Dear Friends,
We have passed through the light of Holy Pascha and witnessed the glory of our Lord’s Ascension. Now, we find ourselves in a sacred, focused period of the Church year—a time of quiet anticipation as we await the feast of Holy Pentecost.
Far from being an empty space on the calendar, these days between Ascension and Pentecost are given to us with a profound purpose: to prepare the temples of our own hearts to receive the Holy Spirit.
In this spirit, we share a deeply moving spiritual exhortation from Reflections of a Humble Heart, a 15th-century text written by a monk recording the words of his spiritual father. We especially encourage parents and educators to use the Pentecost lesson we shared to prepare their children ahead of time for the descent of the Holy Spirit.
Let us exhort our children to pray that they also receive the Holy Spirit at Kneeling Vespers. When everyone is on their knees and the priest is praying, the same Holy Spirit will descend as it did on that very first Pentecost.
From Reflections of a Humble Heart:
And now let us turn our discussion to the subject before us. Holy Pascha has gone by, our Lord's Ascension has gone by, and now we are awaiting the holy Feast of Pentecost. These were great and holy Feasts, and now we have come to a great and holy period of anticipation and preparation for that culminating Feast … of Holy Pentecost.
After the Ascension into heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ, … the holy Apostles, as the Saviour had commanded, waited in Jerusalem in anticipation of the descent of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5). This was necessary that they might be anointed and strengthened for the task of preaching the Divine Gospel to the world…
Beloved brother, … you should likewise continue in prayer in anticipation of that great and crowning feast of Holy Pentecost. Of course, ever since that first Pentecost in the time of the holy Apostles, the Holy Spirit has continuously and consistently been and ever will be in the Church, and His grace, without ever diminishing, performs all the Mysteries through the course of the year. But know that on the Feast of Holy Pentecost, when the Holy Church triumphantly celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, this is not only a remembrance of a past event—even though this particular event in time was of great significance both for the past and for the present and for the future (all feasts and mysteries celebrated by the Church possess significance for the future)—but this is also a special and most abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Church, when His grace is signed most powerfully upon all those who on that day come to church with prayer, and, bending their hearts and knees, pray to receive the Holy Spirit into their souls and a blessing upon their lives.
The holy Apostles, as we said, continued in prayer and supplication, awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit. So likewise do you, following their example, pray in advance and with fervent prayer prepare yourself in such a way that the grace of the Holy Spirit not only touch you but that it come to abide constantly in your heart. Do not think that the time between Ascension and Pentecost is some kind of empty space. No, this time is given to us with a purpose, that we might prepare ourselves to receive a great gift and mystery. Further, it does not say in Scripture that, awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles continued in prayer and fasting, as they did on other occasions (Acts 13:3; 14:23; I Cor. 7:5; II Cor. 6:5, 11:27). It says simply that they continued in prayer and supplication, and that their waiting for this great gift (Acts 11:20) was not joined with any labors or difficulties; their ascesis in this case was only spiritual. The descent of the Holy Spirit was the beginning of a New age, the foretaste of a blessed life in heaven, where there will be rewards for ascetic labors but not the labors themselves; it will be a time of rest and tranquility, not labors and battles… And of you is required, now, no fasting or prostrations, but only the joyous anticipation of grace and an abiding in prayer. Take care that you are not negligent in this regard. Like Christ's holy disciples in ancient times, so too, you, who are also Christ's disciple, remain in church, praising and blessing God (Luke 24:53).
… If you demonstrate fervor, then on the day of Pentecost, as you pray, your temple will be renewed, and the grace of the Holy Spirit is powerful and capable of making it once again strong and noble. Pray that you never cease to be a temple of God, and that the Holy Spirit not only never depart from you but that He renew and strengthen and sanctify you, and fill you with grace.
Therefore, on the day of the feast of Holy Pentecost, when, brother, reverently and on bended knee, you listen to the prayers uttered by the priest speaking for and on behalf of his flock, be sure what it is you are praying for. On this day the Holy Spirit is clearly present in the Church and He hears your prayers! For this reason, brother, concentrate, consider beforehand and reflect on just what it is you are going to ask God. Possibly you have many sorrows and troubles weighing upon your heart, and you want to ask God to resolve these difficulties and to help you. Pray for this. But, what is of infinitely greater importance and priority, you should entreat God to grant you the grace of the Holy Spirit and to fill your soul to overflowing… In other words, you must ask that He receive you, while still in this life, into the Kingdom of Heaven, that He grant you the pledge and beginning of future, eternal delight. I will even add that this alone should be your entreaty on that day. But the flesh is weak, and according to your weakness ask God, if you wish, concerning your earthly affairs as well. God will hearken to you, as it is written: The Lord hear thee in the day of affliction (Ps. 19:2). But do not forget, on no account must you forget that the most important of your requests must be to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. Know, brother, that if you receive this gift, you will have no need of anything else, nor will you desire anything more, because the Holy Spirit is a Treasury filled with good things beyond measure.
What about all my needs and difficulties; you may ask. Do not be troubled concerning these. The Lord will take care of these in His wondrous fashion. Entrust Him with everything. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He will nourish thee (Ps. 54:23). Always keep in mind the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (i.e., the satisfaction of your earthly needs) shall be added unto you (Matt. 6:33). Make these words a part of your life—both through your faith and through your deeds; believe in God and entrust yourself to Him. Be assured: God knows that your soul is languishing under the burden of earthly misfortunes and that the little glowing coal of love for Him, which ignites the incense of your prayers and your faith, can become altogether extinguished if sorrows and misfortunes blunt your spiritual energy. God knows your heart is little, and He wants it to belong wholly to Him, as it is written, Son, give Me thy heart (Wisdom 23:26). Therefore, if you give Him your heart, God will take care of it remains His. He will not allow it to be overcome by great misfortunes or by demons, who always act covertly through misfortunes, stirring up storms in order to snatch your heart away from God and, dousing your soul with torrents of water, as it were, to extinguish all your love for God and thoughts of eternity, to weaken your soul and bring it into complete confusion and exhaustion. Therefore, brother, give God your heart, then grieve no more, having only one concern: that your heart remain constantly in God's hands. In this way, on the Feast of Pentecost, when we celebrate the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, pray fervently that the Holy Spirit descend also upon you, having prepared yourself beforehand with prayer and spiritual reading.
–Excerpted from Reflections of a Humble Heart
In Christ,
Three Hierarchs Academy Press
