My beloved spiritual children in Our Risen Lord and Our Only True God and Savior Jesus Christ,
CHRIS IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! ΑΛΗΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God."
"But, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law..." (Galatians 5:19-23).
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"God is spirit: "God is a Spirit" (St. John 4:24) (the words of the Savior in the conversation with the Samaritan woman), "The Lord is a Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (II Corinthians 3:17)... God is a Spirit Who is Most High, Most Pure, Most Perfect."
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"All-good. "Compassionate and merciful is the Lord, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy" (Psalm 102:8). "God is agape (love)" (I John 4:16). The Goodness of God extends not to some limited region in the world, which is characteristic of love in limited beings, but to the whole world and all the being that exist in it.
He is lovingly concerned over the life and needs of each creature, no matter how small and, it might seem to us, insignificant. Saint Gregory the Theologian writes: If someone were to ask us what it is that we honor, and what we worship, we have a ready reply: we honor love" (Homily 23).
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One of the most beloved Saints of the Church is Saint Seraphim of Sarov (AD 1754-1823) writes, "prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian activities, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end. The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, and vigils, and prayer, and almsgiving (charity), and every good deed done for Christ's sake, they are only means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God. But mark, my son, only the good deed done for Christ's sake brings us the fruit of the Holy Spirit. All that is not done for Christ's sake, even though it be good, brings neither reward in the future life nor the grace of god in this..."
At our Baptism and Chrismation we, as Orthodox Christians, the gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, as long as we are dominated by the passions these gifts are not fully active. They are hidden or covered. Once we remove the passions then these gifts work in our consciousness. Father Demitru Staniloae writes: "Only after the termination of the work of purification, driven especially by the powers of Baptism and of repentance, does the work of the gifts of the Holy Spirit appear first and foremost."
According to our Holy Orthodox Christian Faith the Holy Spirit inside every true Christian, each one's body being His Temple (I Corinthians 3:16). He is depicted as 'Counselor' or 'Helper' (parakletos in Greek, guiding them in the way of the Truth. The "Fruit of the Spirit" (i.e., the result of His work) is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22).
There are said to be seven gifts of the Holy Spirit:
Fear of God to help overcome sinfulness.
Spirit of strength to live by the virtue.
Spirit of counsel to give us the skill of discernment.
Spirit of understanding to realize how blessings have been revealed to us to gain virtues.
Spirit of knowledge to know the deeper motivation of each command and virtue.
Spirit of comprehension to know the meaning of things by identification with them.
Spirit of wisdom which is the simple contemplation of Truth of all things.
It is the gifts of the Holy Spirit that guide us in the knowledge of God. The work of the Holy Spirit is like a light shining into a dark room. As the light increases, the contents of the room become known. Through illumination (photisi) the Holy Spirit will illumine our consciousness so that we are filled with Divine Light. With this Light all things become transparent and their meaning and relationship with God become very clear. We are enabled to penetrate beneath the surface of things.
We must know that the passions spring from the heart of the person, Jesus told us: "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man" (St. Mark 7:21-23).
"Passions may predispose individuals to discord from God and mankind.
One has to make a choice between Christ and devil. Saint Paul asked: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation...distress...persecution...hunger...nakedness...danger...the sword? For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor thing to come, nor power, nor height, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ our Lord" (Romans 8:35-39).
Vigilance and discernment are the chief virtues to be acquired by those seeking Christ's indwelling in them and who desire to overcome the power of passions.
Ilias the Presbyter tells us: "Demons wage war against the soul primarily through thoughts." (Philokalia III) Ideally, Orthodox Christians will make a "spiritual desert" for themselves removing them from the "enticements" so prevalent in modern life. Spiritual death occurs when these thoughts are self-centered."
Saint John Chrysostom, one of the great Holy Fathers of the Church, writes, "Did you commit sin? Enter the church and repent for your sin; for here is the physician, not a judge; here one is not investigated, one receives remission of sins".
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CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! ΑΛΗΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!"--Saint John Chrysostom
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With sincere agape in Our Risen Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George