Photograph by Thought Catalog via Unsplash

Have you ever found yourself meeting someone for the first time—or perhaps you had seen each other years ago, but you never took the time to engage in deep conversations? And yet, once you paused long enough to pay attention, to listen, to sit with one another, it felt like a natural ebb and flow progressing in the various paths your conversation took you along. Why is it that human connections are made in some seasons and not in others? I wonder if Mary, mother of Jesus and her older cousin Elizabeth had similar interactions. We read in the gospel of Luke 1:39-56 that Mary went in a hurry to Elizabeth’s home after she received the visit of the angel Gabriel. The Message version reads, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit…” We don’t know how frequently these cousins had visited each other’s homes or would travel together on pilgrimages. What we are conveyed is that a deeper connection had been made after the angel’s visit to Mary.

Could we experience similar Holy Spirit moments, when human connections are made where we feel deep transformation occurring? How do we get to those deep Holy Spirit moments?

In their book titled Black and White: Disrupting Racism One Friendship at A Time, the authors Teesha Hadra and John Hambrick engage readers to navigate the forming of friendships, of connections across racial lines. In the chapter titled “Friendship 101,” we read “friendship is received, not taken. It’s a gift, wrapped in interpersonal chemistry and common interests. It’s framed by enjoyment, trust, and respect…it usually feels effortless.”[i]

Were Mary and Elizabeth friends, or was it simply the familial bonds that made it “effortless” for them to connect? There were no racial lines to cross, but there was a generational line. Elizabeth was an older woman now pregnant and Mary an unmarried teenager also expecting a child. Holy connections orchestrated by God were being made. I humbly submit that their faith and open hearts facilitated this leap into the depth of oneness never previously lived. Referring to it as a “Holy Spirit moment” brings comfort to my soul.

I had such a moment with three other women recently at a family friend’s wedding in a setting that was unfamiliar and new to all of us. The bride was the common thread for all of us. I had heard stories about these women, but I had never met them face to face. One can say that there was a level of familiarity.  Upon meeting them in person, I had this “Holy Spirit” moment, where the depth of my being knew them. I could not put it into words, but my body knew. I found myself quickly in deep conversations with each one. We found ourselves sharing meals, praying, laughing, and astonished by how God weaved it all, for us to experience deep holy joy. To me, it felt effortless, just as the authors of Black and White referenced. It also went deeper for us, as a multifaith and multilingual group of four women, whose residencies are in two continents.

What made our circle so unique is that we were all speaking in English and French as a “call and response.” The ease to navigate two languages could be a surprise to strangers. It was seamless for all four of us. Joy was lived through our heart languages. Three days united us physically under one roof in a foreign land as we lived the depth of a godly interfaith bond. We shared about life, some disclosed heavy burdens, tissues were provided, questions and prayers were lifted, and silences we individually carried in our hearts were honored. Our hearts were filled with compassion and love. As I reflect on these three days, I can honestly say that God’s new breath was felt, welcomed, and embraced.

We were no longer “Joana’s friend, cousin, surrogate mom” from the UK, France, and the United States. We were the Marrakesh Sisterhood whose time to receive was ordained by God. I am grateful to have experienced in 2024 the Mary and Elizabeth Holy Spirit moment of yesterday. We live godly presence in blessed ways more often than we realize.

The gospel of Luke tells us that Mary and Elizabeth “sang out exuberantly,” upon seeing each other. How have you lived your most recent Holy Spirit moment? What is your song?