I have had two very powerful Holy Spirit experiences. The first one was in 1986. My marriage was not easy as my husband was an alcoholic and quite mean when he drank. One night, after one of his mean bouts, I was desperate to talk to someone. I called a friend who told me to call a mutual friend of ours because she had just been baptized in the Holy Spirit and was more at peace than she had ever been. Hearing the word “peace” I knew I had to call our friend Pat. After talking to Pat for several minutes, I asked if I could someday go with her to this Holy Spirit Seminar. To my surprise she told me there was a First Friday Mass of all the Charismatic groups in our city the next night. I was thrilled because I desperately needed the peace she described. I found the Mass and the music (guitars, drums, cymbals etc) to be uplifting. I went up with the rest of the congregation to be prayed over. Because this was all new to me I had not even thought of prayer request for myself. I should also add here that for weeks I had been saying the Come Holy Spirit prayer focusing on “and enkindle in the the fire of Thy love”.
The next morning after having a cup of coffee in our dining room, I stood up to get ready to clean the house but when I got to the dining room doorway I felt like I hit an invisible wall and all at once I experienced what felt like a Bic lighter go off in my chest. I found myself kneeling with my arms crossed against my chest as if I was trying to keep something inside.
I bounced from torrents of tears to unspeakable joy. I had to know what was happening to me so I called a few friends, none of them gave me an acceptable answer except one. She told me I had been baptised by the Holy Spirit right there in my dining room.
For the next week, every morning before I opened my eyes I could feel Jesus standing at the foot of my bed. Every night I felt His presence beside me. One morning before I opened my eyes I knew His presence was gone. I can’t possible list all the “small miracles” (as I call them) that happened every day. But until the day I die I will always be grateful for the chance to experience just a small part of what the apostles experienced.
About a year later I was now attending what had now become my regular Wednesday night Charismatic Mass. After Mass we had the option of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament or fellowship. I choose Adoration. While kneeling in adoration and meditation, suddenly I felt as if warm soothing water was being poured into my body through the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. As the “warm water” filled me I felt it through every cell, every tissue, every bone and nerve until I felt there was no more room and I feared I would burst. I remember saying out loud “Stop” but I also remember “seeing” a huge mountain and tiny grains of sand on a beach. I thought that image compared my love for Jesus (grain of sand) to Jesus’ love for me (mountain). But today I know the grains of sand represent what I know of God’s love, the mountain represents His actual love for me…all encompassing, incomprehensible and all powerful.
Jesus, I trust in You.