On the Feast of Pentecost
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
We began this season with the joy of the celebration of Pascha, our Lord’s resurrection and triumph over sin and death. The liturgy Gospel for the feast of Pascha tells us that the pre-eternal Word, Who was with God and was God became Flesh for our sakes and dwelt among us. Furthermore it tells us that, “He came unto His own, and they received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
And now 50 days later, on this great day of Pentecost, we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon those who received our Lord and were faithful to Him, that is, His Apostles. As it is written, “there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like unto fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:2-4)
Our Christ is the New Adam and on the day of Pentecost the renewal of the race of Adam was made manifest by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the holy Apostles. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit the Apostles became new men who lived a life of constant remembrance of God and self-sacrificing love. They were purified, illumined and sanctified. From this point forward these men were given the charism of the New Testament Priesthood.
The Apostles provided for successors in the New Testament Priesthood through the laying on of hands of Bishops, as Saint Gregory Palamas wrote, “…the distributed grace of the Divine Spirit came through the ordination of the Apostles upon their successors.” (Homily 24, 10). In other words, the Spirit is given through the Bishops and the Priests who they ordain.
The Apostles consecrated Bishops to oversee the New Testament Priesthood. Each Bishop was responsible for preserving the teachings of Christ and administering the Mysteries, in their respective local Church. This priesthood exists, through the successors of the Apostles, Bishops of the Church, so that from generation to generation, those who receive Christ and worship Him in spirit and in truth are given “the power to become children of God.”(John 1:12) There are many today, especially in the west, who call themselves Christian, yet in their lack of understanding they deny the New Testament Priesthood that was given to us on the day of Pentecost and trivialize the Episcopate. It is only through the successors of the Apostles that we have Baptism and Eucharist and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The New Testament Priesthood exists exclusively in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, that is, the Orthodox Church.
Our Savior has given us the great gift of the New Testament Priesthood, but He has also warned us to, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matt 7:15) Departure from Apostolic Tradition severs one from the New Testament Priesthood.Especially in these last times it takes discretion to be a Christian, one must be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, that is, one must understand the warfare of the evil one and that we must contend against sin while being innocent of sin. Wolves in sheep’s clothing are clergy who pose as Christian teachers and lead Christians astray by false teachings regarding doctrine and/or morality.
An example of a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” from last century is Metropolitan Sergius Stragorodsky, who, during his early career, wrote many eloquent sermons predicting times of trouble ahead, calling all to be faithful to the Traditions of the Church. It was this same Metropolitan Sergius was responsible for the ecclesiastical heresy of “Sergianism” when, in July of 1927, he placed the Russian Church in submission to the atheist government of the Soviet Union. Another example is Chrysostom Papadopoulos, who, while an archimandrite, wrote an eloquent paper in defense of the Orthodox liturgical Calendar. After being raised to the throne of Archbishop of Athens, under pressure from the Revolutionary Government in Greece, he subjected the Church of Greece to the Papist Gregorian Calendar, which proved to be the first step in the establishment of the Pan-Heresy of Ecumenism in Greece. For a Holy Synod to be in submission to any outside force is a sin against the grace of the Episcopate given by the Holy Spirit unto the Apostles at Pentecost.
The great Pan-Heresy of our day is Ecumenism, but there are many other false ecclesiologies undermine the order of the Church. It is only by honoring the Ecumenical Councils and the Holy Canons that we can safeguard the New Testament Priesthood.
Without the New Testament Priesthood one cannot participate in God, that is, there is no Baptism or Eucharist. But, of course, we have the human element in the Priesthood and there very well may be a time in your life when you experience a temptation that has a clergyman as its source. Fortify yourself from aforetime by remembering the words of our Savior in His parable concerning the Sower, that there will be some who will receive the word with joy, but when persecution or tribulation arises, they will be scandalized and spiritually wither away. (Matt 13: 20-21) If men fail and betray the Priesthood, be wise and do not allow Satan to trip you up. Our Christ guaranteed that the gates of Hades would not prevail against the Church. (Matt 16:18) A Christian’s goal should be to ever seek to commune with that Church that rightly confesses faith in Christ the Chief Cornerstone, wherever it may be. (Matt 21:42)
I remember reading an account of a man, an ethnic Jew, who resided in the then Soviet Union and was converting to Orthodox Christianity. He then found out that his priest was an informant to the Atheist government. Alas, the poor man then rejected seeking the genuine New Testament Priesthood and became a Baptist, joining himself to a congregation that rejects Apostolic Tradition.
There will always be a genuine Priesthood in the world. I ask you to always remember to pray for all of the genuine Bishops and Priests throughout the world, wherever they may be. Pray for the salvation of the clergy. Pray that God will remove anything that might hinder the preaching of His Gospel.
Our Savior calls all to His Mystical banquet, but in order to approach, we must prepare. We do not believe, as the erring Protestants do, that all one has to do is give one’s assent that Jesus is Lord and “once saved, always saved.” Salvation is a gift of God that we can ruin by our heedlessness. The spiritual life is a life of repentance and not complacency.
The path that all of the saints trod was that of purification, illumination and deification. Deification is when God reaches across that chasm that we cannot cross and gives the gift of His Spirit in superabundance. Not all Christians become deified in this way, but all Christians are called to a life of purification and illumination. Our Savior came to make us children of God. Believe that He can do this even in this age of Apostasy.
We labor at purification through self-examination and the works of genuine repentance. Our goal is purity of heart. A man who cannot examine himself and take ownership of his sins fails in purifying his heart.
If you make a consistent effort in prayer you will taste the spiritual sweetness of divine consolation. If you invest time in spiritual reading, you will experience illumined thoughts. Seek a sanctified family life. Balance the consolations of this life with your seeking a blessing from God. In seeking this balance, practice self-examination and listen to your heart.
As Saint Paul wrote, “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1Cor. 6:12) The life of spiritual freedom in Christ takes some effort and affliction. There is no life here on earth that is without some affliction. People who live in luxury and dissipation have sorrows and afflictions. If one seeks the narrow way that limits what one indulges in, there are still the consolations and joys of family life plus the spiritual joy that one can only experience in the Church. Even in the midst of troubles, remember the words of our Savior, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Let us witness to our Savior’s Incarnation and the descent of the Holy Spirit by our Eucharistic life found in the local Church. Let us gather in the bond of love, to pray, to hear the word of God and partake of our Lord’s Body and Blood. Let us honor Apostolic Tradition, the Ecumenical Councils and the Holy Canons. Then we will truly celebrate the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the gift of the New Testament Priesthood through which we are “given the power to become children of God.”
May the Holy Spirit illumine and comfort you and your families. Amen.