(Ephesians
5:9-19; Matthew 18:10-20)
To comfort His disciples, the Lord told them that it
would be better for them if he ascended Heavens because in that case He would
send them the Comforter – the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has descended and remains
now in the Church, working in every person who believes in Christ. Every
Christian is a bearer of the Spirit. It means so much for us that if someone
does not have the Spirit, then he cannot be the man of Christ.
Look at yourself carefully: do you really have the
Spirit of Grace inside of you? There are many people, who cannot preserve it
for long. There are also those of us who are even distancing from It. Here are
the signs that help to understand this: at first, the spirit of repentance
comes and teaches a Christian how to address God and change his own life; when
its work is over, it passes the Christian to the spirit of purity and holiness.
Then, finally, the Christian gets to the spirit of childship.
The trait of the first spirit is hardworking zeal; the
trait of the second spirit is warmth and sincere heart; the trait of the last
spirit is the feeling of being a son, who says sincerely from his heart: “Abba,
Father!” (Mark 14:36) Mind the stage you are on now. If you see you are not at
all, then begin to take care about yourself.
By St. Theophan
the Recluse
CONVERSATION