HOLY PENTECOST

After the Savior’s Ascension into the Heavens, the eleven Apostles and the rest of His disciples, the God-loving women who followed after Him from the beginning, His Mother, the most holy Virgin Mary, and His brethren-all together about 120 souls returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. Entering into the house where they gathered, they went into the upper room, and there they persevered in prayer and supplication, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, as their Divine Teacher had promised them. In the meanwhile, they chose Matthias, who was elected to take the place of Judas among the Apostles.

Thus, on this day, the seventh Sunday of Pascha, the tenth day after the Ascension and the fiftieth day after Pascha, at the third hour of the day from the rising of the sun, there suddenly came a sound from Heaven, as when a mighty wind blows, and it filled the whole house where the Apostles and the rest with them were gathered. Immediately after the sound, there appeared tongues of fire that divided and rested upon the head of each one. Filled with the Spirit, all those present began speaking not in their native tongue, but in other tongues and dialects, as the Holy Spirit instructed them. The multitudes that had come together from various places for the feast, most of whom were Jews by race and religion, were called Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and so forth, according to the places where they dwelt. Though they spoke many different tongues, they were present in Jerusalem by divine dispensation. When they heard that sound that came down from Heaven to the place where the disciples of Christ were gathered, all ran together to learn what had taken place. But they were confounded when they came and heard the Apostles speaking in their own tongues. Marveling at this, they said one to another, "Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" But others, because of their foolishness and excess of evil, mocked the wonder and said that the Apostles were drunken.

Then Peter stood up with the eleven, and raising his voice, spoke to all the people, proving that that which had taken place was not drunkenness, but the fulfilment of God's promise that had been spoken by the Prophet Joel: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that I shall pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy" (Joel 2:28), and he preached Jesus of Nazareth unto them, proving in many ways that He is Christ the Lord, Whom the Jews crucified but God raised from the dead. On hearing Peter's teaching, many were smitten with compunction and received the word. Thus, they were baptized, and on that day about three thousand souls were added to the Faith of Christ.

Meditations on Holy Pentecost:

'And my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.' My friends, consider the greatness of this solemn feast that commemorates God's coming as a guest into our hearts! If some rich and influential friend were to come to your home, you would promptly put it all in order for fear something there might offend your friend's eyes when he came in. Let all of us then who are preparing our inner homes for God cleanse them of anything our wrongdoing has brought into them.                               +St. Gregory the Great

'And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit' (Acts 2:3-4). They partook of fire, not of burning but of saving fire; of fire which consumes the thorns of sins, but gives luster to the soul. This is now coming upon you also, and that to strip away and consume your sins which are like thorns, and to brighten yet more that precious possession of your souls, and to give you grace; for He gave it then to the Apostles. And He sat upon them in the form of fiery tongues, that they might crown themselves with new and spiritual diadems by fiery tongues upon their heads. A fiery sword barred of old the gates of Paradise; a fiery tongue which brought salvation restored the gift.                                   +St. Cyril of Jerusalem           

Saint Agrippina the Martyr of Rome - June 23

This Martyr was from Rome and lived in virginity, having Christ alone as her Bridegroom. Of her own accord she courageously presented herself to the pagans as a Christian, and was tortured to death, according to some, in the reign of Valerian (253-260). Her holy relics were then taken to Sicily, where they immediately became a source of great miracles.

Saint Fevronia the Righteous Martyr - June 25

This Martyr practiced the ascetic discipline in Nisibis of Mesopotamia; she was of such great beauty that the report of her came to the persecutor Selenus, and every attempt was made to make her deny Christ. After many horrible tortures, she was cruelly dismembered by the executioners, then beheaded, in the year 310 (or, according to some, in 302, during the reign of Diocletian).

Appearance of the Icon of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos of Tikhvin - June 26

According to one tradition, this icon was painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. It was formerly situated in the famous Church of Blachernae in Constantinople. In 1383, it appeared upon the waters of Lake Ladoga, whence it travelled miraculously through the air to the city of Tikhvin; there, it remained by the River Tikhvinka, and a monastery was built to shelter the icon. In 1613-14 this monastery miraculously withstood the many attacks of the Swedish invaders. In the early twentieth century it was brought to America and was returned to Russia in 2004. The holy icon is renowned for a great many miracles wrought through it by the all-holy Mother of God, especially for the healing of children.

Saint Sampson the Innkeeper of Constantinople - June 27

Saint Samson was from Rome and flourished during the reign of Saint Justinian the Great. Being a physician, he came to Constantinople, where he so distinguished himself for his virtue and his love for the sick and the poor that Patriarch Menas ordained him priest. The Emperor Justinian was healed by him, and out of gratitude built him a large hospital, which was afterwards known as "The Hospice of Samson." Saint Samson is one of the Holy Unmercenaries.

“He who loves a little, gives a little. He who loves more gives more. And he who loves beyond measure, what does he give? He gives himself!”

+Saint Porphyrios

ΜΙΚΡΟΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ

KYΡIAKH ΤΗΣ ΑΓΙΑΣ ΠΕΝΤΗΚΟΣΤΗΣ

Μετά την Ανάληψη του Κυρίου στους ουρανούς, οι Απόστολοι και οι υπόλοιποι μαθητές Του, καθώς και οι γυναίκες που από την αρχή τον είχαν ακολουθήσει, η Παναγία Παρθένος Μαρία, η Μητέρα Του και τα αδέλφια του περίπου όλα μαζί 120 άτομα, γύρισαν από το Όρος των Ελαιών στην Ιερουσαλήμ και μπαίνοντας στο σπίτι όπου έμεναν ανέβηκαν στο υπερώο, δηλαδή στον επάνω όροφο του σπιτιού, και εκεί περίμεναν με προσοχή την επιφοίτηση του Αγίου Πνεύματος, σύμφωνα με την υπόσχεση του Σωτήρα Χριστού. Στο μεταξύ εκεί εξέλεξαν και τον Ματθία και τον συναρίθμησαν με τους ένδεκα Αποστόλους. Στη συνέχεια έγινε η επιφοίτηση του Αγίου Πνεύματος.

Από την Πεντηκοστή άνοιξε διάπλατα τις πύλες της η Εκκλησία του Χριστού και έγινε απο τη Χάρη του Αγίου Πνεύματος «το δώρο της καταλλαγής». Ο κατ’ εξοχήν τόπος της καταλλαγής και συμφιλίωσις, όχι μόνον ανθρώπων με το Θεό, με τη μετάνοια και την ενάρετη ζωή, αλλά και μεταξύ ανθρώπων με τη Χριστιανική αγάπη, τη συγνώμη και την ταπείνωση. Νοητό υπερώο είναι η Εκκλησία του Χριστού μέσα Στην οποία πραγματοποιείται η ενότης και όπως τότε, και σήμερα κατέρχεται το Πνεύμα το ‘Αγιο και συνενώνει γή και ουρανό, άνθρωπο και Θεό. Μέγιστο αγαθό της ζωής, είναι η ενότης και αντίθετα τραγικό φαινόμενο είναι ο διχασμός. «Όπου η Εκκλησία, εκεί το Άγιον Πνεύμα και η πληρότητα της χάριτος». Επειδή όπου είναι η Εκκλησία, εκεί βρίσκεται και το Άγιο Πνεύμα,όπου είναι το Άγιο Πνεύμα εκεί υπάρχει ανακαίνιση της δημιουργίας, εκεί βρίσκουμε την αυγή της μυστηριώδους, ανέσπερης ημέρας της βασιλείας του Θεού. Η Εκκλησία – Σώμα Χριστού! Είναι η συνάντηση Θεού και κόσμου, είναι το σώμα του σαρκωμένου και αναστημένου Χριστού, το οποίο συνεχίζει να συγκροτείτει και να αυξάνεται αδιάκοπα μέσα στην ιστορία. Το να ανοίγεται η Εκκλησία στον κόσμο, να τον προσκαλεί στην πίστη και να τον καλοδέχεται στο σώμα της, έχει να κάνει με την ουσία της ίδια της τής ύπαρξης.

ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΠΝΕΥΜΑΤΟΣ

Το Άγιο Πνεύμα, υπήρχε και υπάρχει και θα υπάρχει, δεν έχει ούτε αρχή ούτε τέλος. Είναι πάντοτε ενωμένο και αριθμείται μαζί με τον Πατέρα και τον Υιό. Διότι δεν αρμόζει ποτέ να ελλείπει ο Υιός από τον Πατέρα, ή το Πνεύμα από τον Υιό. Είναι ζωή και πρόξενος ζωής, το φώς που χορηγεί το φώς. Αφ’ Εαυτού αγαθό και πηγή αγαθότητος. Τίμησε λοιπόν την σημερινή ημέρα του Πνεύματος! 

(+Αγ. Γρηγόριος)