My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Lord, God, and Savior JESUS CHRIST,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
HOLY AND DIVINE PENTECOST: ON HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS MANIFESTED
By Saint Gregory Palamas
+In the Name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee!
OUR PRAYER TO GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth,
Thou are everywhere and fill all things.
Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life: come
and abide in us, and cleanse us from every
impurity, and save our souls, O Good One!
OUR PRAYER TO GOD THE HOLY TRINITY [Trisagion Prayers]
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Three Times).
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and
ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, cleanse us from our
sins. O Mater, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal
our infirmities, for Your Name’s sake.
Kyrie eleison. (Three Times).
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the
Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of
ages. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer [Kyriake Prosefchi]
2:28
Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation,
but delivers us from the evil one.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory: of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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A SHORT WHILE AGO, with the strong eyes of faith, we beheld Christ Ascending, no less clearly than those accounted worthy to be eye-witnesses. Nor are we less favored than they. "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed", says the Lord (John 20:29), referring to those who have found assurance through hearing, and see by faith. Recently we saw Christ lifted up from the ground bodily (Acts 1:9). Now, through the Holy Spirit sent by Him to His Disciples, we see how far Christ Ascended and in what dignity. He carried up the nature He ASSUMED FROM US. Clearly, He went up as high as the place from which the Spirit sent by Him DESCENDED. He Who spoke through the Prophet Joel showed us whence the Spirit comes, saying, "I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH" (Joel 2:28), and to Him, David addressed the words, "THOU SENDEST FORTH THY SPIRIT, THEY ARE CREATED: AND THOU RENEWEST THE FACE OF THE EARTH" (Psalm 104:30). It follows that at His Ascension Christ went up to the Father on High, as far as His Fatherly bosom, from which comes the Spirit. Having been shown, even in His human form, to share the Father’s Glory, Christ now SENT FORTH THE Spirit Who COMES FROM THE FATHER and IS SENT BY HIM FROM HEAVEN. But when we hear that the Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son, this does NOT mean that the Spirit has no part IN THEIR GREATNESS, for He IS NOT JUST SENT, but also Himself SENDS AND CONSENTS TO BE SENT.
This is clearly shown by Christ’s words spoken through the Prophet, "Mine hand hath laid the foundation of the earth and stretched out the heavens, and now the Lord God, and His Spirit, hath sent me" (cf. Isaiah 48:13-16). Again, speaking through the same Prophet He says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek" (Isaiah 61:1). The Holy Spirit IS NOT JUST SENT, but HIMSELF SENDS THE SON, WHO IS SENT BY THE FATHER, HE IS THEREFORE SHOWN TO BE THE SAME AS THE FATHER AND THE SON IN NATURE, POWER, OPERATION, AND HONOR. By the good pleasure of the Father and the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, the Only-begotten Son of God, on account of the boundless ocean of Divine Love for mankind, bowed the heavens and came down (Psalm 18:9). He APPEARED ON EARTH AFTER OU FASHION, LIVED AMONG US, AND DID AND TAUGHT GREAT, WONDERFUL AND SUBLIME THINGS TRULY WORTHY OF GOD, WHICH LED THOSE WHO OBEYED HIM TOWARD DEIFICATION (THEOSIS) AND SALVATION (SOTERIA).
After WILLINGLY SUFFERING FOR OUR SALVATION, being buried and Rising on the Third Day, He Ascended into Heaven and sat down on the Right Hand of the Father whence He co-operated IN THE DESCENT OF THE DIVINE SPIRIT UPON HIS DISCIPLES BY SENDING DOWN TOGETHER WITH THE FATHER THE POWER FORM ON HIGH, AS Both had promised (cf. Luke 24:49). Having sat down in the heavens, He seems to call to us from there, "IF ANYONE WANTS TO APPROACH THIS GLORY, BECOME A PARTAKER OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BE CALLED A SON OF GOD AND FIND ETERNAL LIFE, INEXPRESSIBLE HONOR, PURE JOY AND NEVER-ENDING RICHES, let him heed My Commandments and IMITATE AS FAR AS HE CAN My OWN WAY OF LIFE. Let him follow My actions and teachings when I came to the world in the flesh TO ESTABLISH SAVING LAWS AND OFFER Myself as A PATTERN. Tryly the Savior confirmed the Gospel teaching by His DEEDS AND MIRACLES, ANF FULFILLED IT THROUGH HIS SUFFERINGS. He proved how BENEFICIAL IT WAS FOR SALVATION BY His RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD, His Ascension into heaven, and now BY THE DESCENT OF THE Divine Spirit upon His Disciples, the event we celebrate today (Pentecost). After RISING FROM THE DEAD and appearing to His Disciples, He said as He was taken up into heaven, "BEHOLD, IS SEND THE PROMISE OF MY FATHER UPON YOU: BUT TARRY YE IN THE CITY OF JERUSALEM UNTIL YE BE ENDUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH" (Luke 24:49). "For ye shall RECEIVE POWER, AFTER THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS COME UPON YOU AND YE SHALL BE WITNESSES UNTO ME BOTH IN JERUSALEM, AND IN ALL JUDAEA, AND UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH" (cf. Acts 1:8).
When THE FIFTIETH DAY AFTER THE RESURRECTION HAD COME, the day we now commemorate, al the Disciples were gathered with one accord in the Upper Room, each having also gathered together his thoughts (for they were devoting themselves intently to prayer and hymns to God). "And suddenly", says Luke the Evangelist, "there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting" (Acts 2:1-11). This is the sound that the Prophetess Hannah foretold when she received the promise concerning Samuel: "The Lord went up to heaven and thundered, and shall give strength and exalt the horn of his anointed" (cf. 1 Samuel 2:10)… You might also find a reference to it in Christ’s gospel. According to John the Theologian and Evangelist, "In the last day, the great day of the feast", that is to say Pentecost, "Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink… This spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive" (John 7:37-39). Again, after His Resurrection, He breathed o His Disciples and said, "RECEIVE YE THE HOLY SPIRIT" (John 20:22).
That cry of Christ PREFIGURED THIS SOUND, AND His teaching upon the Disciples FORETOLD THE BREATH, WHICH IS NOW POURED DOWN ABUNDANTLY FROM ABOVE AND RESOUNDS WITH A GREAT VOICE HEARD FAR AND WIDE, SUMMONING EVERYTHING UNDER HEAVEN, POURING GRACE OVER ALL WHO APPROACH WITH FAITH AND FILLING THEM WITH IT. IT IS FORCEFUL IN THAT IT IS ALL-CONQUERING, STORMS THE RAMPARTS OF EVIL, AND DESTROYS ALL THE ENEMY’S CITIES AND STRONGHOLDS. IF BRINGS LOW THE PROUD AND LIFTS UP THE HUMBLE IN HEART, BINDS WHAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN LOOSED, BREAKS THE BONDS OF SINS, AND UNDOES WHAT IS HELD FAST. IT FILLED THE HOUSE WHERE THEY WERE SITTING, MAKING IT A SPIRITUAL FONT, AND ACCOMPLISHING THE PROMISE WHICIH THE SAVIOR MADE THEM WHEN HE ASCENDED, SAYING, "For John truly baptized with water; but YE SHALL BE BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT NOT MANY DAYS HENCE" (Acts 1:5). Even the name which He gave them proved to be true, for through this noise from heaven the Apostles actually became sons of Thunder (cf. Mark 3:17). "And there appeared unto them", it says, "CLOVEN TONGUES LIKE AS OF FIRE, AND IT SAT UPON EACH OF THEM. AND THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND BEGAN TO SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES, AS THE SPIRIT GAVE THEM UTTERNANCE" (Acts 2:3-4). [Source: The Homilies]
(To be continued)
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine Diakonia,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 