The Day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit
Yesterday the Orthodox Church celebrated the triumphant feast of the All-Holy Trinity, while today is the second part of this feast, when the Church glorifies the All-Holy and Divine Spirit, Who descended upon the Apostles and filled them with spiritual power. The following words are in the Six Psalms: My soul thirsteth after Thee like a waterless land, that is, before Thee my soul is like a land without water (Psalm 142:6).
Imagine land that has good seeds but no water, so the seeds dry up. But if moisture falls upon them, they will begin to sprout and grow. It is the same with man: the grace and power of the Spirit of God are as necessary for man’s soul as this wonderworking moisture is for the seeds of plants. Without the grace of the Spirit of God, all the good beginnings that the Lord has diligently planted in our soul will remain fruitless and sprout only weeds.
How evil is sprouting up in the human soul now, in our times! Never before in life has there been such filth, and never have there been such outrages as are being committed now, while there are almost no good shoots! But, of course, for a Christian there is no basis for despair if he leads a good Christian life. Always pray, above all, that the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, might visit and heal our soul, that it might be roused from its spiritual slumber and bring forth the good fruit that the Lord has sown and expects from every soul. Amen.
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