A HOMILY FOR HOLY PENTECOST
About the Descent of the Holy Spirit Upon Us
Brothers and sisters,
In a moment, we shall be praying together on bended knees, appealing to the Most Holy Spirit to descend. Before we do so, each of us should ask himself: Do I really want the Holy Spirit to come down upon me? Do I really desire the Holy Spirit to enlighten my understanding, cleanse my heart, and strengthen my will in doing good? Do I really intend to stop reasoning and judging according to my own fallen understanding, and intend to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Have I set it as my purpose not to do as I like, but as He directs? Do I have a firm resolve no longer to be a slave of the passions, but the servant of the Holy Spirit? If you can, with perfect sincerity, answer these questions in the affirmative, then your entreaty will be granted: the Holy Spirit will descend upon you and will act in and through you. The whole Church is about to pray for the Holy Spirit’s descent and, so doing, will pray for His descent on you in particular. If God is eager to grant his prayer to him that prayeth,[1] much more is He eager to grant our fervent common prayer. He requires only that we sincerely desire what we request, in order that our petition truly be to our benefit; and that we have no hidden reservations -- which in any case cannot be hidden from Him Who knows our every secret. Your unworthiness is no impediment: the Holy Spirit can renew you; your weakness is no hindrance: the Holy Spirit can strengthen you. You have only to desire, to ask, with perfect sincerity and wholehearted faith, that the Holy Spirit descend upon you; and He will descend.
Nevertheless, we should not imagine that with the Holy Spirit’s descent we will instantly, permanently change for the better in every respect; that all our shortcomings will effortlessly disappear. We should not presumptuously suppose that our minds will straightway be brightly illumined and our hearts completely cleansed and healed, as was the case with the apostles. They underwent an immediate, dramatic, all-embracing change when the Holy Spirit lighted upon them, but this did not happen simply for their sake; rather, it took place for others: for the sake of the whole world and all generations. It took place so that the New Testament Church could be established, contrary to every rational expectation, in the face of Jewish hatred and heathen persecution. It took place so that it would be evident that the Church’s foundation was miraculous: that it was the work of God Himself, not the result of the apostles’ inherent capabilities or any other temporal factor.
With us, the Holy Spirit descends and acts differently. He comes, and He accomplishes His work gradually, at times unnoticed, for the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation.[2] A seed is planted in the earth, and it germinates and grows so slowly that the growth itself cannot be seen. The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree.[3] Sometimes we cannot even tell when the Holy Spirit has descended upon us and is acting in or through us. We experience His operation, but are not always conscious that it is He Who acts. This is because He operates in and through our own thoughts, feelings, and deeds, as the evil spirit also operates through our thoughts, feelings, and deeds. In one case and the other, the conjunction is so close that we can be quite unaware that it has occurred. But just as the wicked spirit cannot act in or through us without our consent to his suggestions, so the Holy Spirit does not act in or through us in violation of our free will. He seeks our assent, and it is only with it that He operates in us. We must be willing to act for good; then, He will act with us. When we cease to act, He also ceases to operate in us.
We cannot live without air, but if we stop breathing, the presence of air all around us does us no good, and we die. Likewise, the Holy Spirit, Who is everywhere present, enlightens us only when we strive, when we labor for truth and righteousness. He cleanses our heart of the stain of sin only when we scour ourselves. He strengthens our will to do good only when we distance ourselves from the causes of sin, to which we are so strongly attached.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, as we pray now for the descent of the Holy Spirit, resolve firmly to live according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, and the Holy Spirit will most certainly descend and rest upon you. Amen.
[1] I Kings 2:9
[2] Luke 17:20
[3] Matt. 13:31-32
