Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles!

Last week we marked the Ascension of our Saviour with His human body to heaven and noted that in such a way, our physical nature in the person of Jesus Christ was sanctified. Of course, it is not only the body of the Lord Jesus Christ that was sanctified; each one of us has the possibility of entering into the closest of relationships with our Creator and being sanctified, not by physically ascending to heaven, but through communing of the Holy Spirit, who today descended from heaven and sat on the holy apostles in the form of tongues of fire. Thus our human nature is made holy in two ways: firstly, through the presence of Jesus Christ on the throne of God in heaven, and secondly, through the presence of the Spirit of God in the world.

It is not by chance that the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire, for the main instrument in the spreading of the Christian faith became the preaching, that is, the words, of the holy apostles. Just as a person uses a pen, pencil, or keyboard to express his or her thoughts in written form, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in the apostles and guided their speech so as to teach, through them, all the nations of the world about the risen Christ. The tongues that descended on the disciples appeared to be fiery to teach us that the Holy Spirit at the same time cleanses and enlightens us. Just as gold is cleansed from other elements through fire, so we also are cleansed from our sins through the actions of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like a light that shines on the world around us and gives us the opportunity to see both ourselves and the world correctly.

The fact that the Holy Spirit has always acted and continues up to our time to work in the world is clear to see, because faith in the risen Christ spread throughout the world not by the sword or through money, but by simple, poor, and sometimes uneducated, men. These men promised not wealth, power, happiness, or peace on earth, but blessedness with God in the future life. Despite this unusual message, delivered by strange missionaries, whether they be Galilean fishermen, Russian priests in Japan or Alaska, or an American monk who converted to Orthodoxy, the Christian faith continues to draw to itself many people. Without a doubt, the Holy Spirit is present amongst us and works in the world!

Today, as much as this is possible, let’s glorify the Most-Holy Trinity with our poor prayers and kneeling. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit descends on us, cleanses us from sin, makes us brilliant like pure gold, and sanctifies not only us, but the entire world with His fiery light, so that all learn to serve and glorify the true God!

priest Alexis