Проповедь об исхождении Святого Духа

Spiritual gifts and Divine energies are the result of receiving the Holy Spirit, which is given through the Son. These gifts are given not only from the Son, but also from the Highest Father of Lights Himself, from Whom “every perfect gift comes” (cf. James 1:17). The most theological of the apostles, John, says: “We know this by the Spirit, which we received from Him” (1 John 3:24). According to Saint Basil the Great, "there is not a single gift that descends upon creation without the Holy Spirit." Having listed all the gifts and gifts and energies of the Holy Spirit, Saint Basil continues: “The Holy Spirit has all this, but the Spirit emanating from God is the Divine Person, while everything that flows from Him is His energies.” The same saint tells us what the energies of the Spirit are: “They are indescribable in words because of their enormity, and innumerable because of their multitude. In the Holy Spirit everything is perfect: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, intelligence, will, trustworthiness, godliness, knowledge, liberation, faith, working miracles, giving healings and much more similar to the above. There is nothing gained in Him, but everything that is in Him is eternal and permanent, since He is the Spirit of God and comes from God.” Desiring to reveal Himself as consubstantial in Divinity with the Father and the Spirit, our Lord Jesus Christ freely gives His disciples this natural energy of Divinity. Only the Father has the ability to eternally expel the Holy Spirit from Himself. Those who teach the opposite are dogmatic madmen. We, having been taught from the patristic wisdom “not to close our eyes” to non-Orthodox fabrications, which are completely unknown to many, cannot accept either them or those who spread them, and will never recognize them as partners in our faith. Before His Ascension, Christ made a promise to His disciples, telling them: “Soon you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” He said this, humanely comforting His disciples and saying to them: “It is better for you that I go, because if I do not go, the Holy Spirit will not come on you. When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me” (John 15:26; 16:7). On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit was sent from the Father and the Son at a specific time and for a specific reason. This Spirit proceeds only from the Father, outside of time and without any reason. God the Father is the One Unbegotten, from time immemorial He begets the Son, and only from the Father comes the Holy Spirit. But someone may ask: how can “He Who Fulfills Everywhere” be sent? It is evident that this refers to His appearance and the workings of His grace. That is, in relation to God, the words “sent” and “given” mean nothing more than “manifest.” We have preserved this entire confession of faith as a priceless treasure, following not human reasoning, but God’s chosen words. We know that the Holy Spirit comes by Himself, but we do not accept that He proceeds from Himself. When the universe was created, the Holy Spirit had not yet been revealed. However, during the creation of man, this mortal seer who was destined to worship God, it was not appropriate for any of the Persons of the Holy Trinity to remain unknown. The hypostasis of the Spirit becomes apparent when God breathed Him into the primordial people. The Mystery of God's economy is hidden in the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. The first to reveal Himself was the Father, Who freely gave the prophets Divine energies. After Him, the Son revealed Himself, giving His disciples the same splendors of the Divine nature, the properties of the Divine, His natural energies, from which come the gifts of healing, the actions of powers and everything connected with this. After the Son, the Holy Spirit revealed Himself, Who made the disciples wise and clothed with spiritual strength in order to make them capable of perceiving the truth about Him. Subsequently, these apostles and disciples preached the saving message about Christ to everyone. God is rich by His nature and lacks nothing. The riches of the Godhead are manifested through Jesus Christ, who lives in the hearts of those worthy of Him. There, through the spirit and mind, immaterially He is seen, formed and appears. I have put all this in simple words for those who will read all this with good will. He who has ears, who is able to distinguish between right and wrong, let him, according to his strength, be initiated into the depth of the mystery of God. Those who cannot perceive the above, better plug their ears with clay. If you are hesitant to accept the words of those who are empowered by God to proclaim the truth to you, I ask that you still try your best. Christ is the One on whom the Holy Spirit rests, since He is the Dispenser of the Spirit, and it is natural that through Him the Holy Spirit is sent, appears and descends on the worthy. Our God! You are the only one who opens the eyes of the blind, grant, if not to everyone in general, then at least to all those who really seek it, the knowledge of the truth in Your invisible contemplation and Your intelligent teachings inaudible to the ear. Reveal Yourself to those who desire it at a favorable time, so that we all may know Your true glory. May we enjoy the spiritual and ineffable contemplation of the three-solar and single radiance, constantly glorifying You, according to our strength, now and ever and to the endless ages of ages. Amen.