Jn 6:44-51
[Jesus said to the crowd,] 44“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. 45It is written in the prophets: ‘They shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. 46Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; 50this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
NO ONE CAN COME TO ME UNLESS THE FATHER DRAW HIM. Inspiration comes from within and from without. When it comes from outside, it draws us, invites us, and calls us to transcend ourselves. A man gets inspiration from his girlfriend, a poet from a vision, a composer from a movement he sometimes cannot even name.
Religious people call this the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is a gift from God the Father, freely given, generously served, gratuitously granted. We open ourselves to receive it, and it is ours to use. We regard many things as ours by right. Or we can consider everything as gift—surely, this is more wonderful and gratifying!