Homily on the Feast of Pentecost (Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani)

 

 

Homily on the Feast of Pentecost 

By Metropolitan Chrysostomos III of Mani

The Book of the Acts of the Apostles describes with precision the historical event of the descent and visitation of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Specifically, it states:

“When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared unto them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1–4).

All the faithful were gathered together with one soul in the same place, in Jerusalem, and suddenly, without anyone expecting it, there came a sound from heaven like the roar of a mighty wind. This sound filled the entire house where all the disciples were gathered. Then tongues appeared to them, as though flames of fire were being distributed, and upon the head of each one of them rested a single tongue. Thus the whole of their being, their entire inner world, was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Homily on the Day of the Holy Trinity, or Pentecost (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

Homily on the Day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost) 

By Fr. Daniel Sysoev

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

I congratulate all of you on the feast of Pentecost, on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, on the day of the manifestation of the Consubstantial and Indivisible Holy Trinity!

On the day of Pascha, the Lord granted His disciples a gift from His Spirit. This was not yet the fullness of that gift; nevertheless, it foreshadowed today's feast, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire and thereby transformed them, remade them, leavened them anew, made them new beings, participants in a new life, and brought them — and through them all of us — into the Kingdom of God on earth.

It is noteworthy to recall the Resurrection of Christ. The Apostles were sitting in a small locked room, “for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19), discussing the disappearance of the body from the tomb. Suddenly Christ passed through the locked doors and gave them the Life-Giving Spirit, who delivers them from their sins. By His breath Christ dispelled the stale air of that room. In reality, this entire world is one vast stale room in which mankind lives under the oppression of death, bound by space and time, shackled by corruption and decay. Wherever a person goes, he carries destruction and corruption with him.

Homily One on the Third Day of Pentecost (St. Justin Popovich)

Homily One on the Third Day of Pentecost 

By St. Justin Popovich

(Delivered in 1965 at the Ćelije Monastery)

 

There would be no Lord Christ in this world after His Crucifixion and Resurrection if the Holy Spirit had not descended upon the Apostles and founded the Church of Christ. What is the Church of Christ? The Church of Christ is nothing other than the testimony to the Risen and Ascended Lord Jesus, a testimony given by the Holy Spirit through the Holy Apostles, through holy men. Such is the Church of Christ in this world. More than that, the Church is Christ's unceasing testimony through all Christians of every age, a testimony concerning the Risen and Ascended Lord Christ.

Therefore, today it was said in the Holy Gospel that the Lord Christ was powerfully declared to be the Son of God by the Holy Spirit through the Resurrection from the dead.¹ He was powerfully declared indeed—by Him alone, only by Him. For what kind of testimony could have been given by the frightened disciples who hid themselves from the Jews? They had scattered; there were many doubts and much unbelief concerning Christ's Resurrection. They did not want to believe.² Thomas demanded to touch the Risen Lord³—he was full of fear and trembling. But when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Holy Apostles on the day of Holy Pentecost, then the Heavenly Power, all the Heavenly Powers, filled the souls of the Holy Apostles, filled all the faithful, filled the Church of Christ, and laid the Holy Trinity as its foundation, for the Holy Trinity is the foundation of the Church.

The Lord was powerfully proclaimed—but by whom? First, by fishermen, by simple men. No one could say: "Look, they attended great and lofty schools, studied philosophy and science; that is why they are so mighty and powerful, why they testify so forcefully." What do you expect from fishermen? What from farmers? Profound words of wisdom? No, such things were not found among them. "What we have seen and heard, that we testify," proclaims the Holy Apostle Peter together with all the Holy Apostles.⁴ "What we have seen and heard, what our hands have touched, what our eyes have beheld, what our ears have listened to—that is what we preach: Christ the Lord, Risen from the dead."

Yes, we do not preach ourselves; we preach nothing of our own. But then there comes the great witness, glorious and splendid, highly educated and the most learned of all—Saul, who through the Holy Spirit became Paul. What do we hear from him? What testimony does he give? What strength, what power! Yet he too renounces himself: "I am nothing. I am the greatest and foremost of all sinners."⁵ I know only one thing: that the Lord came into this world, was crucified for me, rose again, and ascended into heaven in order to give me Eternal Life. Yes, that alone He grants; only the Lord Christ grants Eternal Life. Even if you are a great sinner, faith—faith in Him—saves you. You have heard the wondrous Good News of Saint Paul, who says: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes."⁶ I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.

What are the philosophers of this world? What are the sciences? How does the scientist end his life? The philosopher? The sage? In a grave, in death—which means in corruption, worms, and decay. Therefore I am ashamed of every philosophy, of every science; I am ashamed of everything that does not conquer death in this world.

The Good Lord, the Risen Christ, through the Holy Spirit grants us eternal salvation, grants eternal goodness, grants the true Gospel—the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel of Eternal Truth. Eternal Truth came into our earthly world and proclaimed: "I am the Truth."⁷ I am the Way to Eternal Truth, the Way to Eternal Life. "I am the Light of the world,"⁸ the righteousness of this world, the righteousness of God in this world. People, has any greater gift ever visited you? Has the earth, has any human being, ever been gladdened by such wondrous tidings? No! Certainly not!

Therefore, therefore I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, says the Holy Apostle, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.

The power of God: every sin flees from that power; every death flees from that power; every devil flees from that power. It is the power of God unto salvation for everyone—not human power. There are many powers, but the Spirit is one. God is one, who works all things in all.⁹ God—the Holy Trinity.

What are the powers that the Holy Spirit grants? They are powers that destroy and annihilate every sin, every death, every devil, every hell, every torment, every affliction of this world. When they cleanse a human soul, when they drive out from it death and sin and every devil and every demon, then these divine powers of the Holy Spirit fill our souls with the Truth of God, the Righteousness of God, the Goodness of God, the Beauty of God, the Joy of God, and the Eternal Life of God. Such are the powers that the Lord Christ has given us through His Holy Spirit. What is that Power with which the Church of Christ was clothed on the day of Holy Pentecost—the Power from on high?¹⁰ Those divine powers become ours; they become mine, and yours, and every person's, on one condition: that we believe in the Lord Christ, in the Holy Trinity—the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

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These holy powers, these divine powers, the Lord has left to His Church, and each of us can receive them through the Holy Mysteries and the holy virtues. Every Holy Mystery—Holy Baptism, for example—and indeed the entire Holy Trinity participates in our salvation.¹¹ We are baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and everything demonic flees from us, while we are filled with God, with God Himself, with all the divine powers. In Holy Communion, we are filled with the whole Lord Christ. What sort of Power, then, is within us? A holy Power! It comes from the Lord; it is His gift. But how we receive these holy powers depends upon us.

What must we do in order to bring these divine powers into our souls, to cleanse ourselves from every sin, and to fill ourselves with every divine Power: Eternal Life, Eternal Truth, Eternal Righteousness? Today we heard in the Holy Gospel the Gospel of the Beatitudes. This holy Gospel tells us that we Christians are filled with divine powers, with holy divine powers, when we practice the holy virtues in our lives. In the nine Beatitudes the Lord has encompassed all the virtues of the New Testament, all the virtues of heaven.¹²

The first virtue is humility: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”¹³ The poor in spirit are those who humble their earthly spirit before the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and who feel and affirm: My spirit is nothing compared to the Spirit of God; my spirit, if it is to become something, if it is to be perfected, must be completed by the Holy Spirit, must be perfected by Him, must be filled with Him. And the path to this is humility. To humble one's mind, one's entire self before the Lord Christ, before the Holy Trinity, and to live according to the Holy Gospel: Blessed are the humble, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. And when you humble yourself, you often endure great suffering. You may have to humble yourself before a person who is perhaps quite unworthy, but for Christ's sake you do it, and you do so with great struggle and effort. Yet the Lord grants wondrous consolation; the Comforter Spirit fills your soul with blessedness. That is why the Savior placed as the first condition, as the first call to holy virtue—what? Humility.

Blessedness would not be blessedness if you did not humble yourself. By humbling yourself before the Lord Christ, before His Holy Gospel, receiving Him wholly and entirely, together with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Trinity through faith and humility—behold, the Kingdom of Heaven is yours. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Behold how seemingly small a virtue humility is, and yet you have brought the entire Kingdom of Heaven into your soul. What mercy! What a gift from the wondrous Lord Jesus, the only Lover of mankind! The holy virtue of humility, and within it the holy divine power that is invincible and all-conquering, cleansed of every sin, every death, every devil, fills the soul with Eternal Divine Truth, Eternal Righteousness, Eternal Life—with the entire Kingdom of Heaven. O man, what more could you ask of the Lord Christ? What more could you ask of the only true God? Behold, for one virtue, for one small effort, He gives you the whole Heavenly Kingdom.

And now the Good Lord speaks to you of a second virtue: “Blessed are the meek,”¹⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”¹⁵ Penitential mourning is the first characteristic of a true Christian. When, in the light of the Holy Spirit, a person examines himself and his soul, what does he see within himself? Weaknesses, infirmities, sins, defeats, falls. Then his eyes become fountains of tears; then they weep tears of repentance and contrition. The heart repents, the soul repents, the conscience repents, and the eyes pour forth tears.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Yes, the Comforter stands beside you and gathers your tears of repentance. Believe, believe that there is no sin, no multitude of sins, no collection of all the sins of this world, that cannot be washed from your soul and mine by tears of repentance. The gracious Comforter so wondrously stirs the soul and sets it in motion that tears begin to flow, flooding all the abysses of your soul, all the mountains and fires of your soul, and you wash away your sins through your penitential weeping. In this holy virtue you feel yourself to be a suffering sacrifice. In our afflictions He gives us blessedness; through the pangs of repentance, through tears of repentance, through the sufferings of repentance, He grants us tears of blessedness. You repent and feel how the Lord gently caresses your repentant soul. The gracious Comforter refreshes it with the dew of heavenly grace... And then, one after another, come all the Beatitudes.

Then there is the Beatitude concerning mercy—what a wondrous holy virtue, what a holy power! The heart of a Christian is full of the Savior's mercy, full of the goodness of the Comforter. The more a Christian labors over himself, the more merciful his soul becomes. “What is a merciful heart?” asks Saint Isaac the Syrian. “A merciful heart is a heart that prays for all creation, for every human being, for every sufferer, for every person. More than that—for every blade of grass, for every little plant, and even for the demons, that the Lord may save them...”¹⁶ Such is the tenderness of the heart of every true and holy Christian; such is the heart of God's saints, and of all Christians to a lesser degree. The more you strive for your heart to become merciful, the more you feel an ever greater blessedness spreading throughout your soul. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” And again, in your efforts to transform yourself into a merciful being, the Good Lord, the Holy Comforter, pours forth mercy through divine power, through holy and all-conquering power, and you become a hero, an invincible hero, whom nothing can harm. And so it is with all the Beatitudes.

These are the holy virtues, and through them the holy powers descend into our souls, and we ourselves are filled with God as we are filled with the holy virtues. This glad tidings is proclaimed to the world by the Chief Apostle Peter. In his Epistle he writes to Christians—to Christians of all times—and says: “All divine powers have been granted to us by the Lord Christ, all divine powers necessary for life both in this world and in the next,”¹⁷ both in this world and in the next. In the Church holy divine powers are bestowed, and therefore the Holy Apostle says that we must receive these powers.

How can we obtain them—you and I, Peter, Paul, John, Mark? How shall we acquire them, gain them, bring them into our souls? How? Through virtue, through labor, fleeing the corruption of this world, the pleasures of this world, the passions of this world, so that we may show, as he says, “in faith virtue, in virtue knowledge, in knowledge self-control, in self-control steadfastness, and in steadfastness love.”¹⁸ Thus all the virtues draw one another along, are bound together, and proceed one from another. And when we possess them, says the Holy Apostle, we become “partakers of the divine nature.”¹⁹ That means that we are deified; we fill ourselves with divine powers. Instead of sin and death and the devil dwelling within us, behold, there are divine powers, and through them and in them the Most Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit! This is the goal of our life. This is the goal of every human being: to deify himself, to fill himself with divine powers. As the Holy Apostle Paul says in the Epistle to the Colossians: “that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.”²⁰

That is why the Lord came into this world. That is why He took flesh upon Himself: to show that the little human body can contain the whole God and live by God in this world. Therefore we are obliged to fill ourselves with all the fullness of God. Divine holy powers are given to us through the divine holy virtues and the divine Holy Mysteries. Every holy virtue is accessible both to me and to you. What, then, depends upon us? Effort, labor, work, vigilance, growth in the virtues. None of us possesses perfect faith; we must strive for our faith to grow within us. None of us possesses perfect evangelical love; we must labor continually so that divine love may increase within us. None of us possesses perfect prayer; we must strive so that evangelical prayer may grow within us, that it may increase without ceasing.

A Christian is always growing, always striving, always advancing; he never stands still. Saint Gregory of Nyssa says: “A Christian never stands still. If he stops, he has already begun to go backward.” We are always moving forward. Before us lies Eternal Life, Eternal Divine Truth, and these must be acquired continually; they require unceasing labor. Never forget: blessed are those who fulfill the Gospel of Christ, the commandments of Christ. And all who labor in any virtue, who seek to strengthen it within themselves, and amid all trials and afflictions...²¹

Notes: 

1 Romans 1:4

2 Mark 16:11

3 John 20:25

4 2 Peter 1:16; 1 John 1:1–2

5 1 Timothy 1:15

6 Romans 1:16

7 John 14:6

8 John 8:12

9 Ephesians 4:4–6; 1 Corinthians 12:4–6

10 Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4–8; 2:4

11 A few words are inaudible on the tape. — Transcriber's note

12 Matthew 5:3–11

13 Matthew 5:3

14 Here, apparently by accident, the preacher had begun the third Beatitude (Matthew 5:5), but then returned to the second. — Editor's note

15 Matthew 5:4

16 See Fr. Justin's study, The Gnoseology of Saint Isaac the Syrian. — Editor's note

17 2 Peter 1:3

18 2 Peter 1:4–7

19 2 Peter 1:4

20 Colossians 1:10

21 The sermon is unfinished; the tape ended. — Transcriber's note

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

 

SUNDAY OF HOLY PENTECOST

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

Jesus Christ on the Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles, which commemorated the people's rest in the Promised Land after the labors of their wanderings, was a feast of the Law, since at that time special attention was given to its reading. In the prophecy of Zechariah it symbolically signified the time when all nations would gather in Jerusalem to worship the true God. On the last day of this feast, according to custom, there took place a symbolic pouring out of water from the Pool of Siloam (this water is mentioned in the same chapter of Zechariah and also by Ezekiel), which flowed beneath the Temple Mount, while the words of the Prophet Isaiah were sung: “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters” (cf. Isaiah 55:1).

It was probably in reference to this meaning of the feast and its ceremonies that the Lord, appearing on that day in the assembly of the people, proclaimed: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (cf. John 7:37). And comparing Himself to the Temple from beneath which living water flows, He applies the same image to those who believe in Him. Just as He pours forth living water, so those who believe in His name, having received the Spirit, will not only possess this water within themselves, in their own hearts, but will also pour it out for others, spreading everywhere the light of the knowledge of God.

Homily One on the Second Day of Pentecost (St. Justin Popovich)

Homily One on the Second Day of Pentecost 

By St. Justin Popovich

(Delivered in 1965 at the Ćelije Monastery)

Behold the treasury of all blessings, and the treasury of all divine and heavenly powers, and of that Kingdom of God upon earth. For the Church of Christ on earth is indeed the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God for me and for you; and the King ought to reign both in my soul and in yours. If the Lord Christ and His Holy Spirit reign within us, then neither sin nor evil nor the devil will reign. Then we shall be able to overcome everything that separates us from God and the Lord, everything that separates us from Eternal Life, Eternal Truth, and Eternal Righteousness.

The Church of Christ in this world is full of angels, full of Eternal Truth, the Eternal Righteousness of God, and the Eternal Life of God. How does she look upon the sinner? Just as the Lord said in the Holy Gospel: she looks upon the sinner as upon a sick man, and upon sin as our disease, the most terrible and dreadful disease. Yet nothing is easier than conquering sin; nothing is easier than being healed of this most terrible illness. How? Through the Holy Spirit and the Lord Christ.

Greek Customs and Traditions Associated with the Monday of the Holy Spirit

The Monday of the Holy Spirit (Δευτέρα του Αγίου Πνεύματος) is one of the most beloved feast days of the Greek springtime. Throughout Greece, the feast combines liturgical celebration with customs rooted in traditions from Byzantine and Ottoman times, local village life, Pontic customs, and in some cases even practices that some believe preserve echoes of ancient Greek communal festivals. While the feast is centered on the worship of the Holy Spirit and participation in the Divine Liturgy, it is also marked by pilgrimages, fairs, dances, athletic competitions, horse races, communal meals, and unique local celebrations.

The most widespread custom is attendance at the Divine Liturgy, especially in churches and monasteries dedicated to the Holy Trinity (Αγία Τριάδα). Since many Trinity chapels are built on mountains and hills, pilgrims often travel long distances, sometimes on foot, to attend the feast. After the services, large communal meals and festivals frequently take place. Roasted lamb, goat, local cheeses, bread, wine, and seasonal foods are shared. In many villages large cauldrons of food are prepared and offered free of charge to all visitors. This custom survives particularly in Epirus, Macedonia, Thessaly, and parts of Thrace.

Throughout rural Greece, the feast is associated with πανηγύρια (village festivals). Families gather, relatives return to their ancestral villages, traditional musicians perform, and local dances continue well into the evening. In many communities this is one of the most important annual social events. 

Homily for the Sunday of Pentecost (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for the Sunday of Pentecost

On the Gift of Speaking in Tongues

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

"Tongues will cease" (1 Corinthians 13:8)

As much as the mercy and compassion of God will help us today, we shall speak about the cessation of the gift of speaking in tongues in the Church of Christ.

The gift of speaking in tongues was given by God to the Holy Apostles on the Sunday of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, but only for a time, with the purpose of helping the pagan nations more easily convert to Christianity.

Indeed, at the Descent of the Holy Spirit, God spoke to the Jews through the mouths of foreigners. For the Jews from foreign lands, hearing the Apostles speaking in their own languages about the wonderful works of God, believed (Acts 2:11). Concerning the gift of speaking in tongues, the Apostle Paul prophesied that it would cease in the Church (1 Corinthians 13:8), because it was a gift and a sign only for the beginning of Christianity, in order to convert unbelievers more easily (1 Corinthians 14:22–28).

Homily One on Pentecost (St. Justin Popovich)

Homily One on Pentecost 

By St. Justin Popovich

(Delivered in 1965 at the Ćelije Monastery)

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

If it were not for this Day, brothers and sisters, there would be no Christianity; there would be no Holy Apostles, no Holy Martyrs, no Holy Confessors, no Righteous Ones, no Desert Fathers. If it were not for this Day, neither would you exist! If it were not for this glorious and great Day, there would be no Church of Christ in the world. This world would have been and remained an arena of death, a prison of sin, a hell. Man would have ceased to be man and would have become some kind of monstrous distortion.

Today's great and holy Feast, today's great and holy Event — the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the first disciples of Christ — gave being to the Church of Christ. Today is the birthday of the Church of Christ. Today the Church was born through the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Holy Apostles. The Lord was in the world in the flesh, preaching, working miracles, suffering, rising from the dead, and ascending into Heaven. And yet, behold, His disciples fled in fear of the Jews and hid themselves. What happened? Where was His power? Where was His promise: "I give you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy"?¹ They fled, they hid, they were runaways and cowards...

A Reflection on the Saturday of Souls for the Eve of Pentecost

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

It is well known that, for our Church, although every Saturday is dedicated to the holy martyrs and to her departed faithful, there are two principal Soul Saturdays: the one on the eve of Meatfare Sunday and the one on the eve of Holy Pentecost. For this reason, on both of these days we hear the Synaxarion note: “On this same day, the most divine Fathers decreed that remembrance be made of all who from the ages have fallen asleep in piety, in the hope of the resurrection unto eternal life.”

For the Church, the departed do not constitute a part of the world that has “ended and passed away” — as many believe, those who have confined their existence within the suffocating boundaries of this present world because they have erased God and Christ from their lives. The departed are an organic part of the Church, that is, a part of the Body of Christ, because death is not the gate leading to nonexistence, but the gate opening into the embrace of Christ. Just as we faithful live within that embrace in this present world, so too — and even more so — at the hour of our death and thereafter. The Apostle Paul tells us this directly, basing his words upon the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself: “Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” In other words, whether we remain in this life or depart from it, we belong to the Lord.

The Mystery of Pentecost (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

The Mystery of Pentecost 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christ, after His Ascension into heaven, according to His testimony, sent, on the fiftieth day from His Resurrection and the tenth from His Ascension, the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father.

Christ Himself had foretold to the Disciples the mission of the Holy Spirit: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, that he may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). And immediately after that He said: “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). And then He said: “It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).

The coming of the Holy Spirit to the Disciples took place on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13). Pentecost held an important place in the lives of the Apostles. Since they had previously undergone purification of heart and illumination – something that also existed in the Old Testament, in the Prophets and Righteous – then they saw the Risen Christ and on the day of Pentecost they became members of the risen Body of Christ. This has a special significance, because each Apostle had to have the Risen Christ within him.

The Depiction of the "Kosmos" in the Pentecost Icon

According to iconographer Photios Kontoglou:

"Below the bench on which they (the apostles) are seated, the figure of an old man is portrayed, with a crown on his head and with a defined, round beard, who is holding out a sheet with both his hands; on this sheet are twelve scrolls, which are rolled-up papers. This old man represents the Kosmos (World), and the paper scrolls represent the twelve regions that were ordained for the spreading of the gospel throughout the World by the twelve Apostles. In older icons of Pentecost, in place of the Kosmos (the old man) we find depictions of assorted people of different nations dressed in unusual garments, all looking upwards as if listening in amazement to the apostlic message, and above them is the inscription: PEOPLE, RACES AND LANGUAGES. These figures represent the people of various nations, who happened to be in Jerusalem on the day of the Pentecost at the moment of the descent of the Holy Spirit, and who, on learning of the tumult that was caused by the visitation of the Holy Spirit, crowded into the building that housed the apostles and then stood in amazement, when each one heard - in his own language - the sermon that came forth from the mouths of Christ's disciples, exactly as reported in the Acts of the Apostles."

Homily Five for the Feast of Pentecost (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Five for the Feast of Pentecost 

By St. John of Kronstadt

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a 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” (Acts 2:1–4).

Holy Trinity, grant me a word for Your day! May my word, a mortal man's, be worthy - as far as possible - of Your holiness, goodness and truth, Your wisdom, Your mercy and generosity to the fallen human race, Your unapproachable light, Your beauty! This is how I begin my word on the great day of Pentecost, or the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles of Christ and on all believers, namely, with the greatest possible praise to the Trinity.

"Heavenly King, Comforter..." (Monday of the Holy Spirit)

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

"Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, You are everywhere present and fill all things. Treasury of blessings and Giver of Life, come and dwell within in us and cleanse us from every stain and save our souls, O Good One."

The sticheron of the apostichon of Vespers and the doxastikon of the praises of Pentecost, but also of the feast of the Holy Spirit, in plagal of the second tone, constitutes, after the “Our Father”, the most well-known prayer of the Orthodox Christian and of the Church. In fact, every service begins with this prayer, just as the Orthodox Christian begins every prayer with it. It is addressed to the third person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, Who proceeds from the source of the Godhead, the Father, just as Jesus Christ, the Son and Word of God, is begotten of Him, which means that we certainly do not have three Gods, which constitutes a condemned heresy by our Church, but another way of existing of the One according to the nature and essence of God.

Discourse on the Holy Spirit (Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani)

Discourse on the Holy Spirit
 
By Metropolitan Chrysostomos III of Mani

In God there are three persons or hypostases, distinguished from each other - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Holy Trinity has their own hypostatic characteristic, namely: the Father is unbegotten, the Son is begotten and the Holy Spirit is proceeding. And the three persons "in the one divinity" coexist, exist and surround each other. As Saint Damascene says, we have one divinity "in three perfect hypostases distinctly united and inseparably divided." This is the most sacred mystery of the Holy Trinity.

In particular, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, is called, Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Light and life, Living Source, Spirit of wisdom and understanding, Paraclete (Comforter). It is that Person, the Holy Spirit, who directs the Church and deifies man by grace. It is the Paraclete, who helps man wounded by sin, supports him in his spiritual recovery and contributes to his salvation.

Homily Four for the Feast of Pentecost (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Four for the Feast of Pentecost 

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered in 1905)

“Glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity, always, now and ever and unto the ages of ages” (Exclamation at the beginning of the all-night vigil)

Dear brothers and sisters, we celebrate the great Christian feast of Pentecost, i.e. the fiftieth day after Pascha, or the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, and the tenth after His Ascension into heaven. What a great and saving event for the Church took place on this day? The glorious, life-giving descent of the Holy Spirit, the third Divine Person of the Holy Trinity, on the Apostles and all the faithful disciples of Christ who were in the Upper Room on Zion. Before that, the Holy Spirit had not been present in the world, for Jesus Christ was not glorified, as the Holy Scripture says, i.e. until He suffered and died for the sins of the world. For only by the merits of Christ and by His intercession did God the Father send His Holy and life-giving Spirit into the sinful and perishing world. This descent of the Holy all-renewing and all-containing Spirit of God was accompanied by miraculous all-renewing actions on the disciples who had gathered and were awaiting Him in unanimous ardent prayer. Listen to the sacred story of this glorious event by the writer and evangelist Luke.

Homily Three for the Feast of Pentecost (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three for the Feast of Pentecost 

By St. John of Kronstadt

"We hymn the Trinity of one essence, the Father and the Son, with the Holy Spirit: for so did all the Prophets and Apostles and Martyrs preach."

We celebrate one of the greatest events in the world and in the Christian Church, an event that is both miraculous and also salvific and joyful for the entire Christian world; namely, we celebrate the descent upon the Apostles of the Holy Spirit of God, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, sent down from God the Father by the Son of God Jesus Christ, who ascended to heaven. 

He (Christ) said to His disciples before His suffering: "I go to Him that sent Me... But because I have told you this, your hearts are filled with sorrow. But I tell you the truth, It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you" (John 16:5–7). The Almighty and Life-giving Spirit of God, co-essential and co-enthroned with the Father and the Son, solemnly and truly descended upon the Disciples of the Lord, and in their persons upon the Christian Church, for the assimilation by men of the great work of redemption accomplished by the Son of God, for the rebirth by the fire of the Holy Spirit of the Apostles and all who were with them, for the communication to them of the gift of invincible courage and strength, and the gift of speaking in all languages, the gift of Divine love, all-embracing and inseparable, such love as the Lord Jesus Christ had for men, who laid down His life for men. The Holy Spirit filled the Apostles with the gift of wisdom, the power to regenerate men from the old creation into the new through faith in Jesus Christ and by means of preaching and the mysteries – baptism, chrismation, the sacred rite of the Body and Blood of Christ. He gave them and their successors, the bishops, the power and wisdom to bind and loose the sins of men, to clarify the faith and the teaching of the faith, to write divinely-wise Gospels and Epistles, to convene Synods for clarifying the God-revealed teaching and exposing heresies and schisms, to establish rules of faith and conduct, to consecrate churches and ordain people to sacred offices, and in general to improve the newly founded Church of Christ. The Holy Spirit revealed Himself in the world in wondrous Divine actions in all the greatness of His Divinity, as the Creator and Maker of human nature, as the Self-existent Life and Source of life for all rational creatures, as the Source of wisdom and power.

Homily on the Day of Pentecost (Righteous Alexei Mechev)

Homily on the Day of Pentecost*

By Righteous Alexei Mechev

(Delivered on May 26, 1914)

On the day of Holy Pentecost, we will discuss the invaluable and salvific actions of the Holy Spirit for us, Christians. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles is a moment of utmost significance. It marks the beginning of the powerful surge through which the entire ancient, decrepit pagan world fell, collapsed, making way for the religion of light, the truth of truths.

Indeed, all that once held undisputed dominion over the world: this all-encompassing philosophy, this exalted and celebrated polytheism – all of this proud pagan creation has collapsed under the touch of the humble preachers of the Christian faith, which, in the eyes of pagan sages, was a pathetic delusion and madness (1 Cor. 1:18). Such is, dear friends, the power of the Holy Spirit; its fruits are beautifully expressed in the well-known prayer to the Holy Spirit: 'Heavenly King.' In it, the Holy Spirit is referred to as "the Comforter, the Giver of Life, the Treasury of Good Things."

Homily on the Monday of the Holy Spirit (Emperor Leo VI the Wise) - 3 of 3

...continued from part two.

These words do not even mean that new thing which the revolutionaries want to introduce about the existence of the Spirit, namely that the Spirit proceeds from the Son, whose single authority they wrongly turn into a polyarchy. I do not know where they got this belief from. Which of the two do they want? To have the Spirit proceeding from the Son, making Him together with the Father the origin of the Spirit, or should they remove the procession from the Father? For if the Spirit proceeds from the Son, how does He not also proceed from Himself, since whatever is of the Father and the Son is also of the Spirit? Then what? It happens not only that He does not come from the Son, but also not from the Father. For that which has existence from itself, what need has a cause of existence from elsewhere? Also, if the Spirit has the same power, how does the Son not also come from the Spirit, as the Spirit from the Son? For, either He does not have the same power as the Son, in receiving, and not giving, or if indeed He has the same power, the Son will also have something of the Spirit, as He gives to the Spirit. And how do you deprive the Spirit of this alone, that is, of proceeding from Himself, without taking anything away from the others, which have been added to the Father and the Son? For, He could also be deprived of others, so that the insult would be more evident, or if He is not deprived of others, He may not be deprived even of His existence by Himself. Why, then, is the choice held only for this? Then, if the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the addition of this attribute is distinguished from the paternal hypostasis, how is He not inferior to the Father in the oneness of essence and intimacy of the Son, if indeed the Son has the existence from the Father, and to the Son is added that He is also the cause of the Spirit? And if all that the Son has, He receives from the Father, from there the Spirit will proceed from Him. What, then, was the generosity, to give to the Son for the Spirit to proceed from Him, and to give the Spirit neither to proceed from Himself, nor even to participate in the birth of the Son? And if the Father is greater, because He is the cause of the Son, the Son must also be greater by being the cause of the Spirit. And how does it escape you that the hypostasis of the Spirit is diminished, when the Son is said to have one cause of existence, and the Spirit is said to have two causes? And if by this sequence the Son is greater than the Spirit, how will the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit not be greater than the blasphemy against the Son? Because this is what the Savior taught, saying that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, in this world and in the future will have an unforgivable punishment (Matt. 12:32, Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10).

Homily on the Monday of the Holy Spirit (Emperor Leo VI the Wise) - 2 of 3

...continued from part one.

Let no insolent tongue be moved against the Spirit, Who reigns and creates, to speak illicit words. From the divine Word that made everything, "the heavens were established" (Ps. 32:6), but we have learned that it was also the Spirit who cooperated in their power. "No one knows the Father except the Son" (Matt. 11:27), but the Spirit does not lag behind in this knowledge either. "For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). The Son gives forgiveness of sins, the Spirit has the same power. The Spirit makes slaves noble by adoption (Rom. 8:15). Let those who lower the Spirit who gives freedom to the level of slavery be ashamed (2 Cor. 3:17). Those who do not tremble to place among the creatures the Spirit, who is the cause of the creation, what great madness! The Pneumatomachi do not understand that they are fighting themselves. They sharpen their tongues against themselves and do not sense it. Tell me, you dark creature, if the Spirit is a creature, how does He bestow freedom? If He is not God, how does He impart divine grace? If He does not reign, how does He make men heirs to the kingdom? If He is not of the same nature with God, how through Him do we partake of the divine nature? (Rom. 6:5). What compels you to be a more violent tyrant, than that tyrant already abolished, I mean the apostate demon, by bestowing upon the creation after incorruption decay once again? Because, of course, creatures do not become incorruptible by a creature. If indeed the Spirit is a slave, as a creature He is enslaved to decay, although for our sake so great a ransom was given. The Son receives the Spirit, which has the same power and cooperates with Him in the regeneration of people, and together with Him and with the Father, He brings about our regeneration. But if the Spirit is reckoned together with the creatures, He cannot act in that which He is perceived to be able to do. You should not say that of course nothing prevents one from receiving the Spirit as a creature, and then say that He will set us free. In the first place, if that which has been decayed was remade through a creature, why does the Creator with philotimo proceed to the event and show His will so great in this work that it was possible to do it using a creature as a servant? And why does the Son dwell in a womb, and is wrapped in swaddling clothes, and in the fullness of time God receives the fullness of my own regeneration? And why is a Cross erected, and the hands of murderers dare bold deeds, and He who is above the heavens is hidden on earth and lodged in a place of corruption? Why? For there was no other way to help the creature, nor could the servant render so great a benefit, nor could we through the creature be delivered from corruption, nor from the creature receive so great a gift, but from God alone. Who, because He was moved by mercy and judged that he had to relieve man who was burdened with wounds, because it was not possible in any other way to do the appointed work, to fulfill those things which comfort, He gave himself up. How, then, does Christ, ministering, receive the Spirit as a partner in the regeneration of that which has been corrupted, since it was not possible for the created nature to serve the work of regeneration if the Spirit was placed with the creatures? Then, what is our way of sinning against another and receiving from Him the forgiveness of sin, to which of course we are not accountable? For man sinned not against a creature, but against God, not keeping the commandment He gave. How, then, does created nature to which I am not accountable free me from debt? You who misjudge the Trinity and are dangerously disposed to your own things, deprive not then the Spirit of His glory. Nor by distinguishing Him from the divine equal honor of the Father and the Son do you lower Him to the rank of creatures. Be ashamed of the greatness of the office, if of course you want nothing else, but at least be ashamed of the testimony given by the Word, the kin of the Spirit. He says to those to whom He entrusted the ministry, when He ascended to the Father: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 19). The slave cannot participate in the Despotic arrangement of Persons.

Homily on the Monday of the Holy Spirit (Emperor Leo VI the Wise) - 1 of 3

Homily 13

Discourse of Leo the King in the name of Christ the Eternal King, On the Divine Spirit Who is Enthroned with Christ, from Whom and through Whom, Having Descended of His Own Accord, He Granted to Men the Adoption

Delivered by Emperor Leo VI the Wise (+ 912)

Yesterday we celebrated the festival of the coming of the Paraclete, and by making the day happy and by offering reconciliation to God the Father, He made the presentation brilliant. Today we introduce the festival, as if enjoying some remnants of yesterday's sacred pleasure. Yesterday He honored us with His presence, today we honor the coming of the Paraclete. Yesterday, for us, the favor we received was a matter of celebration, today the reason to celebrate is the glorification of the Spirit. What praise, then, should be given to Him? Of course the confession of the glory that is due to God. For which He was sent by the Son, after this had been accomplished with Him. Because He came to glorify Him (Jn. 16:14). But He arrived to display in His creature also His own honor. Precisely because the honored Trinity, even before the world existed, also had to be honored by those who are in the world. Today, being willing to do this, my speech begins in this way: