, we understood how difficult it was to lose a loved one and we had hoped to create a space and a ministry that addressed these concerns and served as a source of comfort and wisdom for those who travel with God on their grief journey. This podcast is brought to you by Catholic Cemeteries Diocese of San Jose. We're glad you're here. You're always welcome in our circle of healing, love and support.

candee lucas: 1:12

While meeting with some directees recently and contemplating the conversations and spiritual encounter we had shared, I looked back and realized how many times I had recommended breathing, and I know I've talked a lot about it in these podcasts breathing and how we control not even control, but be one with our breath, start noticing it, breathe with it, pay attention to it. In a way, it's like being still enough to notice the Holy Spirit moving within us, being still enough to feel that spirit within us and around us. And if we're sharing time with others between and amongst us. And I know I have said before that breathing was the most primitive and first type of prayer Because it acknowledged our oneness with the vibrations of the earth, with the movement of the air, the movement of the oceans and the seas, the movement of the sun across the sky and the moon in the stars, the idea that nothing on earth is perpetually still. When I was a child, when I was a little girl in Iowa, my elders would always speak about hearing the corn grow, saying it was growing so fast that you could hear it in the middle of the night. So often times I would go out near a corn field late in the evening and on a very still night you could actually hear it grow. It makes this tiny, tiny explosion sound as if it's something breaking forth, breaking out, emerging, filling a new space. In fact, that's what growth is.

candee lucas: 3:15

So I was thinking about this breathing aspect and how I had come to fall back on that for people who were having special anxiety or an especially difficult patch of grieving or struggle of any kind. I realized how I always went back to breath. We don't need to control it. All we need to do is sit quietly and notice it. I often used to breathe with my dying patients, measure my breath with theirs, keep that time as if I were reaching out and being able to hold them with that breath. In that breath, and I think of the many grievers I've spoken with over the years to whom the first thing I have said is just breathe, just breathe. It's a fact that when you pay attention to your breath, your heart slows down, your anxiety does abate and you feel like you are more in tune with what's going on around you.

candee lucas: 4:27

I recently heard a Jesuit priest, Fr. Manley from JST in Berkeley, talk about the Holy Spirit and how the early church described the Holy Spirit as breath, as wind, using both the Hebrew and the Greek words for breath. So we can calm as we grieve and know that this is the Holy Spirit accompanying us, is with us, is noticing us, breathe in and breathe out. And when we are with others, the Spirit moves between us as we all breathe in and breathe out. And you'll notice, if you've ever been in a group meditation, that there is something powerful when the group is breathing together, some kind of vibration in the room. Maybe we're only tuning into our own human-ness, but maybe, just maybe, the Holy Spirit is giving us space to hold ourselves, our wounded selves, in a sacred embrace for a sacred time, in a sacred moment. She acknowledges our losses, knows how our hearts are broken and just wants to be with us as we heal. She wants to demonstrate the road to healing, the direction to healing. She wants to be with us on the road as we seek the presence of Jesus in our grief. She clears the air and clears the way and brings Him straight to our side.

candee lucas: 6:44

That concludes another episode. Please support us by subscribing on Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcast. We always welcome your comments and feedback. Remember, spiritual direction is always available through Catholic Cemetery. I'm Candee Lucas, chaplain, aftercare coordinator and spiritual director at Catholic Cemeteries. You can reach us through the email or telephone number in the show notes. Be gentle with yourselves. Travel safely with God. Vaya con Dios.