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Our chief concern must remain the reception of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their work in our lives,Vicar Bishop Timotei Prahoveanul of the Bucharest Archbishopric told the churchgoers attending the Pentecost church service at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest.
"Our chief concern must remain, beloved believers, receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their work in our lives. And the gifts of the Holy Spirit are known. The Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Galatians tells us about them, concluding that against them, against goodness, love, longsuffering, kindness and chastity, there is no law. No one can accuse someone of too much love, no one can be accused of longsuffering, of doing good, because these are virtues that do good to others, and never, under any circumstances, hurt them in any way," said Timotei.
The bishop pointed out that the "path of repentance" to which the Holy Apostle Peter urged the crowds in Jerusalem at the Descent of the Holy Spirit must be "followed for life" by each one of us.
"We must all follow him wholeheartedly in our own way, for repentance is, in fact, a return to God. Those who turn to God, those who draw near to Him, receive these silent gifts. When you see, beloved believers, in your family, among your colleagues and friends, all kinds of professional, moral, heartfelt gifts, know that these are gifts of the Holy Spirit. When you always encounter a hostile attitude against the Church, against God, against your neighbour, all these are the works of the one who seeks to divide, of the Devil."
Timotei urged the attendees to the pursuit of the good, Agerpres.ro informs.
"Therefore we are exhorted not to put out the spirit, but to follow the good things, and to be the sons of the light. And if we ever thirst for these words of our Saviour, let us come to Him, for He will give us the living water, of which He also spoke in Jerusalem on a feast, but also at the well of Jacob, telling that open-hearted woman that if she knew who He was, she would ask Him and He would give her water that if she drank she would never go thirsty again. That water is getting close to God and the knowledge of the words of Scripture. Those getting close to Him will drink and will always receive the great gift of the Saviour's teaching, they will feel an unspeakable joy, a joy that is not of this world."
Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers celebrated on Sunday the Descent of the Holy Spirit - Pentecost.
The feast is called Pentecost because it is celebrated fifty days after the Lord's Resurrection.
According to tradition, in Jerusalem, on the fiftieth day of the Lord's Resurrection, the Holy Spirit came into the world and descended upon the holy apostles, founding the Church of Christ.
The coming to earth of the third person of the Most Holy Trinity was made known by Saviour Jesus Christ Himself on the evening of the Last Supper: " Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. " (John 16: 7)
Concerning the power of the Holy Spirit, St. John Chrysostom says, "As the earthly fire transforms the soft clay into a vessel, the water and the fire of the Holy Spirit, when theyembrace a benevolent soul, they make it stronger than iron, though it was softer than clay before, so that sin can no longer harm the now hardened soul."
The dogma of the Trinity of Godhead is fundamental and has implications for the entire Christian teaching, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, which was given to the primary apostolic community, endowed the Church with everything necessary for the Christian body: preaching the holy sacraments, the charisms, diakonia.
Historical existence and any sacramental action depend on the founding of the Church by the invocation of the Holy Spirit.
After receiving the Holy Spirit, the holy apostles, drawing lots, went to all parts of the Earth to proclaim the gospel of salvation and faith in Jesus Christ, starting in Jerusalem.
Through the holy apostles, the Holy Spirit has been transmitted into the world to all who believe in Christ through the holy sacraments that are performed in the church by priests and bishops.
