home Treatment and prevention The Feast of the Holy Trinity is the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The Feast of the Holy Trinity is the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles

The Feast of the Holy Trinity is the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The Feast of the Holy Trinity is the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles

Happy Holy Spirit Day to us! They say that all the evil spirits that exist on earth are incinerated on this day by the Holy Spirit, who descends on the earth. This means that created evil can be defeated and overcome, no matter what forces it is called upon. May Spiritual Day bring cleansing to you and your soul, add peace and grace to your home and, of course, give health to your loved ones.

To a man

Happy Holy Spirit Day
And today we would like to wish:
Be always protected by the Saints,
So that you don’t experience failure.

May they be your blessing
I will bring peace and happiness to your home,
They will make everything a fabulous moment,
They will give you faith in the powers of God.

On Spiritual Day, I sincerely wish that birch branches will drive away all sorrows and bad weather from the house, so that the aroma medicinal herbs filled the soul with happiness and hope, so that the raw earth would delight with generous harvests, and loved ones would give the bright light of love.

Monday is Spiritual Day,
Immediately after Trinity
Holy Spirit Day,
Everything will be fine now!

The birds will chirp
Fly over the windows,
Hot summer is coming
The sun will rise bright.

All houses will be decorated
Birch branches,
They will play happily
With your kids!

Spiritual day is such a thing,
Expects one of two things from us:
Or a spirit in a vigorous body,
Or in the body - a cheerful spirit.

In general, this is not the case,
And the holiday has nothing to do with it...
I wanted to smile
Just life, nothing!

We crucified You long ago,
Our Lord is good and mighty,
Now, bowing my head,
We catch every ray of light.

Into Your teaching headlong
We dive in and see
That You covered people with Yourself,
And he will never hurt us

Your Holy Spirit that You sent,
To His disciples forever,
You blessed them with the Spirit,
And people are grateful

That today the Holy Spirit
Calms the heart, fills
by your heavenly kindness,
And heals us, and heals...

The day after Trinity is a working day. Monday
The Holy Spirit comes at this hour.
Anyone can work: a hard worker or a slacker...
With a verse only on Spiritual Day I congratulate you!

I wish goodness and prosperity in the family.
In work - interest, increase.
In the heart - lightness, openness, consonance.
And in life - happiness, joy, luck!

The river, the field, the forest rejoice:
The spirit day has come from heaven,
The birds are singing in the sky,
Happiness brings tears to my eyes.

Rejoice all people today,
And may there be peace between you,
And hearts will open
For the Spirit, son and father!

Today is a holiday for the people,
Its name is Spiritual Day,
We used to do round dances,
And a shadow fell on the fence.

And I want to congratulate you
And just wish you happiness,
Leave sadness alone,
Be healthy, don't be discouraged!

So the Trinity fell silent,
Happy Sunday leaving
There's no point on Monday
From me and from you.

We'll fight the yawning
Let's sit around doing nothing.
You can’t work on Spiritual Day,
We keep traditions!

National holiday
Important day,
Yesterday they talked about the Trinity,
Everyone is not too lazy to glorify the Spirit,
We will read prayers in church.

And we will bend our knees,
Let's glorify the power, God's will,
So that only faith on Earth,
One was related to love!

Birthday of the Church

The Feast of the Holy Trinity, also called Pentecost, is dedicated to the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Christ. By the descent of the Holy Spirit it is established in the world Christian faith and the Church of Christ begins its existence. On the feast of Pentecost, the Church brings her children to the threshold of her grace-filled life and calls on them to renew and strengthen in themselves the gifts of the Holy Spirit that they received in the sacrament of Baptism. Without the grace of God, spiritual life is impossible. This mysterious power renews and transforms the entire inner world of a Christian. All the most sublime and valuable things that anyone can desire is given to him by the Holy Spirit. This is why the Feast of the Holy Trinity is celebrated so solemnly and joyfully by Orthodox Christians.

Gradually, God revealed Himself to people: in the Old Testament times, people knew only about God the Father; from the time of the birth of the Savior, people learned about His Only Begotten Son; on the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, people learned about the existence of the third Person of the Holy Trinity, and so they learned to believe and glorify God, one in the essence of the Trinity in Persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity, Consubstantial and indivisible.

Event of the Descent of the Holy Spirit

Pentecost - i.e. The fiftieth day after Easter was one of the three great Old Testament holidays. This holiday celebrated the adoption of the Sinai legislation under the prophet Moses, when, one and a half thousand years before the birth of Christ, at the foot of Mount Sinai, the Jewish people, liberated from Egypt, entered into an alliance with God. The Jews promised God in obedience, and the Lord promised them His favor. According to the time of year, the holiday of Pentecost coincided with the end of the harvest and was therefore greeted with special joy. Many Jews, scattered throughout different countries of the vast Roman Empire, tried to arrive in Jerusalem for this holiday. Having been born in other countries, many of them already had difficulty understanding their native Hebrew language, however, they tried to observe their national and religious customs and at least occasionally make pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

The descent of the Holy Spirit was not an unexpected event for the apostles. Several centuries before the birth of the Savior, the Lord God began to prepare people for the day of their spiritual rebirth and predicted through the mouth of the prophets: “You will walk in My commandments and keep My statutes, and I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh... I will pour water on the thirsty and streams on the dry... and you will joyfully draw water from the fountains of salvation... And I will give you a new heart and I will give you a new spirit , and I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and make you do it.”(Joel 2:28; Isa. 12:3, 44:3; Ezek.).

Preparing to return to His Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, before the crucifixion, devotes His farewell conversation with the apostles to the upcoming descent of the Holy Spirit. The Lord explains to the disciples that the Comforter - the Holy Spirit - must soon come to them in order to complete the work of saving people. “I will ask the Father, - says the Lord to the apostles , - and He will give you another Comforter, may he abide with you forever, - the Spirit of Truth... He will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you... He is the Spirit of Truth... The Spirit of Truth, Who proceeds from the Father, will testify of To me"(John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26).

Preparing to receive the Holy Spirit after the Lord’s ascension into Heaven, the disciples of Christ, together with Holy Virgin Mary, with some myrrh-bearing women and other believers (about 120 people) were in Jerusalem in the so-called “Zion Upper Room” on Pentecost. This was probably in that large room where, shortly before His suffering, the Lord celebrated the Last Supper. The apostles and all those gathered were waiting for the Savior to send them “The Father's Promise” and they will be clothed with power from on high, although they did not know what the coming of the Comforter Spirit would actually consist of (Luke 24:49). Since the Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again during the period of the Old Testament Easter, the feast of the Old Testament Pentecost fell that year on the 50th day after His resurrection.

And so, at nine o’clock in the morning, when the people usually gathered in the temple for sacrifice and prayer, suddenly a noise was heard above the Zion Upper Room, as if from a stormy wind. This noise filled the house where the apostles were, and at the same time many fiery tongues appeared above the heads of the apostles and began to descend on each of them. These languages had extraordinary property: they shone, but did not burn. But even more extraordinary were the spiritual properties that these mysterious languages conveyed. Everyone on whom this language descended felt a great surge of spiritual strength and, at the same time, unspeakable joy and inspiration. He began to feel like a completely different person: peaceful, full of life and ardent love for God. The apostles began to express these internal changes and new unexperienced feelings in joyful exclamations and loud praise of God. And then it turned out that they were speaking not in their native Hebrew, but in some other languages unknown to them. This is how the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire took place over the apostles, as predicted by the prophet John the Baptist (Matthew 3:11). Meanwhile, a noise reminiscent of a stormy wind attracted many people to the apostolic house. Seeing people flocking from all sides, with prayers of praise and glorification of God on their lips, the apostles went out onto the roof of the house. Hearing this stream of joyful prayers, those gathered near their house were amazed by a phenomenon incomprehensible to them: the disciples of Christ were mostly Galileans by origin, seemingly uneducated people, from whom one could not expect to know a language other than their native one, suddenly began to speak various foreign languages. languages, so that, no matter how diverse the crowd of people who arrived in Jerusalem from different countries, everyone heard their own native speech. But among the crowd there were also cynics who were not ashamed to laugh at the inspired preachers, saying that the apostles had already drunk wine so early.

In fact, the power of the Holy Spirit was revealed then, in addition to other internal grace-filled changes, also in the external gift of tongues precisely so that the apostles could more successfully spread the Gospel among different nations, without the need to study foreign languages.

Seeing the bewilderment of the people, the Apostle Peter stepped forward and delivered his first sermon, in which he explained to those gathered that in the miraculous descent of the Holy Spirit the ancient prediction of Joel, who spoke on behalf of God, was fulfilled: “And it will be in last days, says the Lord, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters will prophesy; and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. And on My servants and on My handmaids in those days I will pour out My Spirit; and they will show wonders in heaven above and on earth below.”(Joel 2:28-32). The Apostle explained that it was precisely in such a descent of the Holy Spirit that the work of saving people was to be accomplished. To make people worthy of the grace of the Holy Spirit, I suffered death on the cross and the Messiah who came, the Lord Jesus Christ, rose from the dead.

This sermon was short and simple, but since the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of Peter, these words penetrated the hearts of those listening. Many of them were touched in their hearts and asked him: “What should we do?” - “Repent, - the Apostle Peter answered them, - and may each of you be baptized in the name Jesus Christ". And you will not only be forgiven, but you yourself will receive the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Many who believed in Christ according to the word of the Apostle Peter immediately publicly repented of their sins, were baptized, and by the evening of that day the Church of Christ grew from 120 to 3,000 people. With such a miraculous event, the existence of the Church of Christ began - this grace-filled community of believers, in which everyone is called to save their souls. The Lord promised that the Church would remain undefeated by the gates of hell until the very end of the world!

It should be thought that it was no coincidence that two significant events coincided on that day - the descent of the Holy Spirit and the Jewish Pentecost. The Old Testament Pentecost celebrated the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian slavery and the beginning of a free life in union with God. The descent of the Holy Spirit on believers in Jesus Christ liberated believers from the power of the devil and was the beginning of a new, grace-filled union with God in His spiritual Kingdom. Thus, the feast of Pentecost became the day when the Old Testament theocracy, which began from Sinai and long ruled society through a harsh written law, was replaced by the New Testament, in which believers are led by God Himself, in the spirit of freedom and love (Rom. 8).

Having deeply experienced the events of the reproach, death and resurrection of the Lord, the holy apostles by the time of Pentecost had matured spiritually, felt a lot and were ripe to accept the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Then the fullness of God’s grace descended upon them, and they were the first to taste the spiritual fruits of the saving feat of the God-man.

The Meaning of Grace in the Life of a Christian

There is a seed of goodness in every person. However, just as an ordinary seed cannot develop and ripen without moisture and light, so the human soul remains barren until it is watered by the grace of God. Feeling a lack of divine help in himself, the Old Testament righteous man prayed to God: “My soul, like a barren land, longs for You” (Psalm 143). And all people who sincerely thirst for righteousness understand that without God’s help, without His guidance and support, no spiritual life is possible. The grace of God renews a person's soul, cleanses his conscience, enlightens the mind, strengthens faith, directs the will to good, warms the heart with love for God and neighbors, directs a person to heaven, instills in him a desire to live by spiritual interests. She purifies and sanctifies his entire being. According to the testimony of many who have been rewarded with the highest spiritual insight, the grace of God brings such peace and joy to the human soul that all earthly blessings and all physical pleasures seem pitiful and insignificant.

From the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, everyone newly baptized in the sacrament of confirmation, like the apostles, is awarded the grace of the Holy Spirit. The power of this sacrament is so great and indelible that, like baptism, it is not repeated. Subsequent sacraments of the Church, such as confession and communion, as well as services in church, private prayer, fasting, works of mercy and virtuous life, have the goal of strengthening and strengthening in a Christian the effect of the grace-filled gifts he received in confirmation.

The regenerating power of God's grace reveals itself in beneficial internal and external changes in people who have accepted it. These changes were especially obvious in the disciples of Christ. They, as we know, before the descent of the Holy Spirit were simple people, unlearned and not at all fluent in words. When the Holy Spirit descended on them, they were enriched with spiritual wisdom and with their inspired word they began to attract not only ordinary people to faith, but even philosophers and noble people. Their word, covered with grace, penetrated into the hardest hearts, disposing sinners to repentance and correction, and the faint-hearted to zeal.

From being timid and fearful, as the apostles were during the life of the Savior, after the descent of the Holy Spirit they became courageous and fearless. The result of the gifts of grace they received was the emergence of many Christian communities during the lifetime of the apostles, not only in different parts of the Roman Empire, but also beyond its borders: in northern Africa, India, Persia and southern Scythia. Thus, thanks to the tireless labors of the apostles, Christianity began to spread throughout the world, and with this, the revival of human society began.

One can be convinced of the regenerating power of the grace of the Holy Spirit by reading the book “The Acts of the Holy Apostles,” which describes the life of Christians in the first decade after Pentecost. Indeed, many sinners, people of little faith and living in carnal interests, having accepted the Holy Spirit, became deeply religious, righteous, full of zeal and ardent love for God and people.

“They [the newly baptized] - as it is written in the book of Acts - constantly continued in the teaching of the Apostles, in fellowship and the breaking of bread [Communion] and in prayers. Yet the believers were together and had everything in common. And they sold estates and all kinds of property, and distributed them to everyone, depending on each person’s need. And every day they remained with one accord in the temple, breaking bread in their homes, eating with joy and simplicity of heart, praising God and enjoying the love of all the people... The multitude of believers had one heart and one soul. And no one called anything of his property his own, but they had everything in common... There was no one in need among them” (Acts 2:42–47; 4:32–35).

In a word, spiritual interests and the desire for heavenly things replaced everything sinful and base in them.

According to the teachings of the Savior, spiritual life itself is impossible without help from above: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God... That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.”(John 3:5-6). The Savior also taught about the Holy Spirit that He instructs a Christian in the truth, comforts him in sorrows, and quenches his spiritual thirst (See: John 16:13-17; 4:13-14). The Apostle Paul calls all Christian virtues “fruit of the Spirit,” saying: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control.”(Gal. 5:22-23). Often internal spiritual growth and the perfection of a Christian occurs unnoticed by him, as the Lord explained in the parable of the invisibly growing seed (Mark 4:26-29). The Savior said about the mysterious action of the Holy Spirit on the human soul: “The Spirit breathes where it wants, and you hear His voice, not knowing where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”(John 3:8).

In addition to the spiritual gifts that every Christian needs in his personal life, the Holy Spirit also gives individual believers special gifts that are needed for the good of the Church and society. The Apostle Paul writes about these special gifts: “Everyone is given the gift of the Spirit for his benefit. To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to others gifts of healings by the same Spirit; to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diversities of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Yet it is one and the same Spirit who works all these things, bestowing upon each one individually as He pleases.”(1 Cor. 12:7-11). Further, the Apostle compares the Church to a body, each part of which has its own purpose: “ God appointed in the Church some as apostles, some as prophets, some as teachers; to others he gave miraculous powers, as well as gifts of healing, help, government, and the gift of tongues” (Eph. 4:11-12).

A Christian, having received grace, becomes a living temple of the Holy Spirit. This is why he must keep himself from all sin, as the Apostle instructs: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you? - asks the app. Paul. “If anyone destroys the temple of God [with his intemperance], God will punish him, for the temple of God is holy, and this temple is you.”(1 Cor. 3:16-17).

In his parable of the ten virgins, the Lord speaks of the need to receive spiritual gifts. Without them, a person is like a lamp without oil or a charred and extinguished log (Matt. 25:1-13). Explaining the Savior’s parable about the ten virgins, Saint Seraphim of Sarov teaches that the goal human life is the “acquisition” (acquisition) of God’s grace.

Although the gracious power of the Holy Spirit is given to the believer not according to his merits, but by the grace of God, as a result of the redemptive suffering of the God-man, it grows in him as he diligently pursues the Christian life. Venerable Isaac the Syrian writes: “To the extent that a person approaches God with his intention, to the extent that God approaches him with His gifts.” The Apostle Peter instructs Christians this way: “Just as His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and piety... then you, applying every effort to this, show in your faith virtue, in virtue prudence, in prudence self-control, in self-control patience, in patience godliness, in godliness brotherly love, in brotherly love there is love"(2 Pet. 1:3-7). The Apostle Paul urges Christians to attract the grace of God through virtuous life and prayer, saying: “Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is all goodness, righteousness and truth... Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing in your hearts to the Lord.”(Eph. 5:8-9, 18).

It is customary to begin morning, evening and other prayers by addressing the Holy Spirit with the words Heavenly King. In this prayer we ask the Holy Spirit to renew His grace in us. The prayer “To the Heavenly King” is remarkable in that it is set out in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and contains what we should know about the Spirit of God and what we should ask of Him.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere and fulfills everything, Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.

Here the Holy Spirit is called the “King of Heaven” as the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, equal to the Father and the Son. He is called the “Comforter” - according to His property of comforting and pleasing a person. It is called the “Spirit of Truth” - as one who reveals the truth to people, helping them to see and love it. “Existing everywhere and fulfilling (filling) everything” - according to His Divine nature, which has neither boundaries nor obstacles. “Treasure of the Good” is a treasury of everything good and valuable that a person striving for perfection could desire. “Giver of life” - as one who revitalizes all nature and, in particular, who gives grace-filled spiritual life to people and angels.

By turning to the Holy Spirit in this way, we ask Him, the All-Good One, to cleanse us from all sinful filth that arises in us from various passions or sticks to us when we come into contact with a world that lies in evil. We ask Him to abide in us and guide our lives towards the salvation of our souls. At the same time, turning to the Holy Spirit, one must humbly recognize oneself as poor and unworthy, because “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”(James 4:6).

Bishop Alexander Mileant

The Day of the Holy Spirit, Spirits Day is a Christian holiday celebrated the day after the Day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost). It is celebrated in remembrance of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Christ described in the book of the Apostolic Acts. Liturgically, the holiday is dedicated to the glorification of the Holy Spirit.

This holiday was established by the Church “for the sake of the greatness of the Most Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, as one is (of) the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity,” in opposition to the teachings of heretics who rejected the Divinity of the Holy Spirit and His consubstantiality with God the Father and the Son of God.
In the Gospel, the descent of the Holy Spirit is described as the appearance of a flame, the flashes of which surrounded each of the apostles. And they were all “filled with the Holy Spirit” and acquired the “gift of tongues,” that is, they began to speak different languages, which were not known before.

By Orthodox teaching, The Holy Spirit descended in the form of tongues of fire as a sign that He gave the apostles the ability to understand all the languages of the world in order to preach Christianity to all nations. In the form of fire, the Holy Spirit descended as a sign that it has the power to scorch sins and cleanse, sanctify and warm souls.

According to Orthodox teaching, it was the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles that revealed the care of all the Persons of the Triune God for the world: God the Father creates the world, God the Son redeems people from slavery to the devil, and God the Holy Spirit sanctifies the world through the structure of the Church.
The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son in all things. Through Him all wisdom, life, movement is given. He has everything that the Father and the Son have, “except ungeneration and generation,” proceeding from the one Father. Saint Athanasius says: “The Holy Spirit is not created, not created, not begotten, but proceeds from the Father.”

Every Christian receives the grace of the Holy Spirit through church sacraments, through common prayer.

From Holy Spirit Day to next holiday The Holy Easter people begin to sing the troparion to the Holy Spirit “Heavenly King...” From this very moment, prostrations to the ground are allowed for the first time after Easter.

The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son in everything, therefore He does everything with Them, being autocratic, omnipotent and good. Through Him all wisdom, life, movement is given, He is the source of all life. He has everything that the Father and the Son have, “except ungeneration and generation,” coming from the one Father. Saint Athanasius says: “The Holy Spirit is not created, not created, not begotten, but proceeds from the Father.” But what the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father consists of is incomprehensible to us, just as the birth of the Son is incomprehensible. Therefore, the Holy Orthodox Church never decided to subject this mystery of the Divinity to human reasoning, but always confessed it in accordance with the teaching of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord reveals to a person only what is necessary for his salvation, and many secrets remain for us behind an impenetrable veil.

Enriching a person with spiritual gifts and growing spiritual fruits in him, the Holy Spirit adorns a person with diverse virtues, making him, according to the word of Scripture, a good tree, producing good fruits. Life according to the Holy Spirit is clearly revealed in the fruits of the Spirit, which include, in the words of the Apostle Paul, “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control.”

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person (Hypostasis) of the Holy Trinity, true God, consubstantial and equal in glory to the Father and the Son.

Like all Persons (Hypostases) of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit has properties inherent only to God. Like all the Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit is equal in His Divine dignity to the Father and the Son. Like all the Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit is consubstantial with Him, possessing one Divine essence (nature) with the Father and the Son.

Like all Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit is given a single and inseparable worship, that is, when worshiping the Holy Spirit, Christians worship the Father and the Son together with Him, constantly bearing in mind Their common Divinity, the one Divine essence.

The Holy Spirit is distinguished from the Two Other Persons of the Holy Trinity by its personal (hypostatic) property, which lies in the fact that He eternally emanates from the Father. The procession of the Holy Spirit has neither beginning nor end, it is completely timeless, since God Himself exists outside of time. By virtue of His Divine omnipresence, the Holy Spirit can dwell in a person who believes in Christ, imparting to him a hitherto unknown knowledge of God, introducing him to the fullness of the all-blessed Divine life. Divine actions in man are often called the grace of the Holy Spirit, since the Holy Spirit incomprehensibly dwells in man, dwells and abides in him.

At the same time, the grace-filled Divine actions are common to all Persons of the Holy Trinity and the presence of the Holy Spirit in man also means the coexistence with Him of the Father and the Son - the Divine Mind and the Divine Word, that is, the entire Holy Trinity - “Mind, Word and Spirit - of one co-nature and divinity "(St. Gregory the Theologian).

Preparing to return to His Heavenly Father, the Lord, before the crucifixion, devotes His farewell conversation with the apostles to the upcoming descent of the Holy Spirit. The Lord explains to the disciples that the Comforter - the Holy Spirit - must soon come to them in order to complete the work of saving people. “I will ask the Father,” says the Lord to the apostles, “ and He will give you another Comforter, may He abide with you forever, the Spirit of Truth... He will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you... He is the Spirit of Truth... The Spirit of Truth, which comes from the Father, will testify of Me.” ().

Preparing to receive the Holy Spirit after the Lord’s ascension into Heaven, the disciples of Christ, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, some myrrh-bearing women and other believers (about 120 people) were in Jerusalem at Pentecost in the so-called “Zion Upper Room.” This was probably in that large room where, shortly before His suffering, the Lord celebrated the Last Supper. The apostles and all those gathered were waiting for the Savior to send them "The Father's Promise" and they will be clothed with power from above, although they did not know what the coming of the Comforter Spirit would actually consist of (). Since the Lord died and rose again during the period of the Old Testament Easter, the feast of the Old Testament Pentecost fell that year on the 50th day after His resurrection.

And so, at nine o’clock in the morning, when the people usually gathered in the temple for sacrifice and prayer, suddenly a noise was heard above the Zion Upper Room, as if from a stormy wind. This noise filled the house where the apostles were, and at the same time many fiery tongues appeared above the heads of the apostles and began to descend on each of them. These tongues had an extraordinary property: they shone, but did not burn. But even more extraordinary were the spiritual properties that these mysterious languages conveyed. Everyone on whom this language descended felt a great surge of spiritual strength and, at the same time, unspeakable joy and inspiration. He began to feel like a completely different person: peaceful, full of life and ardent love for God. The apostles began to express these internal changes and new unexperienced feelings in joyful exclamations and loud praise of God. And then it turned out that they were speaking not in their native Hebrew, but in some other languages unknown to them. This is how baptism took place over the apostles "By the Holy Spirit and Fire", as predicted by the prophet John the Baptist (). Meanwhile, a noise reminiscent of a stormy wind attracted many people to the apostolic house. Seeing people flocking from all sides, with prayers of praise and glorification of God on their lips, the apostles went out onto the roof of the house. Hearing this stream of joyful prayers, those gathered near their house were amazed by a phenomenon incomprehensible to them: the disciples of Christ were mostly Galileans by origin, seemingly uneducated people, from whom one could not expect to know a language other than their native one, suddenly began to speak different languages. foreign languages, so that, no matter how diverse the crowd of people who arrived in Jerusalem from different countries was, everyone heard their own native speech. But among the crowd there were also cynics who were not ashamed to laugh at the inspired preachers, saying that the apostles had already drunk wine so early.

Seeing the bewilderment of the people, the Apostle Peter stepped forward and delivered his first sermon, in which he explained to those gathered that in the miraculous descent of the Holy Spirit the ancient prediction of Joel was fulfilled, who spoke on behalf of God: “And it will come to pass in the last days,” says the Lord, “ I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters will prophesy; ...and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. And on My servants and on My handmaids in those days I will pour out My Spirit; and I will show wonders in heaven above and on earth below.”(). The Apostle explained that it was precisely in such a descent of the Holy Spirit that the work of saving people was to be accomplished. In order to honor people with the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Messiah, the Lord, who came, suffered death on the cross and rose from the dead.

In a word, spiritual interests and the desire for heavenly things replaced everything sinful and base in them.

According to the teachings of the Savior, spiritual life itself is impossible without help from above: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God... That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.”(). The Savior also taught about the Holy Spirit, that He instructs a Christian in the truth, consoles him in sorrows, and quenches his spiritual thirst (See:). The Apostle Paul calls all Christian virtues “fruit of the Spirit,” saying: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.”(). Often, the internal spiritual growth and improvement of a Christian occurs unnoticed by him, as the Lord explained in the parable of the invisibly growing seed (). The Savior said about the mysterious action of the Holy Spirit on the human soul: “The Spirit breathes where it wants, and you hear His voice, not knowing where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ().

In addition to the spiritual gifts that every Christian needs in his personal life, the Holy Spirit also gives individual believers special gifts that are needed for the good of the Church and society. The Apostle Paul writes about these special gifts: “Everyone is given the gift of the Spirit for his benefit. To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to others gifts of healings by the same Spirit; ...to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diversities of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But it is one and the same Spirit who works all these things, bestowing upon each one individually as He pleases.”(). Further, the Apostle compares it with a body, each part of which has its own purpose: “God has appointed in the Church some as apostles, some as prophets, some as teachers; to others he gave miraculous powers, as well as gifts of healing, help, government, and the gift of tongues.” (; ).

A Christian, having received grace, becomes a living temple of the Holy Spirit. This is why he must keep himself from all sin, as the Apostle instructs: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?- asks the app. Paul. – If anyone destroys the temple of God[by his intemperance], God will punish him, for the temple of God is holy, and this temple- You" ().

In his parable of the ten virgins, the Lord speaks of the need to receive spiritual gifts. Without them, a person is like a lamp without oil or a charred and extinguished log (). Explaining the Savior’s parable about the ten virgins, Saint Seraphim of Sarov teaches that the goal of human life is to “acquire” (acquire) the grace of God (See: his conversation with Motovilov).

Although the gracious power of the Holy Spirit is given to the believer not according to his merits, but by the grace of God, as a result of the redemptive suffering of the God-man, it grows in him as he diligently Christian life. St. Isaac the Syrian writes: “To the extent that a person approaches God with his intention, to the extent that God approaches him with His gifts.” The Apostle Peter instructs Christians this way: “Just as His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and piety... then you, applying every effort to this, show in your faith virtue, in virtue prudence, in prudence self-control, in self-control patience, in patience godliness, in godliness brotherly love, in brotherly love there is love"(). The Apostle Paul urges Christians to attract the grace of God through virtuous life and prayer, saying: “Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is all goodness, righteousness and truth... Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing to the Lord in your hearts.” ().

It is customary to begin morning, evening and other prayers by addressing the Holy Spirit with the words to the Heavenly King. In this prayer we ask the Holy Spirit to renew His grace in us. The prayer “To the Heavenly King” is remarkable in that it is set out in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and contains what we should know about the Spirit of God and what we should ask of Him. Here is the text of this prayer (in Church Slavonic and in Russian translation).

Prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth! You, omnipresent and filling everything, the source of blessings and the giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all filth, and save, O Good One, our souls.

Here the Holy Spirit is called the “King of Heaven” as the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, equal to the Father and the Son. He is called the “Comforter” - according to His property of comforting and pleasing a person. It is called the “Spirit of truth” - as one who reveals the truth to people, helping them to see and love it. “Existing everywhere and fulfilling (filling) everything” - according to His Divine nature, which has neither boundaries nor obstacles. “Treasure of the Good” is a treasury of everything good and valuable that a person striving for perfection could desire. “Giver of life” - as one who revitalizes all nature and, in particular, who gives grace-filled spiritual life to people and angels.

By turning to the Holy Spirit in this way, we ask Him, the All-Good One, to cleanse us from all sinful filth that arises in us from various passions or sticks to us when we come into contact with a world that lies in evil. We ask Him to abide in us and guide our lives towards the salvation of our souls. At the same time, turning to the Holy Spirit, one must humbly recognize oneself as poor and unworthy, because “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” ().

Divine service Pentecost

On the Feast of Pentecost, as a sign of the life-giving action of the Holy Spirit, the temple is decorated with greenery and flowers, and the priests dress in green vestments. In the troparion and kontakion of the holiday, believers thank the Son of God for sending them the Holy Spirit.

Troparion

Blessed are you, Christ our God, who are wise fishers of phenomena, having sent down to them the Holy Spirit, and with them caught the universe. Lover of mankind, glory to You. Blessed are You, Christ our God, who made the fishermen wise, sent down the Holy Spirit to them and thereby helped them to catch the universe (draw them to faith). Glory to You, Lover of Humanity!

Kontakion

When the languages of the Most High came down and separated the languages. When we distribute the tongues of fire, we all call together and glorify the All-Holy Spirit. When the Almighty descended and confused the languages (ch.), He divided the nations, and when He sent tongues of fire, He called everyone to unity. And therefore we unanimously glorify the All-Holy Spirit.

At Matins two canons of the holiday are sung. The first of them was written by Saint Cosmas of Mayum; We present this canon here in Russian translation. The second canon, written by St. John of Damascus, we skip here due to lack of space.

The Canon of Saint Cosmas is a hymn in honor of the Holy Trinity and, in particular, in honor of the Holy Spirit. The canon glorifies the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles as visual evidence of the fulfilled promise of the Savior. Here we also recall the ancient prophecies about the sending of the Holy Spirit on all flesh, and the Holy Spirit, the Third Hypostasis of the Most Holy Trinity, is glorified in everything equal to God Father and God the Son. The canon also sets out the main points of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and reveals the importance of this event.

Canon for Pentecost

Song 1

Irmos: Crushing enemies with a high muscle, the sea covered the pharaoh with his chariots. Let us sing to Him, because He is glorified (ch.).

Having actually sent to the disciples the promised Comforter of the Spirit, as you previously promised, Christ, You illuminated the world with light, Lover of mankind.

What was predicted in ancient times by the law and the prophets has been fulfilled: for the grace of the Divine Spirit has now been poured out on all the faithful (; ; ; ).

Song 3

Irmos:“Stay in Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high,” You, O Christ, said to the disciples: “But I will send another Comforter like Me, My Spirit and the Father, by whom you will be strengthened.”

The descending power of God's Spirit divinely united in one consonance the anciently divided language (of people) who agreed to evil, enlightening the faithful with the knowledge of the Trinity, in which we are established (; ).

In the fiery noise in Zion, an omnipotent inexhaustible Light appeared, emanating from the unborn Light. Through the Son, He still reveals to the people the radiance of the Father’s power.

Song 4

Irmos: Contemplating Your coming, O Christ, to last times, The Prophet exclaimed: I have heard about Your power, Lord, that You have come to save all Your anointed ().

Having previously spoken through the prophets and announced to people in the ancient law, the Comforter, the true God, is now revealed to the ministers and witnesses of the Word.

Having all the signs of the Divine, the Spirit today was divided in fire and appeared to the apostles in wonderful tongues, since He is the Divine and sovereign power emanating from the Father.

Song 5

Irmos: The Spirit of salvation, out of reverence for You, Lord, conceived within the prophets and revealed on earth, makes the hearts of the apostles pure and renews the faithful with righteousness: for Your decrees are light and peace (; ).

The power that has now descended is the good Spirit, the Spirit of the wisdom of God, the Spirit who proceeds from the Father and appears to the faithful. Through the Son He communicates to those in whom He indwells His inherent holiness, through which He is contemplated (; ).

Song 6

Irmos: Floating in the storm of everyday worries on a ship, drowned by waves of sins, cast down to the soul-destroying beast, raise me, O Christ, from the deadly depths, calling to You like Jonah.

You have poured out Your Spirit abundantly on all flesh, as You foretold, O Lord, and they were all filled with the knowledge of Yours, that You were born incorruptible, and the Spirit proceeds inseparably from the Father (; ; ).

Renew in our hearts, O Almighty, the true, right Spirit, so that we may have Him forever, coming from the Father and inseparable from Him, burning away the filth of corrupt matter and cleansing the mind from impurities.

Song 7

Irmos: Having been thrown into a fiery furnace, the pious youths turned the fire into dew, crying out in song: Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our fathers (ch.).

When the Apostles preached about the great works of God, the infidels considered the action of the Spirit intoxicated, in which the Trinity is revealed - the one of our fathers ().

Orthodoxy we confess the indivisible Nature: God the Father without beginning and the same power - the Word and the Spirit, exclaiming: blessed are You, our fathers.

Song 8

Irmos: At Sinai, a bush engulfed in fire and not burning revealed God to the tongue-tied and slurred Moses; and the three youths’ commitment to God made them unburnt singers in the fire: all the creations of the Lord, sing praises to the Lord and exalt them in all ages ().

When the life-giving strong breath of the All-Holy Spirit from above hovered noisily over the fishermen in the form of tongues of fire, then they preached about the great deeds of God: all creations, sing praises to the Lord and exalt them to all ages.

Not fearing the terrifying fire, like those entering an inviolable mountain, let us come and stand on Mount Zion, in the city of the living God, crying now with the spirit-bearing disciples: all creatures, sing praise to the Lord and exalt throughout all ages (; ).

Song 9

Irmos: We magnify You, who did not experience corruption at birth and gave flesh to the Wise Word, the unmarried Mother, the Virgin Mother of God, the container of the Incontainable, the dwelling of Your immense Creator.

Burning in spirit, strict Elijah, who in ancient times joyfully ascended on a chariot blazing with fire, foreshadowed by this the breath that now descended on the Apostles - being enlightened by Whom, they revealed the Trinity to everyone ().

It was not according to the law of nature that the wonderful sermon of the disciples was heard; for when the gracious voice of the Spirit spoke, peoples, tribes and languages heard about the great deeds of God, learning the knowledge of the Trinity ().

Catavasia and Zadostoynik:

Rejoice, Mother-Virgin Glory: all kindly, benevolent lips cannot speak. It is worthy of You to sing, but it amazes the mind to understand Your Nativity. In the same way, we glorify Thee.

Rejoice, Queen, glory to mothers and virgins. The most skillful lips in eloquence are not able to praise You worthily, and every mind is insufficient to understand Your birth (Christ). Therefore, we praise You in agreement.

The main feature of the Divine service on the day of Pentecost is the reading with kneeling of the special prayers of St. Basil the Great. These prayers are read at Vespers, which takes place immediately after the liturgy. We have published these prayers in Russian translation as a separate brochure (number 6).

Application

Modern “gift of tongues”

In the middle of the 20th century, the so-called “charismatic” movement (“charis” in Greek - “grace.”), which set out to revive in modern society the gifts of grace received by the apostles on the day of Pentecost and, in particular, the “gift of tongues” - the suddenly acquired ability to speak another language. They joined this movement has a number of Baptist and Methodist churches. The “charismatic” movement could be expected in a Protestant environment, since Protestantism, not having apostolic succession in the priesthood, is deprived of the grace-filled power of the holy sacraments, in which the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given. Graceless sectarian prayer meetings cannot give a Christian needs spiritual satisfaction.

The charismatic movement, promising to infuse a fresh spiritual current into the life of Protestant churches, became popular, and soon “Pentecostal” associations began to emerge in different parts of the United States. This movement also affected some churches of a more traditional direction. Relatively recently, Pentecostal communities began to emerge in Europe and Russia.

Pentecostals and similar “charismatics” try to use artificial (essentially shamanic) techniques to induce in themselves the ability to speak a new language, which they value and are proud of. However, they end up with something very ugly and has nothing to do with the manifestations of grace-filled gifts in apostolic times.

The initial chapters of the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles tell about the miraculous and genuine gift of tongues, which the apostles received on the day the Holy Spirit descended on them. The apostle writes about the essence and purpose of the gift of tongues. Paul in chapters 12-14 of his letter to the Corinthians.

As we have already said, the gift of tongues was necessary for the apostles to successfully spread the Gospel. Having received the ability to speak the language of a particular people, the apostles could preach to this people without wasting time studying desired language, thanks to which Christ’s message quickly spread. As we know from subsequent church history, this gift was not destined to last long. As in different countries Local Christian preachers appeared who were fluent in their own language, and the need for the supernatural gift of tongues also began to decrease. Thus, in the time of St. Irenaeus of Lin, in the middle of the 3rd century, the gift of tongues is mentioned as a rare phenomenon.

From the message of St. Paul to the Corinthians, we can conclude that it was in this church that the gift of tongues was more widespread than in other churches. Back then, the gift of tongues was one of the spiritual gifts that some Christians received after baptism and the laying on of apostolic hands. Not all Corinthian Christians knew how to properly handle the gift of tongues, and St. Paul warns them against abusing it. The fact is that at prayer meetings, Corinthian Christians began to speak in different languages when there was no need for this. Obviously, they did this out of vanity, in order to outdo each other. Ap. Paul explains that the gift of tongues “is not for those who believe, but for those who do not believe”—to attract them to faith.

Moreover, the gift of tongues also had a negative impact on prayer meetings when it was not used at the right time. When, for example, during a service, several people simultaneously began to speak in different dialects, which the majority of those present did not understand, the result was noise and the prayerful mood was lost. To avoid the untimely use of the miraculously received gift of speaking in new tongues, the Apostle Paul explains to the Corinthians that the gift of tongues is the least gift among others, more needed by a person spiritual gifts. The Corinthian Christians would do better if, instead of the gift of tongues, they asked God to enrich them with faith, self-control, patience, love, wisdom and other necessary moral gifts.

Comparing the gift of tongues of the apostolic times with modern “verbalism,” we must recognize a significant difference between them. In apostolic times, Christians received the ability to speak the real language and one of the languages existing at that time. It was correct, articulate human speech necessary for a preacher. In contrast to the genuine gift of tongues of apostolic times, modern Pentecostal “speaking in tongues” is simply a collection of incoherent and meaningless sounds, taking the form of either muttering or frantic shouting. Pentecostals themselves admit this fact, explaining, however, that they have the language of “paradise residents.” However, it is impossible to recognize these meaningless sounds as God's miracle. They are the result of nervous excitement, falling into a trance and hallucination bordering on demonic possession. Therefore, sectarians reveal their extreme spiritual ignorance and even blaspheme when artificially caused exaltation and inarticulate sounds are attributed to God's inspiration.

In general, the desire for all kinds of intense sensations is characteristic of modern society, addicted to violent music that arouses evil and erotic feelings, a society that condones sexual promiscuity, abuses stimulants and drugs, and is addicted to films filled with terrible crimes and all sorts of demonic horrors. All these perversions are signs of the disease of modern society.

Likewise, Christians’ search for delight and ecstasy in prayer is a sign of a passionate and proud spiritual direction. Charismatics replace the genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit with artificially caused emotional experiences. Ignoring the spiritual experience accumulated by Christianity over two thousand years and recorded in the works of the saints, rejecting the divinely established priesthood and the holy Sacraments, modern sectarians try to induce a state of grace in themselves by all sorts of dubious and dangerous methods. The result is self-deception or “charm” (hence “to deceive”), which the Holy Fathers warn against Orthodox Church. Such states of ecstasy have nothing in common with Christianity, and they were known to ancient pagans and modern Hindus. (Deep research this issue can be found in the books of the Protestant scientist Dr. Kurt Koch: “Between Christ and Satan,” “Occult Bondage and Deliverance,” “The Revival in Indonesia,” (Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA), etc.).

An Orthodox Christian must in every possible way avoid such perversions of religious feeling. He has access to genuine treasures of grace in the Sacraments of the Church, in her divine services and in his private, sincere prayer. In communication with God, one must look not for delight and acute experiences, but for the renewal of one’s sinful soul. Renewal comes through humility, repentance and self-correction. As his soul is renewed, a Christian will receive the true grace of God, which will give him heavenly peace and pure joy, in comparison with which earthly delight is cheap and pitiful.

In the hustle and bustle of everyday worries Orthodox Christian sometimes he forgets about the blessed treasures given to believers in the Church of Christ, and plunges into the turbid sea of the pursuit of earthly goods, choking in the waves of vanity, sin and various vices. Then hope leaves him eternal life, his life goal dims in his consciousness, his soul becomes callous, the person becomes dissatisfied and irritable.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity aims to inspire Christians to live by spiritual interests. Pentecost is the day new meeting Divine Comforter with a thirsty consolation human soul who can again drink from the source of living water and fill herself with the most sublime and noble feelings. On this day, the grace of the Spirit, like fire, incinerates his sins; like oil, it softens his heart; like light, it clarifies his thought; like a fragrant ointment, it sanctifies his entire being. Grace gives him spiritual strength to live temperately, do good, love God, and help his neighbors. It replaces the former confusion and embitterment inner world and joy, as Elder Silouan of Athos testifies to this from his own experience: “With the grace of God it is easy to live, everything is done well, everything is sweet and joyful, the soul is at peace in God and walks, as it were, in a beautiful garden in which the Lord lives.”

The descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles on the day of Pentecost is described by the Evangelist Luke in the initial chapters of his book “The Acts of the Holy Apostles.” God was pleased to make this event a turning point in world history.
The descent of the Holy Spirit was not an unexpected event for the apostles. Several centuries before the birth of the Savior, the Lord God began to prepare people for the day of their spiritual rebirth and predicted through the mouth of the prophets: “You will walk in My commandments and keep My statutes, and I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh... I will pour water on the thirsty and streams on dry... and you will joyfully draw water from the fountains of salvation... And I will give you a new heart and I will put a new spirit within you, and I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and make you do it” (Joel 2:28; Isa. 12:3, 44:3; Ezek.).

Preparing to receive the Holy Spirit after the Lord’s ascension into Heaven, the disciples of Christ, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, some myrrh-bearing women and other believers (about 120 people) were in Jerusalem at Pentecost in the so-called “Zion Upper Room.” This was probably in that large room where, shortly before His suffering, the Lord celebrated the Last Supper. The apostles and all those gathered were waiting for the Savior to send them the “Promise of the Father” and they would be clothed with power from above, although they did not know what the coming of the Comforter Spirit would actually consist of (Luke 24:49).

Diagnostics and diseases. Medicines from A to Z