THE HOLY AND GREAT FEAST OF PENTECOST – THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Lord, God and Savior JESUS CHRIST,

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

THE HOLY AND GREAT FEAST OF PENTECOST – THE
DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord
in our place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of rushing
mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then
there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one 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 utterance. And there were
dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused,
because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all
amazed and marvelled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak
Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we
were born? …So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another,
‘Whatever could this mean? " (Acts 2:1-12).

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. Plagal of Fourth Tone

BLESSED art Thou, O Christ our God, Who has shown forth the
fishermen as supremely wise by sending down upon themm=, the
Holy Spirit, and through them didst draw the world into Thy net.
O Befriender of man, glory to Thee.

Kontakion Hymn. Plagal of Fourth Tone

ONCE, when He descended and confounded the tongues, the Most
High divided the nations; and when He divided the tongues for fire,
He called all men into unity; and with one accord we glorify the
All-Holy Spirit.

After the Saviour’s Ascension into the Heavens, the eleven Apostles and the rest of His disciples, the God-loving women who followed after Him from the beginning, His Mother, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and His brethren–all together about 120 souls—returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. Entering into the house where they gathered, they went into the Upper Room, and there they persevered in prayer and supplication, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, as their Divine Teacher had promised them. In the meanwhile, they chose Matthias, who was elected to take the place of Judas among the Apostles.

Thus, on this day, the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the tenth day after the Ascension and the FIFTIETH DAY AFTER PASCHA, at the third house of the day from the rising of the sun, there suddenly came a sound from Heaven, as when a mighty wind blows, and if filled the whole house where the Apostles and the rest with them were gathered. Immediately after the sound, there appeared tongues of fire that divided and rested upon the head of each one. Filled with the Spirit, all those present began speaking not in their native tongue, but in other tongues and dialects, as the Holy Spirit instructed them.

The multitudes that had come together from various places for the feast, most of whom were Jews by race and religion, were called Parthians, Elamintes, and so forth, according to the places where they dwelt. Though they spoke many different languages, they were present in Jerusalem by divine dispensation. When they heard that sound that came down from Heaven to the place where the disciples of Christ were gathered, all ran together to learn what had taken place. But they were confounded when they came and heard the Apostles speaking in their own language. Marvelling at this, they said to one another, ‘Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each one in our own language in which we were born? But others, because of their foolishness and excess of evil, mocked the wonder and said that the Apostles were drunken.

Peter stood up with the Eleven, and raising his voice, spoke to all the people, proving that that which has taken place was not drunkenness, but THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S PROMISE THAT HAD BEEN SPOKEN BY THE PROPHET JOEL: "And it shall come to pass inthe last days, that I shall pout out of My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy" (Joel 2:28), and he preached Jesus of Nazareth unto them, proving in many way s that He is Christ the Lord, Whom the Jews crucified but God raised from the dead. On hearing Peter’s teaching, many were smitten with com;unction and received the word. Thus, they were baptized, and on that day about three thousand souls were added to the Faith of Christ.

Such, therefore, are the reasons for today’s Holy and Great Feast: THE COMING OF THE ALL-HOLY SPIRIT INTO THE WOLD, THE COMPLETION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST’S PROMISE, AND THE FULFILLMENT OF THE HOPE OF THE SACRED DISCIPLES, WHICH WE CELEBRATE ON THIS DAY. tHIS IS THE FINAL FEAST OF THE GREAT MYSTERY AND DISPENSATION OF GOD’S INCARNATION. Osn this last, and great, and SAVING PENTECOST, THE APOSTLES OF THE SAVIOR, WHO WERE UNLEARNED FISHERMEN, MADE WISE NOW OF A SUDDEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, CLEARLY AND WIT DIVINE AUTHORITY SPOKE THE HEAVENLY DOCTRINES. THEY BECAME HERALDS OF TRUTH AND TEACHERS OF THE WHOLE WORLD. ON THIS DAY THEY WERE ORDAINED AND BEGAN THEIR APOSTLESHIP, OF WHICH THE SALVATION OF THOSE THREE THOUSAND SOULS I ON EDAY WAS THE MARVELOUS FIRST FRUIT. [Resources:  The Great Horologion]

(To be continued)

_________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in the Glorious and Divine Descent of the Holy Spirit,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George