Word of St. John of Kronstadt on the Week of Pentecost

Today we celebrate in the honor of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit – one God in three Persons: the Father, who has sent His Holy Spirit in the form of fire tongues on the holy disciples and apostles, the Son, who has supplicated the Father to give to the apostles, and to all believers another Comforter, consubstantial to Himself and – the Holy Spirit, Who has descended onto the disciples of Christ.

 In the language of the Church, today’s holiday is called the day of Pentecost, because our Lord Jesus Christ, having ascended to heaven, has sent down from God the Father to His apostles the Holy Spirit on the fiftieth day after His resurrection from the dead.

You have heard quite a few times, brethren, a short Church prayer during the all-night vigil, that through the Holy Spirit every soul is made alive and exalted in purity 1). Yes, brethren, we are all made alive and exalted to holiness by the Holy Spirit. This Life-creating Spirit is now, as always, close to us, because He fills with Himself the whole universe; but in order for Him to dwell in us, to make alive our souls, deadened by sins, for that to be accomplished, each one must purify his heart with prayer, to have a sincere desire to partake of His holiness, His life, and to strive diligently to acquire Him. When the All-Holy Spirit will see the hearts, ready to accept Him and desiring of His acceptance, then He Himself shall cleanse them with His inspiration and will start to dwell in the temple of your body: know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you 2) ? And he, who at present time will neglect about the cleansing of the heart, i.e. will not abstain from evil thoughts and earthly passions, he will not be deemed worthy to receive the Holy Spirit, he will not receive the life-creating force in his heart and will remain dead with his sins.

Strive you all to have minds and hearts on high and, having purified yourselves with prayer and heart-felt contrition, hope firmly, that (eventually) you will be deemed worthy to receive the Holy Spirit: you shall hear His breath in your heart, – the breath which is subtle, sweet, comforting, joyful, and you shall bring out of the temple such a treasure, that you will not get in the world for any money: for there is no such treasure in the world. Strive, brothers and sisters, also in the future, when coming to the temple, to have cleansed yourself beforehand, at home, with prayer and heart-felt contrition; and thus preparing yourself to the reception of the Holy Spirit in the holy temple during the Church service. Pay attention to these words, accept them with your heart; for otherwise, in vain are your visits to the temple, if the Holy Spirit cannot find place in your heart; for the Holy Spirit in no way can be in communion with the filth and darkness of sin. The Holy Spirit is always with us until the end of times, and one can be deemed worthy and accept Him both in Church, during the Church service, and also at home, during the prayer, and especially in the Mysteries of the Church always, when sincerely desired!

Let us therefore with one mouth and with one heart pray to the Holy Spirit: Treasure of good things and Giver of life, come and dwell within us. Amen.

1) Antiphon 4 2) Cor. 6, 19 3) Troparion to the Holy Spirit