The Promise of the Comforter. — The breath of the storm and tongues of fire. — The glorification of the Triune Godhead. — Doxologies and prayers to the Holy Spirit.

We celebrate Pentecost, and the coming of the Spirit, and the offering of the promise (of Christ), and the hope of fulfillment, and the sacrament, as great and honorable (as the sacrament, as the sacrament is the great and honorable sacrament). We celebrate the feast day after the feast day, and the final feast we celebrate brightly, — this is Pentecost, the fulfillment of the promise (of Christ) and the offering: for on this day the fire of the Comforter descended upon the earth, as in the form of a tongue, and enlightened the disciples, and these untroubled ones showed (made them contemplators of the mysteries of heaven), the light of the Comforter came, and enlightened the world. Come, and let us stand on Mount Zion, in the city of the living God, a Spirit-bearing disciple (of Christ) now rejoicing. By the law and the prophets of old are fulfilled what was preached: for to all the faithful today grace has been poured out. The pure and honest lips (of the Lord) said: "There shall be no separation for you (from you), O friends: For I, on the Father's Throne on high, I will pour forth the Spirit (radiance, enlightenment) to those who desire the grace of envy" (inexhaustible). Thou didst say to Thy disciple, O Christ: "Sit ye in Jerusalem, until thou shalt be clothed from on high with power: but I, as Me, the Comforter of another, My Spirit and the Father, in Whom thou shalt be strengthened." "The most glorious day saw all the tongues (nations) in the city of David, when the Holy Spirit descended into the tongues of fire, as the God-speaking Luke narrates, saying: "The gathered disciples of Christ made a noise like a storm of breath, and filled the house where it sat down: and all began to speak strange (wonderful) words, strange teachings, strange commandments of the Holy Trinity. When Thou didst send Thy Spirit, O Lord, to the seated Apostle, then the Jewish children (the Jewish people) were terrified with terror: for I heard (them) speaking with other strange tongues, as the Spirit gave them; For thou art ignorant, having become wise, and having caught the tongues (peoples) in the faith, the Divine Vettius. O Lord, O Lord, the powers of the Most Holy Spirit upon Thy Apostles are incomprehensible, and the tongue (of speech) is changed. And we, having been strengthened by them (instructed by the word of the Apostles), unceasingly say: Take not away Thy Holy Spirit from us, pray, O Lover of mankind! The zealous of the Savior (the Apostles) were filled with joy and boldness, having formerly feared, that the Holy Spirit had descended from above on the house of disciples, and in another (and each in a different way) spoke to the people, for the tongues were scattered (above them) visible like fire; and these did not fall, but rather irrigation. Now the Apostles are clothed with the power of Christ from on high: for the Comforter renews them. Having been enlightened by these teachings, let us worship the Father with the Son and the Spirit, praying for the salvation of our souls. Spiritual spirits, disciples of the Saviour, who organized the Spirit by faith, scattered to the ends of the earth, sowing the honest preaching of Orthodoxy. Come, people, let us worship the Triune Divinity, the Son in the Father, with the Holy Spirit: for the Father childless (before all ages, without beginning) begat the Son, co-existent and co-throned, and the Holy Spirit is in the Father, with the Son we glorify: One Power, One Being, One Godhead. As we worship Him, we all say: Holy God (Father), Who hath done all things by the Son, by the co-operation of the Holy Spirit; The Holy Mighty (Son), Whom the Father and the Holy Spirit came into the world; Holy Immortal, Comforter of the Soul, proceed from the Father and rest in the Son: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee! We sing the Trinity of one essence — the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit: for this was preached by all the prophets, and the Apostles, with the martyrs. In Thy courts (temples), O Lord, bowing the knees of soul and body, we sing praises to Thee, the Father without beginning, and the Son without beginning, and the Eternal and Most Holy Spirit, Who enlightens and sanctifies our souls. From Thy Spirit upon all flesh, as Thou didst say, Thou didst pour out richly, and O Lord, Thou didst be filled with all Thy knowledge, for from the Father Thou wast incorruptibly born, and the Indivisible Spirit departed. Thou hast renewed Thy disciples with foreign tongues, O Christ, that by them they may preach Thee the immortal Word and God, Who bestows great mercy upon our souls. Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, Who are the wise fishers (Apostles), Who sent down the Holy Spirit to them, and by them Thou didst catch the world: O Lover of mankind, glory to Thee! Give Thy servant, O Jesus, a swift and well-known consolation, when our spirits are discouraged; do not be separated from our souls in sorrows; Do not depart from our thoughts in circumstances (calamities), but always anticipate us. Draw near to us, draw near, Thou Who art everywhere! As Thou art always with Thy Apostles, unite Thyself to those who desire Thee, O Bountiful One: that we may sing to Thee, and glorify Thy All-Holy Spirit. Possessing the Comforter (intercessor) to the Father, Christ God, the other Comforter, Who has come to us on earth today, the Holy Spirit, let us worship by faith. O Divine Holy Soul, Who dividest the gifts of all and does all things by will, breathe upon me Thy light-bearing gift, that I may glorify Thee, Who is copulated with the Father and the Son. Inexpressibly proceeding from the Father, and resting unfused in the Son, the honorable and all-powerful Spirit, we exalt Thee unto the ages. By Thy will distribute gifts to those whom Thou wilt, O Comforter, to Thee who know God, Give Thy grace by faith to those who cry out. With silent songs the grace of the Spirit, which in the stormy breath shone over the God-speaking Apostles, we praise in accord, with bodiless faces crying out: Holy art Thou, O Lord! In the prophets, the first to speak and preached by the law (of Moses) to the imperfect, God, the true Comforter, is known today as a servant and witness of the Word. The Holy Spirit bestows everything: He sharpens (exudes) prophecies, He fulfills priests, He teaches wisdom that is not learned (the Apostles), the fishermen Theologians show, the entire Council of the Church (the whole Church) gathers together. O Father and Son, Comforter, of one essence and co-throne, glory to Thee! The Light is the Father, the Light is the Word, the Light is the Holy Spirit, Who was sent into the tongues of fire by the Apostle, and by Him the whole world is enlightened to venerate the Holy Trinity. For the Holy Spirit is ever, and is, and will be, we begin lower, lower we cease, but ever to the Father and the Son He is numbered (united and copulated). The Life-Giving and Life-giving, the Giver of Light and Light, the Self-Benevolent and the Source of Goodness, in Whom the Father is known, and the Son is glorified, and from all is known one Power, one counting (union), one worship of the Holy Trinity — the Holy Spirit — Light and Life, and the living Intelligent (spiritual) Source, the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of reason; good, right, smart; possess, cleanse sins; God and idols; Fire, proceed from Fire; speak, deed (acting), distributed gifts; By whom all the prophets and the divine Apostles were crowned with the martyrs. Strange (wondrous) hearing, strange vision: Fire divide into alms of gifts! O Soul of wisdom and fear of God, of truth, counsel and understanding, grant peace, dwell in us, as sanctified by Thy dwelling, from the morning night we glorify Thee, O Lover of mankind. O All-Holy Soul, proceed from the Father, and come by the Son to the unlettered disciples, save those who know God and have mercy on all! O Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth, Who is everywhere present and fulfills all things, the Treasure of good things and the Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us from all defilement, and save, O Blessed One, our souls. "Come to us, O Holy Soul, partakers of Thy holiness, and of the unfading light, and of the divine life, and of the most fragrant distribution, for Thou art the river of the Divinity, proceeding from the Father as the Son. O right soul, instruct Thee in theology on the right path. Now, as a sign of all things, tongues of fire have been. For the Jews, from whom Christ according to the flesh, having been sick through unbelief, fell away from the grace of God, and (we) who are from the tongues (pagans) have been vouchsafed the Divine light, having been confirmed by the words of the disciples, proclaiming the glory of the Benefactor of all, God, with whom our hearts and knees bowed, let us worship the Holy Spirit by faith, having been confirmed as the Savior of our souls.

484. The Sin of Blasphemy

What is blasphemy? Blasphemy is a joke, mockery or desecration of a sacred object. Notice, my friend, a joke on a sacred thing is the same as a mockery, an insult to a holy thing. This is a grave sin against the third commandment of God (see "Orthodox Christian Catechism"). Why does it mean to insult a sacred object? But because where there is holiness, there is the grace of God, there is the mysterious presence of the special power of God, sanctifying and saving man. Is it possible to joke, to laugh at the power of God? Does this not mean that we, insignificant creatures, laugh at our Creator and God Himself?... And to think, brethren, is frightening about such impudence!

In the time of King David, there was such a case. The priests of Israel transported the Ark of the Covenant of God in a chariot from one city to another. A certain Uzzah, fearing that the Ark of the Lord would fall from the chariot, decided to support it as an ordinary thing, but as soon as he touched it with his hand without reverence, he fell dead. Thus the Lord demands reverence for every holy thing! Reverent fear, a humble, prayerful disposition of the heart — this is what the soul should be occupied with when thinking about everything that is holy, that is close to God, that is sanctified by His grace. God's saints are close to God: how can one joke or laugh at them? Would this not be an insult to God Himself? Will you allow yourself to laugh at a person close to you – father, mother, your dear friend or benefactor? No; you, man, will not carry this joke, which is offensive to the honor of those close to you: is it possible to think that the Lord will not regard blasphemous words about His saints? Will you be offended if someone ridicules your portrait or your loved ones? How dare you joke or laugh at holy icons? Would you be offended if someone read your letter, distorting its meaning, turning your words into ridicule? How dare you turn into a joke the holy words of God, inscribed in the Holy Scriptures, to add them to a conversation where it is not proper, to provoke laughter with them, as if these were not the words of God, but the jokes and contortions of a farcical buffoon?.. Restrain thy tongue, brother, from the sinful word of blasphemy! Fear God: "God is not mocked" (Gal. 6:7), and He will not allow you to allow yourself to laugh with impunity for the sake of sinful amusement (not to mention outright blasphemy) at everything that requires reverent reverence and worship from us!

Of course, God is merciful and long-suffering; but He is also just; as our ancestors said: "God endures for a long time, but it hurts!" In 1886, the Russian steamship "Tsaritsa" sank on the Black Sea. Here is what an eyewitness of this crash tells in the magazine "Blagovest" (1887, No 9): "In the cabin of the first class there was an image of St. Nicholas, near which the officers were very carelessly smoking tobacco. I noticed that this was indecent, but in response I received ridicule and even greater mockery of the sacred; One of them deliberately took smoke into his mouth, and then let it into the very face of the saint... Indignant at this blasphemy, I said to the officer: "Look, St. Nicholas is as merciful as he is formidable; he will not tolerate it and will punish you." further details of the wreck of our steamer are known from the newspapers." The incident narrated is all the more instructive since St. Nicholas of Christ is revered in the Orthodox Church as the patron saint of those who sail in the sea.

And here is the story of a certain venerable elder, a simpleton, about himself, about how severely the Lord punished him for his blasphemous mockery of the holy Prophet of God Elijah. "On my sinful soul lies, like a heavy stone, a mortal sin. That's why I don't eat fish, I don't eat milk and meat, and I don't take anything quick in my mouth for six decades; Do not boast of this: I drink neither wine nor beer. From my youth, I had a satanic delusion, so terrible that it is scary to tell good people. Then I ate and drank, and sometimes I got drunk on wine, to the point of insensibility and ugliness. What should I, an old man, hide now? I will repent before the world to all who are baptized. You can hide it from people, but you can't hide it from God: He sees everything, our merciful Father, and for the time being tolerates us, accursed sinners," here the old man wiped away the tears that were rolling down his pale, exhausted face with the sleeve of his caftan, and continued. "There was no one to instruct me when I was young: I was six months old from my breadwinners, from my father and mother. They say that God took them in one day. Grant, O Lord, to their darlings the Kingdom of Heaven, the most radiant paradise; give them rest, O Lord, have mercy on them, O Heavenly Christ. After them, I was left alone, like a finger in the world, but it is not for nothing that the saying goes: "The world is not without good people." In our village there lived a man, a blacksmith, Uncle Maxim. He was a well-to-do man, but he had no living children: he had children, but they died soon. Uncle Maxim took me into his house, and brought me up, nurtured me instead of his own child. Uncle Maxim was a kind and intelligent man; He taught me everything: both the peasantry and the blacksmith's craft, but the only trouble was that he loved vodka very much, did not guard me either, pampered and indulged me. Forgive him, Lord! Perhaps because of him I am now punished by the Lord and have been sitting without legs for six decades. In our village, the village headman had a son, the same age as me, named Pavel. We all hung out with this Paul, and what did we not do with him! Sometimes, on the feast day or Sunday of Christ, we would not go to Mass, but instead of Mass our business was to go to the tavern, get drunk, dance, swear, quarrel, fight. For this the Lord God punished us! Our whole village celebrates the Prophet's Elijah every year in the summer; People from other villages gather in our village for the holiday. So it was this time. We started games, songs, dances, various round dances. It was such a bright and warm day for the feast of the saint of God. In the evening, the sun closed, and a dark, dark cloud found it, so that nothing could be seen in the village, but the lightning was still flashing, and the thunder was thundering. Everyone crossed themselves and said: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts.." From fear, everyone fled wherever they could: some to the hut, some to the courtyard, some under the shed. Only the two of us remained on the street: me and Pavlushka. He played the balalaika, and I sat down and said: "Elijah is a prophet... Elijah the Prophet...". And I said other words that should not be recounted. We dance, and the old people, standing in the yards, shout to us: "Miroshka, Pavlushka! What are you? Are you crazy? Fear the Lord God, are you not Christs, or what? Stop, calm down. The prophet Elijah will punish you!"

And I tease the old people, dance and say: "I am not afraid of you, Elijah the prophet, Elijah the prophet.." Suddenly lightning flashed, and it was as if someone had hit me with a log on the legs with all its might. I fell off my feet like a sheaf, and I don't remember how they took me and dragged me home. Pavlushka had both arms torn off up to the elbows; He died in the street, and from that time on I remained a cripple for the rest of my life. Oh, my God, as soon as I remember what happened to me then, my heart bleeds. In deed, the Lord punished me, the wicked. For six weeks I lay like a layer in bed: I could not move a leg or an arm; and he could not cross himself, but ate and drank only what good people put in their mouths."

Thus ended the story of the old man, the simpleton, punished and pardoned by God (read in the magazine "Strannik", August, 1869). Many such stories can be found in our spiritual magazines. For example, recently a village priest published a striking case of God's punishment for the blasphemy and blasphemy of a certain peasant, a drunkard. He asked for ham in the shop on a fast day, and when the saleswoman remarked to him: "What are you, my dear, how can you eat ham now, now is Wednesday, a fast day," he began to scold her: "You don't need to teach me; Give me five pounds, I'll eat it myself, and I'll take it to my comrades in the meadow." "I don't feel sorry for the pork," said the saleswoman, "I feel sorry for you: after all, God will punish you for it..." The madman answered her with a laugh. "He won't see me eat; This is not the first time for me..." And so, as soon as the blasphemer put the first piece of ham in his mouth, he immediately fell to the ground and his blasphemous tongue fell silent forever... A piece of ham stopped in his throat and strangled him at once... Truly, "it is fearful to fall into the hand of the living God.." (Hebrews 10:31). (This case is described in the "Ryazan Eparchial Gazette", 1887, No 5).

485. At the Tomb of the Mother of God

"O wondrous miracle! The source of Life is placed in the grave, and the grave is a ladder to heaven!"

The wondrous Mother of God was wondrous in Her conception, wondrous in Her life, wondrous also in Her repose: verily She is all one wondrous miracle! Conceived by the gospel of an angel, She was born of barren, aged parents; remaining a pure Virgin, She became at the same time a Mother; being a Mother, She remained a Virgin; She died, but ascended to heaven like a ladder: a truly wondrous miracle! In the nativity of the Virgin is alive even after death, and the tomb, like the ladder of Jacob, remaining on earth, becomes for Her a ladder ascending to heaven: "... and a ladder to heaven is a grave..." Let us, beloved, stand at this wondrous sepulchre of the Mother of God, let us become our minds, and with our mind's eyes let us examine what steps these are in this wondrous ladder. What are the steps by which the Mother of God, at the hour of Her repose, ascended to heaven? Is it possible that a human grave, three arshins long, placed straight, can reach the sky? It is clear that the word "coffin" here means death itself. Death is called here the grave and the ladder, because just as the grave is measured by three yards, so the death of the saints of God raises their souls to heaven with three theological virtues: faith, hope and love. Faith leads them to the sight of God, hope to receive those blessings "which eye has not seen, nor ear heard" (1 Corinthians 2:9), and love unites them with God Himself, Who is love. But who can count all the virtues of the most radiant soul of the Mother of God? Who is able to tell how and by what good deeds the Most-Pure Virgin from Her youth to Her very death pleased God, Her Creator? You would rather count the flowers in the spring, the ears of corn in the summer, the fruits in the autumn, the snowflakes in the winter, the drops in the sea, the stars in the sky, rather than the good deeds and privileges of the Mother of God. Therefore, leaving aside all Her innumerable virtues, I will point out only three, the most beautiful. And so, I ask: "Who has now reposed?" I know that each of you, according to your zeal for the Departed, will answer me with a word of praise to Her; one will say: "The Mother of God has reposed to Her Son and God." Another will answer: "The animate Heaven has been taken to the heavenly dwellings." The third: "The Most Pure and Most Honorable House of God has been transferred to the heavenly temples not made with hands." Fourth: "The Sun rose from the earth into heaven, in Whom the Most High placed His dwelling." And I turned to this wondrous Dead Man Himself, who had been laid in the tomb for only three days, and asked: "Tell me, who art Thou?" and I heard in answer the humble word: "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38). And so, this is Who has now reposed: she has reposed and is laid in the tomb — the handmaid of the Lord! Such is the humility of the Mother of God! And yet, this Handmaid of the Lord is the blessed Daughter of God the Father, to Whom He said: "Hear, O Daughter, and see..." (Psalm 44:11). She is also the Mother of God the Son, and the Bride of the Holy Spirit! Virgin purity, humility and love — these are the three virtues by which She approached God, One in the Trinity, throughout Her entire earthly life; these are the steps by which She ascended to heaven in Her repose.

First stage. From Her youth She was an animated temple of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit loves to dwell in no one so much as in perfect virgins; and the Most-Pure Mother of God was a perfect Virgin not only in body, but also in spirit. She was a Virgin in body, for She preserved the incorruptible color of Her purity; She was a Virgin in spirit, for she never even thought of marriage. When the chief priests proposed to Her to marry upon reaching the age of marriage, She answered them: "I have been given by my parents to the One God from the very cradle, and to Him I have promised to keep My virginity forever, therefore it is impossible for Me to be the wife of a mortal man." Thus She appeared as the first pure Virgin in the world for the sake of the Lord, and by this virginity, as if by a step of ladder, She ascended above the heavens.

Second stage. The same must be said of Her humility. In humility She surpassed all the saints of God; for Her humility She was vouchsafed to be the Mother of the Son of God. In Her the word of Her Son and God was fulfilled in all its fullness and power: "And he that humbles himself shall be exalted" (Matt. 23:12). He once said to His disciples: "Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." For only "Whoever humbles himself as this child, the same is pain in the Kingdom of Heaven." To humble oneself as a child means to be meek, humble, and not malicious, like a child. "Be not children of mind, but be infants in malice" (1 Corinthians 14:20). And in fact, for the disciples of Christ, this appeal to a gentle, humble childhood was necessary: the thought sometimes appeared in them – who of them is greater, who will sit at the right hand or at the right hand of Christ; and for the Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, there was no need for such conversion. From Her very infancy She remained invariably in Her humility; growing in body, She humbled Herself in spirit, and was always humble and not malicious, like a child. With age, She grew in mind, and in Divine contemplation She reached heaven; She already hears from the Archangel the evangelist: "Rejoice, O Thou of Grace! The Lord is with Thee; blessed art thou among women.. For I have found grace with God..." (Luke 1:28:30).