DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
St. John 15:17-16:2 (5/17) CHRIST IS RISEN! Gospel for Saturday of the
Myrrhbearers
The Spirit of Truth:
The Spirit’s presence is especially
vital for Christians in keeping the Lord’s commands, coping with the
realities of loving one another (Jn. 15:17),
contending with the hatred of the world (vss. 18-19),
meeting persecution for His sake (vss. 20,21), and avoiding deadly pitfalls in our spiritual life
(vs. 16:1). You see, the Spirit is
our Helper in all these instances (vs. 26).
Begin with the word “Father,” the
Name which points to the Source of the Divine essence of God the Holy
Trinity. God reveals Himself as
three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, within one Godhead.
To say that the Spirit “proceeds” from the Father emphasizes
the unity of the Spirit with the Father.
Similarly, we speak of the Son’s unity with the Father in
“filial” terms, calling Him the “Only Begotten.” Expressions like “begetting”
and “proceeding,” do not refer to events. Rather, they express eternally existing
relationships among the Persons of the One God. As St. John of Damascus says, “the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One in all
things except the being unbegotten, the being
begotten, and the procession.”
The procession of the Holy Spirit is
significant because His presence makes prayer to “Our Father”
instant and immediate. Because He
indwells us, the Spirit enables us to say “Jesus is Lord” (1 Cor 12:3).
Therefore, we may be sure that no “created thing shall be able to
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom.
8:39) and that the Father justifies us “in the Name of the Lord
Jesus...by the Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:11).
While the Lord Jesus declares that the Holy
Spirit “proceeds” from the Father, He also is saying that the
Spirit is “sent” by God the Son. Here are two distinct truths concerning
the Holy Spirit: “procession” refers to the Holy Spirit’s
eternal existence in the Godhead, and “sending,” refers to the
impinging of the Spirit upon the Church and on each of the Faithful that occurs
in the particulars of created, historic existence and in all of men’s
activities.
When the Lord withdrew from direct contact
with the disciples at His Ascension into Heaven, He said that He would
“send the Promise of My Father upon you...” (Lk.
24:49). The Holy Spirit is that
“Promise of the Father.”
On the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Resurrection, the Holy
Spirit came to reside upon the Church at prayer and in all her activities (Acts
2:1-4). According to the promise of
the Father, the Spirit has continued to dwell in the Church where He
accomplishes the Holy and Life-giving Mysteries. As Christ sent Him at the first
Pentecost, He continues sending the Holy Spirit to the Church to this and every
day.
Finally, the Spirit testifies that God is with
us and among us. He convicts us of
sin. He leads us from error into
all truth. He illumines our Pastors
to teach the Orthodox Faith of Christ - to help us follow the right way to
Salvation. He enlivens our hearts
to receive Truth, to make God present in our lives, and to renew us by the Holy
Mysteries of our Lord.
By the Holy Spirit do we speak divinely,
saying, Verily, Thou art God, Life, Love, Light, and Wisdom. Thou art Goodness. Thou dost reign for all ages.