Father, today's reading below reminds me of the Scripture, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of Life; and man became a living soul." - Genesis 2:7. This scripture includes all the descriptive words of the spirit - breathed, nostrils, breath, life, and living. The soul is the part of us that always 'is' before Life, during Life and in the afterLife. The spirit must be activated in order for the soul to emotionally express and animate itself. When an individual passes away, the physical body is still there but it is no longer 'activated' and that body no longer animates or expresses, but the soul lives on. This is a powerful point to remember which separates the spirit from the soul.

The historical development of the word spirit, comes from the Latin word spiritus or spirare, which means breath, life, blow, breathe, puff, or vigor. The Greek translation is pneuma, which relates to the air or breath. And in medical terminology pneuma relates to the lungs and respiration. Hence, the word pneumonia. Life as we know it in its most observable form is demonstrated under the design of a breath of air and its termination is predictably the mark of death. Our spirit is not only invisible but impalpable as well. We can't simply point to it and say, "There it is!"

In todays's reading Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit," as He was commissioning them to do their job. It was in His breath, the Holy Spirit, that would activate their spirit to fulfill their mission. He said, "Receive" and they did. Father, breathe on me the Holy Spirit and activate my spirit to do what You commissioned me to do. Breathe on me. Breathe in me. Activate my soul to do Your will. And so I pray.