April 9.   Portia shared in their faith sharing group, “Do you know that for us Africans the word “moya” is used in different ways.  It can mean wind, or spirit or the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was talking to Nicodemus using wind as a natural phenomenon to illustrate its mysteriousness and comparing it to the Holy Spirit in an almost magical way.  We all know wind as an element of creation, but it seems that the word or concept “spirit” is understood in different ways. It is good to be aware of the culture and understanding of one another’s world view.  We have a lovely hymn  “Tshollela moya wa hao Jesu,” which means “Lord send us your Holy Spirit,” Let me teach it to those of you who don’t know it.”      

Reflect, share, pray. Scripture.   Jesus said to Nicodemus, ”You must be born anew.  The wind blows where it wills and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit. John 3:7-15. Pope Francis: The Holy Spirit can be said to possess an infinite creativity, proper to the divine mind, which knows how to loosen the knots of human affairs, including the most complex and inscrutable.  LS 80  Share on how well do we understand one another’s religious ways of thinking and acting even in the same church?