By Fr. George Dorbarakis
1. The name of the Prophet Joel is interpreted to mean "the love of the Lord," "beginning," or "firstfruits of God." The Prophet belonged to the tribe of Reuben and prophesied about a famine that would occur, the cessation of sacrificial offerings, and the Passion of the righteous Prophet, Jesus Christ. Through this Passion, the whole earth is renewed and saved. After completing his prophetic ministry, the prophet died and was buried in his homeland.
2. The Prophet Joel is known for his “visions” concerning the Spirit of God, who would be poured out upon humanity after the coming of the Messiah. Above all, he foretold the Day of Pentecost, as the Lord’s own Apostles emphasize, especially the Apostle Peter: “What you see, O men of Judea [that is, the descent of the Holy Spirit] is what God spoke through the Prophet Joel: This will take place in the last days, says God: I will pour out My Spirit abundantly upon all men; thus, your sons and daughters will proclaim the truth, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream divine dreams” (Acts 2:16–17).
The Service of the Prophet Joel also hymns this reality, as, for example, in Ode 4: “As you foretold, O glorious one, the Spirit has now been poured out by God upon all flesh that has already believed.”
The Hymnographer therefore emphasizes that the Church, whose life became manifest at Pentecost, now lives in the Spirit of God. Poured out upon all the faithful, especially through the Mystery of Chrismation, the Spirit makes them prophets. It is a fundamental belief of our Church that the person who believes in Christ is baptized, thereby becoming a member of Him, and is chrismated, thereby receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit through which this new member of Christ becomes active in the life of the Church. Chrismation, as the reception of the Holy Spirit, also makes every believer a prophet.
“The divine Spirit has been poured out, as the august Joel decreed in his prophecy … and those who have received His working prophesy.”
Thus, from the prophecy of the Old Testament, which was a gift for exposing sin and announcing beforehand the coming Messiah, we arrive, through the Holy Spirit, at the prophecy of the Church. This is a gift possessed by every baptized and chrismated believer, enabling each one to hear the word of God, to proclaim that word when the Church entrusts them with such a task, to participate in the Mysteries, and to take part in the organization and administration of the Church.
Perhaps we, the faithful of the Church, must one day come to recognize the greatness and exalted dignity that God’s grace has bestowed upon us: that we are members of Christ and filled with His Spirit. This is possible, of course, provided that we strive, as the Prophet Joel did, to fulfill the fundamental prerequisite for receiving and retaining this gift: the purification of the heart from the defilements of sin.
“Having first cleansed your heart of its defilements, you were shown to be a pure vessel of the All-Holy Spirit, O prophet who spoke the words of God.”
It is understandable and well known that God, who is absolutely pure and free from all sin, rests only in a heart that strives for corresponding purity. For this reason, the Hymnographer emphasizes that those of us who follow the teachings of the Prophet Joel with all our heart and mind seek God with tears and prayers, through which the heart is indeed purified:
“Those who have followed your teachings, O most admirable one, seek God with all their heart and mind, with weeping and supplications.”
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
