The Descent of the Holy Spirit – The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit I The Birth of the Holy Church

Pentecost is one of the Great, high-ranking Feasts of the Orthodox Church, with the inexpressible richness of divine gifts and life-giving forces. On the Pentecost Day we commemorate, recall, and re-experience the Descent of the Holy Spirit, just 50 days after the Glorious Resurrection, on the Holy Apostles and all those gathered with them in a new and different way. The Holy Spirit took up residence within the human soul. Before His ascension, our Lord Jesus Christ promised His disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.

He asked them, to wait for the Holy Spirit, the promise of God the Father (Lk. 24: 49; Acts 1: 4-8) and to become His witnesses all over the world. They, along with Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as the close followers, waited patiently, stayed together, and joined together in prayers in one accord (Acts 1: 12-14). They not just waited, but they prayed for the Holy Spirit, although they had His promise, they still had to pray regularly for its fulfillment. They lived in complete accordance with the will of their Lord; the Holy Spirit was able to do His work. This is the celebration of what must happen and does happen to us in the Church today – not just wait but pray of the enrichment and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

This tenth day after the Victorious Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the Feast of Pentecost, (Gk. Pentekoste – fiftieth day) the real beginning of the history of the Church and in fact the birth of the Holy Church. The events on Pentecost day not only constitute the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel (Joel 2: 28) but also the promise of Jesus (Acts 1: 4, 5; Jn. 14: 26). The descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles was not just a convocation ceremony of the apostolic school but was a reinvigoration and rejuvenation to witness Jesus Christ.

Pentecost Originally an Old Testament harvest festival celebrated fifty days, following the Passover. In time, Pentecost became the commemoration of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Pentecost is the Greek term for the Jewish feast Shavuot, that was followed by Passover and was called the Feast of Weeks, and it was the Feast of Harvest for the First fruits of the wheat harvest.

Pentecost took on a new meaning with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles at Pentecost. Through the Sacrament of Chrismation, Orthodox Christians experience their own personal Pentecost. Every Divine Liturgy becomes a Pentecost, through the descent of the Holy Spirit on the faithful and the gifts (the bread and wine), transforming them into the Holy Body and Holy Blood of Christ. The Holy Spirit indwells upon the Holy Mysteries as God’s spirit dwelt in Blessed Virgin Mary and took the shape of Lord Jesus. Pentecost, with all the eternal gifts of the Triune Divinity and of the Holy Spirit Himself, defines the Church of the Holy Apostles – the Holy Apostolic faith, the Holy Apostolic Tradition, the Holy Apostolic hierarchy, and Holy Apostolic Succession.

Resurrection and Pentecost are about transformation. The Pentecost is demonstration of the Holy Trinity and the indwelling and cleansing by the Holy Spirit. In Resurrection, we are reborn – we die and are resurrected with Christ. This new resurrected nature is then shaped and molded by the Holy Church and it is filled with the Holy Spirit. This is the feast of Pentecost, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the transformation which was begun at Holy Resurrection is further fulfilled and perfected, in the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. And the Holy Spirit within us, Himself, has the effect of transforming and shaping the soul into more perfectly taking on His own image and likeness.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit has a profound effect on the person, for by this action a transformation is begun. The soul meets God, it cannot remain the same. The individual indwelling of the Infinite, Eternal Holy Spirit in the believer is such an amazing blessing and privilege that, the mind never wholly grasps it. Now it is simple to see how one’s behavior might change when he has been joined to the Church. But even here this change does not end, for once we develop new feelings and thoughts, then our spirit also changes and begins to develop in the soul the spiritual fruits of these changes, called virtues, and these virtues attract the grace of God. This grace then transforms our very nature so that we no longer have a nature of sin, but begin to develop a nature, which has the likeness of God.

He is the Comforter, Who consoles the believers and gives them joy in time of grief. He is the Spirit of Truth, Who reveals to the faithful the realities of spiritual life and helps them to love the truth. He renews our soul, purifies our conscience, enlightens our mind, strengthens in us the faith, directs our will to goodness, warms our heart with genuine love, elevates our thoughts, Perfects our lives and revives our whole nature. He is omnipresent; the divine nature has no bounds or obstacles. 

He is the Giver of Life, Who is the ultimate source of everything that is of value. He gives life to all of nature and, in a particular, higher spiritual life to human beings and angels. Without the Holy Spirit we have no life in us, with the Holy Spirit we have the life of Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit we return to the Upper Room in fear and anxiety but with the Holy Spirit we leave the Upper Room and witness to Jesus to the ends of the earth.

Orthodox Christians do not kneel for prayers from Resurrection until Pentecost. Following the canon of the first Nicene council, we do not kneel on Sundays, either. So, Vespers on the evening of Pentecost is the first time since Resurrection that we kneel; and three marvelous prayers are contained in these ‘Kneeling Prayers of the Liturgy of Pentecost’

Let us pray today and always for ourselves and the entire Church, that we may all be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us ask Him to guide us into all truth and to help us grow in Close companionship with Christ through daily prayer, reading of the Holy Scriptures and partaking of the Holy Sacraments.

O Holy Spirit, Convict us, sanctify us, guide us, comforts us, renews us, and make us fruitful.