Слово в день Св. Пятидесятницы. Святого Амвросия, епископа Медиоланского

Great and significant, beloved brothers, a real celebration! Now we remember that extraordinary and comforting event in the Church of Christ, when the Holy Spirit, consubstantial with the Father and the Son, descended on the Apostles - that Spirit of truth, which eternally proceeds from the Father, - that gracious Love that is freely given to us, - that Divine Comforter, Whom the Only Begotten Son of God promised to send and sent to believers according to His unfaithful promise: and I I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever (John 14:16). And in ancient times the grace of the Holy Spirit mysteriously overshadowed the patriarchs and other righteous men; but never has the grace of this Divine gift been poured out in such abundance, expressed in such tangible evidence, or accompanied by such miraculous signs as at the present time, that is, on the tenth day after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it shall come to pass, it was said to the ancients, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28). And suddenly, - says the Acts of the Apostles, - there was a noise from heaven, like a storm of breath, and the whole house was filled with the noise of the seat. And the nations appeared to them, divided as if they were fire, and sat on one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit had given them to speak (Acts 2:2-4). Pay your attention, brothers, to how different and opposite the fruits of pride and humility are - what the arrogant arrogance of the descendants of Noah once did, and what simple fishermen and humble women and the true followers of the Heavenly Teacher who were with them were rewarded with. The pride of the first was the reason for the confusion of languages ​​when they planned to build a city and a pillar to heaven, as if arming themselves against the Lord, who punished their ancestors for wickedness with a global flood. The Lord confused their languages ​​so that they could not understand each other and had to be crucified across the face of the whole earth; Until that time, everyone had one mouth (Gen. 11:4–9). The humility of the latter, who remained unanimous in prayer and supplication in anticipation of the Comforter promised to them (Acts 1:4, 14; 2:1), clothed them with power from above (Luke 24:49): they were filled with the Holy Spirit, so that they suddenly began to speak in different languages. The multitude of people who were in Jerusalem at that time from different places and countries heard them, each speaking in their own language, and with this supernatural preaching, the first preachers of Christianity after Christ acquired the Church of Christ as many as three thousand souls, who from that time remained not in the scattering of heaven, similar to the times of pandemonium, but in the closest unity among themselves: you who believed together, and all things were in common ( Acts 2:4–44). Let us, brothers, reject all pride and drive out this primordial enemy from among us: for pride is from the devil; on the contrary, let us remain meek and humble in wisdom, so that we too may be worthy to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit and remain sons of God. Let our hearts and bodies be pure from all sinful filth: for the Holy Spirit does not overshadow with His grace those defiled by sins: wisdom does not enter into the evil soul; below it dwells in the body guilty of sin (Wisdom 1:4). · If many of us so carefully choose the best and purest of vessels in which they want to store fragrant ointments or similar jewelry; if we cleanse, decorate, and generally put our houses in order in advance, when we expect a dear guest, or a famous nobleman, and even more so a visit from an earthly king: then with what care, with what warning, with what readiness should each of us meet the Heavenly King, the Divine Comforter, the Spirit of truth and the Treasure of the good, that gracious Guest Who desires come and dwell in us, forever?! In what purity should we keep the churches of our souls and how pure should we keep our very souls so that the Holy Spirit may descend upon us and overshadow us with His Divine gifts? And the earthly guest, with all his imperfections, abhors unclean and nasty premises: how much more so is it not typical for the Heavenly Guest, the Holy Spirit, the Source of all perfection, to dwell in the dwellings of sinners. Let us strive, brethren, with the coming to us of the Heavenly King, this Divine Comforter, Giver of all good things, to cleanse the churches of our souls from all impurity, our very souls from all sinfulness; Let us try to adorn ourselves with the purity and innocence of God-loving virtues. Then the Holy Spirit, whose descent on the Apostles is remembered and celebrated by St. The Church will overshadow us earthly beings, will dwell in us and will dwell in us, together with the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen 105. Ambros. episc. Mediol. Opera. 1751 ann. Wenetiis. Benedict., vol. IV Append, ad Opera, orat. XXXVI; compare Sunday Read XIX (1855–56), 71–72 pp. You might be interested in: