Ruah: Our Hope is But a Breath Away

Louisa Ikena reflects on hope in connection with the Hebrew word Ruah, which can mean breath and spirit.

As long as I have breath, I have hope. All can look lost, but the reality is that my Hope is alive in Christ Jesus.

The word Ruah in Hebrew means "breath," and Ruah also means "spirit." The words Ruah, breath, and spirit can be used interchangeably. In creation, God breathed Ruah into man. God breathed the breath of life into us. God breathed His spirit into us.

We are made in God’s image and likeness. The very breath, the very essence of God dwells within us, enables us to exist, and animates us. We are meant to be so much more than zombies living distraction to distraction. We are temples of the Holy Ruah. It is a truth that is hard for me to wrap my mind around.

In the Upper Room the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ruah came upon the apostles as Holy Breath. Jesus "breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (John 20:22). Jesus promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). I believe Jesus still says to us, “Receive the Holy Ruah today. I will never abandon you. I will never forsake you.”

We believe in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I have heard the Holy Spirit called the Holy Breath of God. It is the Holy Sigh of God that comes when the Love that is the Father looks at the Son and the Love that is the Son looks at the Father and They Sigh in Love. That Sigh, that Breath is also Love: the Holy Spirit.

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We are so privileged, as human beings, to share in God’s image and likeness. All of us have dignity because we are made in the image and likeness of God. We share in the ability to create. There is the obvious example of procreation, but there is also the less obvious but no less powerful ability to use our creativity for good. We, in essence, are called to co-create with God.

Co-creation with God always involves Ruah. I am dependent upon God’s Spirit, God’s Breath to use any gifts He may have bestowed on me for good, for His glory. We are dependent on God’s Spirit for everything. Through Him we "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Just as I am dependent on breath to live, so also I am dependent on God.

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I am dependent upon God’s Spirit, God’s Breath to use any gifts He may have bestowed on me for good, for His glory. #CatholicMom

For me, this truth is part of the Good News of our Lord. Whenever I feel distant from hope, I need only breathe. God’s lifegiving breath is available. The Holy Spirit is poised and ready to come when invited. Hope is but a breath away.

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