HOLY PENTECOST (Part II)

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

HOLY PENTECOST (Part II)

The Great Feast of Holy Pentecost is included in what the Orthodox Church calls the "Twelve Feasts", because it is the LAST FEAST OF THE DIVINE ECONOMY. The Incarnation of Christ was aimed at VICTORY OVER DEATH and the COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO THE HEARTS OF MEN. Moreover, it is well known that the purpose of the Ecclesiastical and spiritual life IS THAT WE SHOULD BECOME MEMBERS OF THE Body of Christ and RECEIVE THE Holy Spirit. These two ARE INSEPARABLY LINKED TOGETHER.

The holy hymnographer calls Pentecost the last feast concerning man’s REFORMATION and RENEWAL: "Let us believers joyfully celebrate a last feast: it is Pentecost, fulfillment and deadline of a promise". Thus, if the ANNUNCIATION TO THE THEOTOKOS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE INCARNATION OF THE LOGOS/WORD and the Divine Economy, PENTECOST IS THE END, SINCE IT IS THEN THAT MAN, THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, BECOMES A MEMBER OF THE RISEN Body of Christ.

We can also place Pentecost, as well as what relates to the Holy Spirit and Christ, in this framework because Christology CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD APART FROM PNEUMATOLOGY, NOR PNEUMATOLOGY APART FROM CHRISTOLOGY.

The DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TOOK PLACE ON SUNDAY. And here we see the VALUE OF SUNDAY, for the Great Feasts of the Lord took place on it. According to Saint Nicodemos the Hagiorite, THE CREATION OF THE WORLD BEGAN ON THE FIRST DAY, THAT IS TO SAY ON SUNDAY, FOR IT WAS THEN THAT LIGHT WAS CREATED; THE RENEWAL OF CREATION BEGAN ON SUNDAY WITH THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST; THE COMPLETION OF CREATION TOOK PLACE ON SUNDAY WITH THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The making of creation was done by the Father with the cooperation of the Sona and the Holy Spirit, THE RENEWAL WAS DONE BY THE SON WITH THE GOOD WILL OF THE FATHER AND THE COOPERATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND THE COMPLETION OF CREATION WAS DONE BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHICH PROCEEDS FROM THE FATHER AND IS SENT BY THE SON.

The Christian Pentecost in which we celebrate the Descent of the Holy Spirit COINCIDES WITH THE Jewish Pentecost. It was on the day when the Jews were celebrating Pentecost that the Holy Spirit Descended upon the Holy Apostles and made them MEMBERS OF THE RISEN BODY OF CHRIST. Pentecost IS THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT FEAST OF THE JEWS AFTER THE PASSOVER, and they were celebrating MOSES’ RECEIVING GOD’S LAW ON MT. SINAI ACCORDING TO THE TRADITION. Forty days after the first feast of the Passover, Moses had gone up on Mt. Sinai and received God’s Law. But in parallel with that, the Jewish Pentecost was an expression of their thankfulness for the harvest of fruits.

The difference between Sinai and the Upper Room in Jerusalem is seen in the difference between THE LAW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT and THE LAW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. In the old time the law was given ON STONE TABLETS, now the Law IS ENGRAVED IN THE HEARTS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES. The Apostle Paul says: "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of the Living God, not on tablets of stone BUT ON TABLETS OF HUMAN HEARTS" (2 Corinthians 3:3). The Descent of the Holy Spirit FULFILLED THE PROPHECY OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH, as the Apostle Paul wrote: "I will put my law in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people" (Hebrews 8:10).

The FEAST OF PENTECOST IS A FEAST OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, BECAUSE WE LEARN FROM THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT GOD IS THREEFOLD. Previously too, both obscurely in the Old Testament and in Christ’s teaching, people were learning THE TRINITARIAN CHARACTER OF GOD, but at Pentecost they acquired practical experience of His THREEFOLD HYPOSTASIS. Thus Pentecost IS A FEAST OF ORTHODOX THEOLOGY.

In spite of the fact that the Father IS THE ORIGINATOR, the Son BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER and the Holy Spirit SENT OUT, THEY HAVE THE SAME NATURE – ESSENCE – AND OPINION – ENERGY. ALL THREE PERSONS OF THE HOLY TRINITY ARE CONSUBSTANTIAL, LIKE-MINDED, OF THE SAME POWER, AND NONE IS GREATER THAN THE OTHER. In other words, the Son and the Holy Spirit ARE NO LESS IN VALUE THAN THE FATHER. And when we speak of First, Second, and Third Persons of the Holy Trinity, WE ARE NOT COMPARING THEM IN VALUE, SUPERIORITY AND POWER, BUT ACCORDING TO THEIR WAY OF BEING (Saint Basil the Great), In the end, human logic, human understanding and words ARE UNABLE TO FORMULATE THE MYSTERY OF THE TRIUNE GOD.

Many names have been given to the Holy Spirit. One of them, which also shows the work which it does in the Church as well as in the lives of the people is the name "COMFORTER". Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself used this word for the Holy Spirit when He said to His Disciples shortly before His Passion: "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter to be with you forever – the SPIRIT OF TRUTH" (John 14:16-17). And a little further on, the Holy Spirit is characterized by our Lord Christ as the "PARACLETOS" ("PARACLETE), the Comforter Who will teach the Disciples and will remind them of everything He has said during His life. "But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father WILL SEND in My name, will teach you ALL THINGS AND WILL REMIND YOU OF EVERYTHING I HAVE SAID TO YOU" (John 14:25). Having the assurance that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, WE PRAY TO HIM: "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!"

The Holy Spirit COMFORTS THE PERSON who is struggling against sin, trying to keep Christ’s commandments in his life. This struggle is heard, because the fight is against the evil spirits. Therefore the Holy Spirit is a comforter, or one Who consoles men, as Saint John Chrystostomos says. It is a mark of God that He consoles men, so God is characterized by the same term as the Holy Spirit…The fact that our Lord Christ says that He will send "another Comforter" means that He too is a Comforter. "For it is one and I am the other". In this way we can see that EQUALITY IN HONOR OF CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.

"…All who receive the Holy Spirit and ARE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH are NOT ONLY to be restored to the previous state in which Adam was, but WILL RISE STILL HIGHER BECAUSE THEY ARE UNITED WITH CHRIST. A person having the Holy Spirit BECOMES A PROPHET, ACQUIRES PROPHETIC GIFTS, as we see in the lives of the Saints, knows the mysteries of Christ, sees and experiences the Kingdom of God. By the power and energy of the Holy Spirit the Prophetic gift becomes a natural condition in the person. NOETIC PRAYER is an indication of the gift and of the energy of the Holy Spirit…

"…In the Old Testament it says that he WHO LISTENS "RECEIVES FAVOR FROM THE LORD" (Proverbs 8:35). And the Holy Apostle Paul writes: "for it is God Who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose" (Philippians 2:13). This means that the Holy Spirit came down into the hearts of the Apostles and is working in men through THEIR OWN WILL AND NOT AS SERVANTS. But men must respond to the energy of the Holy Spirit WITH THEIR WILL, SINCE GOD DOES NOT VIOLATE THEIR FREEDOM. However, desire and free will must be reinforced by GOD BECAUSE IN THE FALLEN STATE MAN IS ENSLAVED, HE IS AN ATTACHED BEING. [Resources: The Twelve Feasts of the Lord]

(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 and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George