The Descent of the Spirit on the Son

For it is not true that Christ then descended on Jesus: nor are Christ and Jesus two distinct persons, but the Word of God, the Savior of all and the Ruler of heaven and earth, is Jesus. He took flesh; he was anointed by the Father with the Spirit and became Jesus Christ as also Isaiah says ‘there shall spring forth a rod from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall come up from this root, and the Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding’ . . .  (Isaiah 11:1-2)

And again Isaiah, foretelling his anointing, and the end for which he was anointed, says, ‘The Spirit of God is upon me, wherefore he has anointed me, and sent me to preach good tidings to the lowly’ . . . (Isaiah 61:1)  Therefore the Spirit of God descended on him; the Spirit of him who through the prophets had promised that he would anoint him, in order that we might receive of the abundance of his unction and be saved.

God promised through the prophets to ‘pour out this Spirit upon his servants and handmaidens in the last days, that they may prophesy.’   

  

And the Spirit descended from God on the Son of God, made son of man, and with him became accustomed to dwell among the human race and to ‘rest on’ men and to dwell in God's creatures, working the Father's will in them, and renewing them from their old state into the newness of Christ.

St Irenaeus of Lyons

I SINNED! I SINNED!

Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away 

your faces from all your abominations

Ezekiel 14:6 

From the inspiration of Ezekiel  (14)
 

My God … How difficult it is for me to confess!

Expose to me my hidden depths; so that I should cry out:

I sinned! I sinned!

In the old days, the people used to cast the blame on the priests;

And the priests used to cast the blame on the people!

And every generation think that it is punished for sins of their fathers.

As for me, I confess to You:

I sinned! I sinned!

My father will not intercede on my behalf, if I neglect my salvation!

And I will not be punished for his weaknesses!

I admit to You my personal responsibility!

I sinned! Forgive me, and absolve me!

The prophet Moses interceded on behalf of his people.

And the prophet Samuel kept on praying for them.

A cloud of witnesses surrounds us,

who intercede and pray for us, and support us!

Instruct me on how to care for my salvation,

Then this cloud would become my support!

I complain about myself to You; Sin has destroyed me:

A famine for God's word has come on me!

I became like a desolate land, in which evil thoughts dwell, like wild beasts!

The sword of sin strokes my depths, destroying my talents!

By my sin, I became like a pestilence, corrupting those around me.

I confess my sin to You;

The responsibility is all mine!

Save me … Rescue me!

Fr. Tadros Malaty

From the Inspiration of The Book of Ezekiel

He Came To Restore

What is restored to life is not something other than that which dies; just as that which is lost is not something different from that which is found.

It was the sheep that was lost which the Lord came to find. What then was it which perished? Clearly it was the substance of flesh, which lost the breath of life …

The Lord came to restore this flesh to life, that 'as in Adam all die', as possessing merely sensual life, we may live 'in Christ', as having spiritual life, putting away not the handiwork of God but the lusts of the flesh, and receiving the Holy Spirit. 

St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Resurrection Destroyed Death

Christ came that He might slay sin, 

render death null and void, and give life to men. 

The Word of God was made flesh in order that 

He might destroy death and bring us to life. 

Saint Irenaeus

Salvation of The Lord

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Isaiah 61:1-3 (NKJV)

Isaiah calls “poor” those who have lost heavenly riches, “broken-hearted” those who have corrupted their reason, “blind” those who do not know God and who worship creation, “prisoners” those brought into the enemy’s camp and who have lost their original freedom.

Christ did not only give to us the forgiveness of sins and free us from the tyranny of the devil and reveal to us the divine light, but He also announced the future existence and warned of the righteous judgment.

For I think that “the year of grace” means His first coming and “day of recompense” the day of judgment. To console all who mourn with the hope of the resurrection, He has tempered the despair of death.

Theodoret of Cyr

Glorified With Him In The Resurrection

“Yesterday I was crucified with Him; today I am glorified with Him; yesterday I died with Him; today I am quickened with Him; yesterday I was buried with Him; today I rise with Him.

But let us offer to Him Who suffered and rose again for us— you will think perhaps that I am going to say gold, or silver, or woven work or transparent and costly stones, the mere passing material of earth, that remains here below, and is for the most part always possessed by bad men, slaves of the world and of the Prince of the world.

Let us offer ourselves, the possession most precious to God, and most fitting; let us give back to the Image what is made after the Image.

Let us recognize our Dignity; let us honor our Archetype; let us know the power of the Mystery, and for what Christ died.”

St. Gregory the Theologian
 

The Comforter

 

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit is called Comforter, because He comforts and encourages us and “helps our weakness. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself pleads for us with unutterable groaning,” that is, clearly, to God.

Often a person for Christ’s sake is treated with contempt and unjustly dishonored; martyrdom is at hand, tortures on every side, fire, swords, wild beasts and the abyss.

But the Holy Spirit gently whispers, “Wait for the Lord,” for your present sufferings are slight, while your rewards will be great. Endure for a little while, and you will be with the angels forever.

“The sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that will be revealed in us.” He portrays for the person the kingdom of heaven and even gives him a glimpse of the paradise of pleasure; and the martyrs, who must present their bodily countenances to their judges, are in spirit already in paradise, despise what appear to be hardships.

St. Cyril Of Jerusalem

Fasting and Sackcloth

Fasting and sackcloth are the weapons of faith, and helper of sinners. Fasting first and then the sackcloth; the first represents the invisible and the latter the visible. One is always before the Lord; the other is temporary for people's eyes. 

 

Trials and Tribulations

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 

for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

James 1: 2 - 3 ESV

From The Sayings of The Fathers 

“Suffering is a real bond, an encouragement to greater love, and the basis of spiritual perfection and godliness. Listen to the one who says: ‘If you want to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation.’ And again Christ said: ‘In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage.’ And again: ‘straight and narrow is the way.’ Everywhere you see suffering being praised, everywhere it is accepted as necessary for us. For in the world there is no one who wins a trophy without suffering, who has not strengthened himself with labors and dieting and exercise and vigils and many other things like that. How much more is that true in this battle!”

St. John Chrysostom

"Whenever in your path you find unchanging peace, beware: you are very far from the divine paths trodden by the weary feet of the saints. For as long as you are journeying in the way to the city of the Kingdom and are drawing nigh the city of God, this will be a sign for you: the strength of the temptations that you counter. And the nearer you draw nigh and progress, the more temptations will multiply against you."

St. Isaac the Syrian

"Just as the world has to pass through winter before the spring comes and the flowers bloom, so a man must go through many temptations before he can inherit the prize of eternal life. For as Paul said: ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’ Temptations come in three ways, by persuasion, by attraction and by consent. Satan persuades, the flesh is attracted, and the mind consents.”

St. Hilary of Arles