Беседа в день Св. Пятидесятницы. Святого Иоанна Златоустого, архиепископа Константинопольского

Great, beloved, and above every word of man are the gifts sent down to us now from the man-loving God. Therefore, we will all rejoice together and glorify our Master with delight. Truly, today is a holiday and celebration for us. For just as in the succession of days and seasons one change follows another, so in the Church, too, holiday follows holiday and one refers us to another. Recently we celebrated the resurrection, then the ascension into heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ, and today, finally, we have reached the very edge of blessings, entered the very metropolis of the feasts, and reached the very fruit of the Lord’s promise. “If I go,” He said, “I will send another Comforter to you, and I will not leave you orphans (John 14:18; 16:7). Do you see His care? Do you see the indescribable love for humanity? Before these days, He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father, and today He gives us the coming of the Holy Spirit, and through Him sends down to us countless blessings from heaven. In fact, tell me, what of the things pertaining to our salvation was not arranged for us by the Spirit? Through Him we are freed from slavery, brought into adoption, created again, so to speak, laying aside the heavy and stinking burden of sins; through the Holy Spirit we see hosts of priests, from this Source - both the gifts of revelations and the gifts of healings - and everything else that usually adorns the Church, from here receives its beginning. And an apostle. Paul cries out like this: all this operates in one and the same Spirit, dividing power to each as he wills (1 Cor. 12:11). As He wants,” he says, “and not as He is told; dividing rather than being divided; ruling, and not being subject to power. Thus, Paul attributes to the Holy Spirit the same power that he assigned to the Father. Just as he says about the Father: God is the one who acts all in all (1 Cor. 12:6), so about the Holy Spirit: all this, dividing power to each as he wills. Do you see perfect power? Those who have one essence, obviously have one independence; Those who have equal dignity have the same strength and power. Through him we received remission of sins, through him we were cleansed from all uncleanness, by his gift we, flowing to grace, became angels from people, without changing in nature, but, what is much more surprising, remaining with human nature, we showed angelic life. Such is the power of the Holy Spirit, just as sensual fire, having received soft clay, makes it hard tiles, so the fire of the Spirit, having found a well-intentioned soul, even if it found it softer than clay, makes it harder than iron - and the one who was recently defiled by the uncleanness of sin, suddenly reveals itself as the brightest of the sun. Teaching us this, blessed Paul cried out like this: do not flatter yourselves: neither harlots, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor defilers, nor the covetous, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor molesters, nor extortioners, will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9, 10). Having counted, so to speak, all types of wickedness and taught that those guilty of such sins are strangers to the kingdom, he immediately added: and these are not things: but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified. How and in what way? – In the name of our Lord Jesus, Christ, and the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11). Do you see, beloved, the power of the Holy Spirit? Do you see that the Holy Spirit destroyed all this wickedness and suddenly elevated those who had previously perished from their own sins to the highest honor? Who will worthily pity and mourn those who decide to blaspheme the dignity of the Spirit, who (as if in a frenzy) even by the greatness of their good deeds do not restrain themselves from their wickedness, but dare to do everything to the detriment of their salvation, robbing Him, as much as possible, of Divine dignity? I would like to ask them: why are you so armed against the dignity of the Spirit, or better, against your own salvation, and do not want to take into your mind what the Savior said to the disciples: go and learn all languages, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)? Do you see equal dignity? Do you see the exact agreement? Do you see the indivisibility of the Trinity? Is there any difference, or change, or diminution here? Why do you dare to add to the words of the Lord? Or don’t you know that in human affairs, if someone attempted or went to such audacity as to add or subtract anything from the charter of a king who is of the same race and has the same nature as us, he would be subjected to extreme punishment and nothing could save him from this punishment? If the danger is so great because of man, then what forgiveness can there be for those who show such great audacity, who attempt to distort the words of our common Savior and do not want to listen to Paul, through whom Christ spoke, and who cried with a loud voice: eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not come into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9)? So, if neither eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor heart could contain the knowledge of what is prepared for those who love Him, then how can we receive knowledge of this? But to us,” adds blessed Paul, “God has revealed food by His Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10); and he does not stop there, but in order to show the greatness of the power and the consubstantiality of the Spirit with the Father and the Son, he says: For the Spirit tests all things, even the depths of God. Then, wanting to give us the most precise instruction from human example, he adds: who is the message from man, even in man, even the spirit of man living in him? In the same way, no one knows God’s message, but the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:11). Do you see the perfect instruction? Just as no one else can know what is in a person’s mind, but only he himself knows his own, so no one knows God’s things except the Spirit of God, and this is very important and very sufficiently proves the dignity of the Spirit. Citing this example, the Apostle seems to be saying this: it is impossible for any of the people to ever not know what is in his mind, therefore, just as this is impossible, so God’s, he says, the Holy Spirit knows with the same accuracy. But I don’t know how these words of Blessed Paul do not convince people who, out of their own prejudice, to the detriment of their salvation, so arm themselves against the dignity of the Spirit, take away from Him, as much as possible for them, the Divine dignity and reduce Him to the low level of creatures. However, let them argue and rebel against what is said in the Divine Scripture, we, accepting the Divine instructions as prophecies brought from above, will begin to send forth the appropriate praise, containing with right faith and the correct understanding of the truth. But it is necessary to tell your love why the Lord did not immediately after His Ascension give us the Author of such blessings, but allowed the disciples to first spend several days and be alone with themselves, and then sent down the grace of the Spirit. This was not in vain and not without reason. He knew that the human race does not value enough the goods that are in its hands, and does not pay due respect to what seems pleasant and great, unless something to the contrary happens. For example, let's say this more clearly: a healthy and vigorous person in body does not feel and cannot understand exactly how many benefits health has brought him, unless he experiences an illness from which he becomes exhausted; Likewise, one who sees during the day does not value light so much if he does not experience the darkness of night. Truly, the experience of the opposite is always a clear teacher in what we previously enjoyed. Therefore, even then (since the disciples in the presence of Christ enjoyed countless blessings and during their communication with Him were in great prosperity, for they raised the dead, and cleansed lepers, and cast out demons, and healed diseases, and performed many other miracles), He allowed them to be deprived of the power of the one who helped them for a short time, so that they, being left without it, would know how much the presence of His grace brought them, and, Having felt the importance of the previous blessings, they more readily accepted the gift of the Comforter. For the Holy Spirit comforted them in sorrow, and illuminated them with His light (when they mourned because of separation from the Teacher and were filled with despondency...), and raised up those who had almost fallen, and dispersed the cloud of sadness, and dispelled bewilderment. Since they heard the command of the Lord: go and learn all languages ​​(Matthew 28:19), and meanwhile, they were perplexed and did not know where each of them should go, and in which country of the universe the teaching should be preached, then the Holy Spirit comes in the form of tongues, separating for each of them a country of the universe for preaching, and with this language, as if with some mark, indicating to each the limit of the authority and teaching entrusted to him. This is why the Spirit came down in the form of tongues, and not only because of this, but also in order to remind us of an ancient event. Since in ancient times people, indulging in pride, decided to build a tower that would reach to heaven, and God, through a confusion of languages, destroyed their evil agreement, now the Holy Spirit descends on the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire in order to unite the divided universe through this. And a new and wondrous thing happened: just as then, in ancient times, tongues divided the universe and dissolved the evil harmony, so now tongues have united the universe and brought what was divided into harmony. So, therefore, He came down in the form of tongues, and the tongues were like fire because thorns grew in us. For just as rich and fertile soil, if it remains uncultivated, produces a great variety of thorns, so our nature, having emerged from the hands of the Creator beautiful and capable of producing the fruits of virtue, but not receiving the plow of piety and the seed of the knowledge of God, gave birth to wickedness, like some thorns and other useless plants. And just as the face of the earth is often not visible from the multitude of thorns and bad herbs, so the nobility and purity of our soul was not visible until the Cultivator of human nature, having come and sent down the fire of the Spirit, cleansed it and made it capable of receiving the heavenly seed. Such and even greater benefits have been granted to us today. Therefore, I urge: let us also begin to celebrate in accordance with the dignity of the blessings given to us, decorating our souls, enlightening our souls with the garments of virtues, so that in this way we can both accept the grace of the Spirit and reap the fruits that come from Him. What are the fruits of the Spirit? Let us listen to Paul, who says: the fruit of the spiritual is love, joy, peace (Gal. 5:22). Look at the sequence of his teaching: first he put love, and then he mentioned what follows - he laid the root, and then he showed the fruit, - he established the foundation, and then he erected the building, - he began with the source, and then moved on to the streams. Indeed, no earlier can the foundation of joy be laid than if we first begin to consider the well-being of others as our own and accept the benefits of our neighbor as our own; and this can happen only if the power of love prevails in us. Love is the root, source and mother of all good things: like a root, it grows countless branches of virtues; like a source, it produces many streams; like a mother, it embraces in its bosom those who resort to it. Knowing this, blessed Paul called it the fruit of the Spirit, and in another place he acquired such an advantage for it that he even called it the fulfillment of the law: the fulfillment of the law, he says, is love (Rom. 13:10). And the Lord of all, as a sufficient sign and reliable distinction for His disciples, offered us nothing other than love, saying: of this all understand, as My disciples are, if you have love among yourself (John 13:35). Therefore, I urge you, let us all resort to it, cleave to it and celebrate this holiday with it: for where there is love, there the unreasonable impulses of the heart subside. “Lubov,” it is said, “is not arrogant, is not proud, and is not rude (1 Cor. 13:4, 5). Love does not harm one's neighbor; where love dwells, there is no Cain killing his brother. Destroy the source of envy, you will destroy the flow of all evils, pluck out the root, and you will destroy the fruit. I say this, caring more for those who envy than for those who are envied, for the former especially cause themselves the greatest harm and bring upon themselves great destruction, and for those who are envied, envy serves, if they wish, even as a reason for receiving crowns. The killing of Abel became for him a reason for glorification. Even after death, he boldly speaks with his blood and in a loud voice accuses the murderer, and he, remaining alive, received the fruit of his deeds as a reward for his deeds, and spent his life groaning and shaking on the ground (Gen. 4:12). And just as sin forced the living to live more unhappily than the dead, so even after death virtue glorified this one even more. Therefore, we too, in order to acquire greater boldness here and there, in order to receive greater joy from the holiday, let us throw off all unclean clothes from our souls, especially let us throw off the clothes of envy: for even though we have apparently done countless good deeds, we will lose everything if this terrible and cruel infection operates in us. God grant that we all avoid it, and be worthy to boldly meet the King of Heaven, when He deigns to come and share the unspeakable blessings of those who have spent this present life virtuously, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen 112. See Full. collection creativity St. Chrysostom, in Russian. translation St. Petersburg, 1896, vol. II, pp. 507–512; compare Words and conversations of St. Chrysostom for different occasions. St. Petersburg, 1865, vol. II. pp. 209–219; Christian. Read 1844, II, pp. 147–161. You might be interested in: