How does one feel the presence of the Holy Spirit within oneself?

The Holy Spirit descended in a visible manner and came to rest on each of the apostles in the form of a tongue of fire. Why was this necessary? Precisely so that the world would learn that the Holy Spirit comes down to people.

In the great and tremendous phenomena of nature, we see the powerful force of the elements. In the hurricane, which flattens all before it, we see the terrible, mighty force of nature. In a powerful earthquake, when the earth opens wide and huge stone buildings collapse like cardboard, we have a taste of the mighty, immense force of nature.

And in this exceptional event of the descent of the Holy Spirit onto the apostles, the world saw and felt how powerful the grace of the Holy Spirit is. As you know, the same force of movement operates in the hurricane, to an incomparably greater degree and power as in the light, gentle and pleasant summer breeze. You know that all those forces that set in motion the astral world, under the effect of which all the stars of heaven move at dizzying speed, are the same forces that act in the movement of a microscopically small insect or of an ant. They’re also at work when a piece of fluff flies up into the air when there’s no wind.

All of this is the same. All these same forces, which appear sometimes with great, limitless power and, sometimes, to a weak, light and gentle degree. In the same way, the Holy Spirit descended with great force and energy onto the holy apostles on the day of Pentecost and continues to this day to come into the hearts of those who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who, with all their heart believe in the Holy Trinity, who will be elevated in spirit, having renounced evil and violence.

It’s with a light, discreet, imperceptible breath, not in the form of fiery tongues, not with the rush  of a gust of wind, but silently and unperceivably that the Holy Spirit enters a pure heart, a heart that is worthy of him. Every pure, bright human spirit feels this light, intangible breath of the Holy Spirit. It feels it as silent joy, as wonderful peace and calm. This calm, which is linked to the joy, can’t be compared to anything else.

But those who are separated, infinitely far away from the Holy Spirit, who don’t know him, who don’t believe in God, who have chosen the path of evil rather than good, who’ve denied the grace of the Holy Spirit, who’ve chosen the way of criminality, violence, robbery, murder, the way of falsehood, slander, false witness and informing on their neighbor, those who have no love, those whose heart is filled with hate, such people will certainly never feel this joy, feel this peace, this profound happiness due to the sense of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their heart.

These people feel completely differently, quite the opposite, because, when people perform evil they are, as a consequence, in communion with the father of all evil, all falsehood, all impurity. They’re in touch with the devil and his angels, the demons. When people come under the spiritual influence of these foul enemies of God, then they feel in their heart something which is the opposite of that felt by pure, good and saintly people.

They feel a powerful burning in their heart, a profound unease which can never be alleviated and which torments them. There’s no peace in their heart. Demonic fire burns the unclean soul and the heart of these impure, wretched people.

So, shall we Christians not seek communion with the Holy Spirit with all our heart? Is it possible that we Christians will ever allow ourselves to be burnt by this wicked, demonic fire? God forbid that this should happen.

May the eternal peace, eternal calm and eternal joy of the Holy Spirit reign in your heart, which loves the Lord.

Amen.