Our parish school accepts children who are not Orthodox, provided that they are willing to learn the prayers and the catechism along with the rest of the Orthodox children. A few years ago the mother of one pupil telephoned me and angrily declared that she was going to withdraw her girl from our school because we were distorting the Christian faith. To support her contention, she cited the fact that we were requiring children to learn a prayer which reads, "and cleanse us of every impurity" (the prayer "Heavenly King"). "We are Christians," the woman said, " and therefore we are holy and pure. There is no reason to instill in children gloomy feelings of sinfulness and penitence!" It turned out that this woman belonged to some charismatic sect.

Contents: Selflessness: Who Conceived of It? Imitation of Christ. The High Calling.

In ancient Christian literature there is a remarkable story of an 18-year-old man named Anthony, who lived in the third and fourth centuries at a time when paganism was still a dominant force in the world. His parents were pious Egyptian Christians who raised him well, teaching him the importance of the Christian faith, prayer and Divine services.

• By desiring that all our thoughts, feelings, words and deeds be directed to the glory of God, and with clear and complete love for Him arising from the bottom of our hearts, desiring to be with Him.
• By trying to do everything God approves of and commands, in complete obedience to Him; rejecting all He forbids, even if we must sacrifice ourselves to be faithful to Him.
• By living in humility, honesty, and chastity, in moral purity and blamelessness; and by working to increase our spirituality with good deeds.
• By compassion toward all people and their struggles, accepting their failure as our own failure, their happiness as our own happiness, and being ready to help those who are in need, even at our own expense.
• By cultivating love for all people — not only the ones we love and those who are good to us, but also our personal enemies — and with humility, accepting insults and injustices against us and forgiving them, as the Lord Jesus Christ forgives us.
• By fervent prayer: "And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. And His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44).

Before us is a great goal--to be a new creation and to imitate and partake of Christ. To achieve it, one must correct oneself and break one’s self-will, moving from pride to meekness; from passion to abstinence; from hot-temperedness to gentleness and hospitality; from self-centeredness and greed to compassion; from suspiciousness and jealousy to being supportive and well-wishing; from light-mindedness to wisdom in God; from cowardice and faint-heartedness to bravery and courage; all things changing for the good.

Content: The two extremes. An explanation of terms. What should we strive towards? The Holy Fathers on good works.

The age-old dispute still; each of the warring sides has dug itself deeply into its position and will not give even an inch. The Roman Catholic Church asserts that salvation is based on man’s merits. Not only can a man make up for his sins by his acts and works, he can even acquire a surplus of merit, which can be used by others. In support of the correctness of their position, Roman Catholics advance those passages of Scripture which speak of the necessity of good works; for example: "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). "I will ... that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men" (Tit. 3:8). And there are other such citations.

Rejecting this doctrine, Protestants teach that all are saved by the merits of the Savior alone. The gifts of forgiveness of sins and eternal life are obtained by faith alone, which is fully sufficient for salvation. There is no need for good works, ascetic labors or moral perfection: Only believe, and you are saved.

To support the correctness of their idea, they cite, among other texts, the following words of the Apostle Paul: "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay; but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:20-28). Furthermore, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16).

Since both sides find support in Holy Scripture, which is right? It is sad to see that sometimes even Orthodox theologians get caught up in this argument about how man is saved. In their polemics with Catholics they use Protestant arguments, while in polemics with Protestants they use Catholic arguments. This creates the impression that perhaps Orthodoxy does not have its own clear teaching about salvation, and that it stands for something midway between Catholicism and Protestantism. An ordinary Christian who listens to the arguments of both sides might even be led to doubt the truthfulness of Sacred Scripture. He might think that perhaps the Apostles did not fully understand Christ’s teaching, or that they had been unable to express His teaching with sufficient clarity, or even that the content of the Scriptures had been distorted by later additions made by heretics. Such an opinion was held by Martin Luther and other Protestant theologians, who disputed the authenticity of the Epistle of St. James the Apostle and the Epistle to the Hebrews, on the grounds that they speak more definitely about the necessity of good works than do the other books of the New Testament.

In reality, there are no contradictions in the Scriptures, nor could there be any. The whole dispute among non-Orthodox theologians rests on a misunderstanding. The question of salvation is reduced from the spiritual and moral sphere to the level of formal juridical categories. Salvation came to be understood not as the renewal of a sinful soul, or as the acquisition of righteousness, but rather as the result of a man’s satisfying certain conditions, whether good works (as with the Roman Catholics) or faith (as with the Protestants). Then, if a man violates the required conditions, he cannot be saved.

In fact, the salvation or perdition of a man is the result of the moral state of his soul. Paradise is not simply a place, but also the state or condition of a soul that has been renewed. Christ came to earth not to move us into better living conditions, but rather to give us spiritual rebirth, to heal us of the corruption of sin, to restore to us the beauty of the image of God, and to make us children of God. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Cor. 5:17).

Since the moral condition of the soul depends on the inclination of the will, a man must use force to fix his heart (cf. Luke 17:20; Matt. 11:12). This is why our doctrine of salvation cannot be considered on the level of what we have done or not done. Salvation has to be regarded as a spiritual process, carried out by the grace of Christ with the active participation of the one who is being saved. In some people this process is completed quite quickly, as with the wise thief who repented on the cross, while in others it takes place slowly and indirectly. Besides, what is spiritually required of one man or another varies with the individual, as does the level of spiritual perfection which he may reach; this is evident from the parables of the seed and the talents (cf. Matt. 13:1-23; 25:14-30).

In order to be convinced that Holy Scripture is free from any internal contradictions, we must first be clear about its terminology: specifically, what it means by works, and what it means by faith.

In those texts concerning justification by faith which are cited by Protestants, the Apostle Paul’s words are directed not against good works, as such, but against the works of the law. "The works of the law" is a very specific term, by which St. Paul refers to the ritual and ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic Law: its sabbaths and feasts, circumcision, washing and rites of purification, its scrupulous distinction between clean and unclean food, and finally its whole ponderous structure of ethnic religious customs which had been built up over the ages. Imbibing "the works of the law" with their mother’s milk, the Jews regarded their religion not as a force for moral regeneration, but rather as the sum total of all the requirements which had to be strictly observed in order to merit justification in the sight of God. The more one fulfilled the works of the law, the greater his reward, in purely arithmetical proportions. Thus there arose that utilitarian and mercantile mentality against which St. Paul constantly battled.

When it comes to good works as the expression of a lively faith in God, St. Paul not only did not reject them, but positively exhorted Christians to perform them diligently. For example, he writes: "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:10). "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men" (Gal. 6:10). "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). "I will ... that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men" (Tit. 3:8). "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). The Apostle James states it more categorically: "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (Jas. 4:17).

Thus, when we speak about works, we make a very important distinction between good works and the works of the law, which have indeed lost all their importance in Christianity. Good works are not quantities that can be weighed and measured. Their value lies not in their number but in the dedication with which they are done. For example, the small coin of a poor widow was worth more in God’s eyes than the large sums which the wealthy were donating to the treasury of the Temple; "for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living" (Mark 12:44).

Furthermore, the very same work can be accounted as good or bad, depending on the intention with which it is performed. The Pharisee of the Gospel parable spent much time in fasting and prayer, but he derived no benefit from them, because he acted to show off his good works to others; yet Anna the prophetess acquired the Holy Spirit by her fasting and prayer (cf. Luke 2:36). Those sectarian Protestants who reject the fasts and prayers of the Church as being unnecessary should note the fact that this righteous woman, by her works of abstinence and prayer, obtained God’s grace even at a time when grace was not yet accessible to men, since the Holy Spirit had not yet descended upon the Apostles (cf. John 7:39).

Finally, the worth of good works lies not so much in the deeds themselves as in their manifestation of man’s good qualities, his virtues. There is a definite correspondence to be noted here. Every "work" or act that a man does leaves a discernible trace in his soul, whether positive or negative. If these acts are continued more or less consistently, they gradually render a man virtuous or base. Thus, it is important to practice good works in order to acquire good habits (cf. Rom. 12:12; 1 Tim. 4:16). For this reason the Gospel says, "Blessed are they that mourn .... Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness .... Blessed are the merciful .... Blessed are the peacemakers," meaning that happy will be the lot of those who constantly and consistently do good.

Now let us try to clarify the essence of the concept of faith. When the Sacred Scriptures speak of the necessity of faith, they mean by this word not only an abstract, theoretical acknowledgement of certain truths of religion, but the consent of man’s will in submitting to God. In other words, faith contains an active element, one of definite, positive actions. In all the places where saving faith is spoken of in the Holy Scriptures, we always encounter definite acts. In our ordinary, everyday life, an engineer is not valued so much for his theoretical knowledge as for his ability to apply that knowledge in practice. In the same way, God expects of us not an abstract faith, but one that is living and active. It is interesting to note that the mere knowledge of religious truth, without a corresponding way of life, not only does not profit a man, but incurs for him even greater condemnation; as Christ said, "That servant which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes" (Luke 12:47; cf. Rom 2:13).

And so, a Christian’s faith must include a sincere desire to become a different and better man. This demands interior effort, self-examination, repentance, a change in one’s way of life, so that our faith may shine like a bright light. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).

The question of whether man is saved by faith or by works is framed in the wrong way, because the soul’s salvation cannot be separated from its moral and spiritual condition. The Son of God came to earth in order to restore to man a harmony among his thoughts, feelings and acts, and thus to reunite man with Himself. Faith cannot be set up in opposition to works; they should be united, as are the soul and body of a living human being. The more a man practices virtue, the stronger his faith grows, and the stronger his faith, the more virtuous his life will be. The two support each other.

God does not need either the bare acceptance of His existence or the mechanical performance of certain acts. He loves us so much that He offered His Only-begotten Son as a sacrifice for our redemption. What could be greater than such love? It follows that we ought to respond to God not with half-hearted love, but with a whole-hearted love which encompasses our hearts and our lives.

To sum up the essence of Christianity, St. Peter the Apostle writes to believers: "According as His divine power [i.e., God’s grace] hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness ... giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." How can one become temperate without fasting? How can one become kind and charitable without giving aid to the needy? Clearly, to be virtuous in soul requires a life of practicing virtue. As St. Peter further writes, "He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins" (2 Pet. 1:3, 5-9). This brief instructive passage is noteworthy in that it combines the most important elements of Christianity: personal effort and the assistance of God’s grace, a virtuous life and progressive improvement of the soul.

Of course, all this requires time and patience, as the Apostle Paul teaches: "Let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men" (Gal. 6:9-10). "Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord" (Rom. 12:11, RSV).

In vain have non-Orthodox writers argued about how a man is saved. "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6). Any Christian who does not work to better his soul is wasting the grace which he has received, without any profit. As our Lord said, "He that gathereth not with Me, scattereth abroad" (Matt. 12:30).

St. Paul beautifully summed up the disposition which we should constantly strive to maintain in ourselves. "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. ... Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. ... Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you" (Phil. 4:4, 6, 8-9).

"Let every good work that we undertake be done for the glory of God, and then it will be for our glory also. The fulfillment of the commandments is holy and pure only when it is done with the Lord in mind, with the fear of God and with love for Him. The enemy of the human race (the devil) tries in every way to lead us away from such a disposition. He uses various earthly lures to make our hearts become attached to the things we consider good in this world, instead of that which is truly good, the love of God. The evil one attempts to defile and disfigure whatever good a man may do; into our fulfillment of the commandments he scatters the seeds of vainglory, doubt, murmuring or something of that sort, to turn our good work into something that is no longer good. A good work becomes truly good only when it is done for God, with humility and diligence. In such a state, all things prescribed by the commandments become easy for us, because our love for God removes all difficulties in keeping His commandments" (St. Ephrem the Syrian).

"Everyone who desires to be saved must not only avoid evil, but must also do good; as it says in the Psalms, ‘Turn away from evil, and do good’ (Ps. 33:14 - LXX). For example, if someone is prone to anger, not only must he stop getting angry, but he must also become meek. If someone is proud, not only must he not be proud, but he must also become humble. Every passion has an opposing virtue: pride — humility; miserliness — generosity; lechery — chastity; faint-heartedness — patience; wrath — meekness; hatred — love" (Abba Dorotheus).

"Not every good deed is reckoned a good work, but only that good deed which is done for God. The external aspects of the deed do not constitute its substance; God looks at the heart. We should be greatly humbled when we see that some passion attaches itself to every good work. What is most profitable is abstinence in moderation. It is better for us to be dishonored and to suffer, but let God’s will be done in everything; you should not give yourself over to afflictions of your own will. That would be a brazen act of pride, and it may turn out that you will not be able to endure what you have taken upon yourself of your own will. A sin which is covered by a mask of goodness stealthily enters and harms the souls of those who do not test themselves against the Gospels. Gospel goodness requires self-renunciation, the renunciation of one’s own will and mind" (Starets Nikon).

Content: Introduction. The Martyr Nikiphor. A Force not of this World. Real gifts and their surrogates. The Holy Scriptures on the Grace of the Holy Spirit. Conclusion.

Addendum: On the Holy Spirit. The Spiritual world (two articles of Photios Konstoglou).

In the days of the Roman emperor Valerian (253-259 A.D.), there lived in Antioch two inseparable friends, Nikiphor and the priest Sapricius. They loved each other to such an extent that people considered them brothers by blood. But the enemy of humanity, the devil, managed to have them quarrel, so that they began to hate each other.

Several years after their falling out, there broke out an overall persecution of Christians, and the priest Sapricius, as a servant of the Church, was one of the first to be arrested. The executioners tried using tortures to make the priest renounce Christ, but he courageously endured all torments.

Upon hearing that his former friend had been arrested and would soon be put to death, Nikiphor felt sorry for having quarreled with him. He rushed to the place of punishment, in order to make amends with the future martyr in Christ. But the priest Sapricius ignored all pleas for forgiveness. In distress, Nikiphor fell on his knees. He began to beg Father Sapricius to forgive him, even if only in Christ’s name. Instead of answering, the priest haughtily turned away from him. Even the executioners were surprised at his stubbornness, and advised Nikiphor to stop demeaning himself before the proud man.

Sapricius was led to the block with the sword raised above his head, when something unexpected occurred: he was overcome by panic and fear, and, leaping up, began to wave his arms and cry: "Do not kill me! I will bring an offering to the gods immediately!"

The executioners were stunned into immobility. Nikiphor, seeing his former friend, a priest, so basely renounce his faith, cried out for all to hear: "I am a Christian and I scorn your loathsome gods!" The commander who was overseeing the proceedings ordered the priest to be released, and Nikiphor to be put to death in his place.

Thus the crown of martyrdom, prepared for Sapricius, passed to the head of Nikiphor, whose memory is celebrated by the Church on February 9/22.

How can one explain the sudden fear of Sapricius, who had courageously suffered all torments up to that moment? — Very simply: the Lord Himself had fortified the priest. But when Sapricius willfully plunged into the darkness of malice and hatred, God removed His Grace from him. As most people before the face of forcible death, Sapricius was found to be helpless and pitiful.

In this work, we will discuss that spiritual force, the like of which cannot be found in Nature, which is the Grace of God. We will try to unfold its meaning in the life of a Christian and the methods of its actions, so as to mark the ways to obtain it.

The Grace of God is that mysterious, spiritual strength or energy, emanating from God, which brings to life, strengthens, and enlightens all rationally moral beings.

It is not necessary to prove to the modern person the necessity of normal physical energy. Let us hypothetically cease, say, the source of oil. Everything stops — all forms of transportation and production (such as factories), various means of communication. Cities and towns are left without electricity and there is no water in the faucets. Food begins to decay in refrigerators — in a word, catastrophe strikes. And what would happen to us, if, let us say, the sun suddenly stopped shining? The earth would be completely dark and begin to freeze. The process of photosynthesis would cease; all living things would begin to die from cold and hunger. In a short while, our marvelous planet, overflowing with life, would become a vast cemetery!

Truly, the Grace of God enlightens the thoughts of people so that they see the truth and begin to love it. It heals spiritual illnesses by cleansing the conscience and releasing people from the tyranny of the passions. It changes feelings of grief and anger to feelings of happiness and peace. It stills fleeting thoughts, so that a person sees the aim of his earthly sojourn. It enables a person to see for himself the triviality and waste of earthly pleasures, and the great value of heavenly life. It makes flighty and thoughtless people serious and wise; the fearful, courageous; the stingy, generous; the spiteful, peace-loving. It encourages a person to love God and others, even his enemies, and instills in him the strength and thirst to live for good. In a word, the Grace of God extends to all parts of the internal life of a person and appears as the source of powerful spiritual-moral forces.

From Biblical and church history we can see to what extent the Grace of God works in the rebirth of a soul. Although the Laws of God were known to people before the coming of the Saviour (through the voice of conscience and through the Holy Writings), people were unable to grow morally and come to perfection because "that which is born of the flesh is flesh" (John 3:6). According to the witness of a whole line of writers in the pre-Christian epoch, the heathen world was becoming more and more depraved morally, immersing itself further and further in materialism and vice, while "grace," even among the best representatives of the chosen people of God, mainly came down to the scrupulous observance of religious rituals. Observing this pathetic state of society, the Old Testament prophets bitterly compared it to a waterless desert unable to grow anything except short bitter grasses.

Notwithstanding, with their spiritual vision, the prophets penetrated into that bright future when God would show mercy to sinful humanity and send it His spiritual strength: "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them," exclaimed the prophet Isaiah, "and the desert shall rejoice even with joy and singing... Then (in the times of the Messiah) the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water" (Is. 35:1-7).

The moral rebirth of people — their reception of the Holy Spirit — yet awaited the remission of their sins, as explained by the evangelist John the Theologian: "For the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John. 7:39).

And so the merciful Lord, the embodied Son of God, brought the great expiatory sacrifice for the sins of the human race on the Cross. Then, on the 50th day after His glorious Resurrection, the long-awaited Comforter Spirit descended upon the apostles. This miracle manifested itself in the voice of the stormy wind and in tongues of flame. Descending on the heads of the apostles, He vested them with power from on high (Luke 24:49) and lit spiritual fire in their hearts (Luke 12:49). Then was fulfilled that which God promised through the prophet Joel, saying: "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" (Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2).

The Holy Spirit, descending upon the disciples of Christ, immediately expressed His Divine power through the significant inner changes which He produced in them, and those who in turn were converted by the words of the Apostles (Acts 2). The Apostles, as we know, were people of plain heritage — unlearned, entirely unable to speak, shy. When the Holy Spirit enriched their spiritual strengths, they were so filled with wisdom and the gift of inspirational speech, that they began successfully to convert to the faith thousands, tens of thousands of people — not only simple people, but those of noble descent, as well as the scholarly. The Apostle Paul (although he had received a multi-faceted education and spoke extremely well) assigned his success not to his eloquence, but namely to the action of the Holy Spirit, which kindled the faith of people: "And my speech and my preaching," the apostle writes, "was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. 2:4).

The description of the life of the first Christian community in Jerusalem shows how powerful the spiritual changes produced by the Grace of the Holy Spirit were. "And they that believed," witnesses the Apostle Luke, "were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people...And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common...Neither was there any among them that lacked" (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35).

It is wondrous that this inspired, burning love of the first Christians for God and man could be extinguished neither by persecution, confinement, nor death. Instead of becoming discouraged or mean, faithful Judeans were glad to suffer for Christ (Heb. 10:34. About spiritual happiness produced by the Holy Spirit, see also Is. 12:3; Eze. 36:26-27; Matt. 11:28; John 8:36; John 16:22; Rom. 5:1-5; Rom. 8:37; 2 Cor. 1:4-5; Phil. 4:7; 1 Thes. 1:6; Col. 1:13.)

Besides the bright feelings of faith and happiness, the other distinguishing mark of the Grace of the Holy Spirit is the decisiveness and courage which He bestows upon the faithful (2 Tim. 1:7). The Apostle Peter, for example, feared the servant who accused him at the arrest of the Saviour and with an oath denounced Christ. But he became so courageous after receiving the Holy Spirit that, at the meeting of the Sanhedrin, he accused the Jewish leaders of killing the Messiah to their face, and bravely declared that, no matter what the danger, he would spread the Christian faith everywhere (Acts 4:1-22). It is noteworthy that many years later, when the Apostle Peter was sentenced to hang on the Cross in the Roman Coliseum, he was not afraid of the prospect of dying a torturous death before a gleeful mob. Rather, his concern was that he was unworthy to die as the Saviour of the world had died. For this reason he asked that he be crucified head down, which was accomplished.

For several centuries, an enormous number of Christian martyrs died in that Roman Coliseum. According to witnesses living at that time, many of them received death with happiness and hymns of praise on their lips. Here is the strength of the Grace of God, raising people over their usual weaknesses!

Besides the gifts of the Holy Spirit called the general gifts, with which He enriches every believer for his moral rebirth, there exist also those gifts called the extraordinary gifts. These He grants to some so that they may serve the Church. We read about these extraordinary gifts in an epistle of the Apostle Paul: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man for profit for all. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will...And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues..." (1 Cor. 12:7-11, 12:28)

With time there has been less need for several extraordinary gifts (for example, the gift of tongues and prophecies). Since the times of the apostles, extraordinary gifts began to be given, for the most part, during the sacrament of ordination, when the servants of the Church — bishops, priests and deacons — are allotted blessed gifts and responsibilities corresponding to their service. Without doubt, every one wishing to work for the general good receives what help and guidance from God is necessary. And here the abundance of grace in one or another person depends not only on the Giver, "for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him" (John 3:34), but by the purity of heart and "receptivity" of the receiver.

Extraordinary gifts are listed most completely by the prophet Isaiah, who prophesied about the coming Messiah: "And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Is. 11:2). In total, there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, which, according to the fathers of Church, comprise the fullness of spiritual gifts. Christ, as the God-person, combining in Himself the threefold service of prophesy, high priesthood and regality, has the complete fullness of grace. The rest of the servants of God, doing what is in their power to help Him in His work of creating the Kingdom of God among people, are also given the gifts of the Holy Spirit — according to their service. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit listed by the prophet are arranged in the order of the greatest to the most fundamental:

• The Spirit of the Lord — this is the all-encompassing, highest (7th) gift, consisting of the most intimate living in God.
• The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding — (6th and 5th gifts) are disseminated on the intellectual capacity of the servants of God. They consist of a deep comprehension of the essence of questions of faith and morals, the true assessment of the spiritual condition of people and the foreseeing of the coming destiny of societies. (On this subject see also: Luke 12:12, Acts 6:10; 1 Cor. 2:4-13, 1 Cor. 4:20, 1 Cor. 8:3, 1 Cor. 12:7-11; Eph. 1:17-18; 3 (1) Kings 3rd chapter; Dan. 1:17).
• The Spirit of Counsel (Reasoning) and Might — (4th and 3rd gifts) are disseminated to the functioning abilities of the servants of God and consist of the ability to make true decisions, and in the strength of will to realize them.
• The Spirit of Knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord (Piety) — (2nd and 1st gifts) encompass the religious-moral base of the servants of God. These gifts are manifested in the knowledge of the truths of faith, and in the pious religious attitude which hungers to do all to the glory of God.

Among modern Christian groups, much is said about the necessity to revive and reveal in oneself the different gifts of the Spirit. Such groups have even developed a distinctive "method" for gaining extraordinary gifts. In all this the sense of dissatisfaction with the dryness of merely learning biblical texts, and the spiritlessness of sectarian prayer meetings is clear. The absence of spirituality in Protestantism results mainly from the fact that it thoughtlessly rejected all the guides of the grace of God established by God — the apostolic succession, the priesthood, the blessed sacraments of the Church and the treasury of the centuries of spiritual life. All was sacrificed to the slogans of a free learning of the Bible and the sufficiency of the justification of faith.

Efforts to revive this lost grace were poured into the practice of the now-popular "charismatic" movement, which arose in the beginning of the 20th century thanks to the Pentecostalists. While in the ancient Church, the grace of God was perceived as a spiritually-enlivening force, necessary for moral growth, the modern charismatics see in the "gifts of the Spirit" a source of acute sensations and visible signs. At their meetings it has become routine for Pentecostalists and charismatics like them, to interrupt each other, shout incomprehensible sounds, and mutter senselessly, while others lose consciousness, go into a frenzy or trance, or begin to laugh uncontrollably. In this chaos some kinds of healing occur, some kinds of prophecies are uttered — of a very suspect content. Defenders of this movement declare that these are "proofs" that the Holy Spirit is acting among them, and which "verify" their movement. In fact, all these heathen and medium-like exercises are a terrible slander of the Holy Spirit!

Let us take for example the gift of tongues. We know that on the day of Pentecost the apostles received from God the ability to preach in real human tongues, which they previously did not know. They gave an informative sermon, which taught and brought to the faith people who did not understand the Hebrew tongue. The sounds which are blurted out by the sectarians cannot teach anything; they are, in sum, senseless and impossible to interpret. The experience is the result of pathological nervous overstimulation, which is long familiar to mediums and shamans. This "gift of tongues" can be achieved by any person through well-known exercises — regardless of whatever "god" he may be praying to.

One charismatic "miracle-worker" shared his experience in a private conversation: "Convincing one person of a miracle eye-to-eye — is very difficult, even impossible. Convincing a crowd — is very easy!" In other words, what is performed in meetings of the charismatics is mass hypnosis and hysteria — conditions favorable for the fallen spirit!

Considering the sorrowful example of the charismatic movement, a son of the Orthodox Church of Christ must be wary of any artificial methods of receiving extraordinary states and acute sensations as he would be of the most potent poison.

The New Testament writings teach quite in depth what particular gifts should be asked of God. In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul writes: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22). As we see, all these gifts refer to the spiritual-moral category. Like the prophet Isaiah, the Apostle Paul begins by naming the higher gifts, moving gradually to name those which serve as the ground for the others. It should be noted that the gifts of the Holy Spirit presented here are parallel to the virtues which the Saviour names in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5). It is therefore instructive to compare the one to the other. Following the order of the Apostle Paul, "the fruit of the Spirit is:.."

• Love, happiness. Love is the "bond of perfection" (Col. 3:14). In those who achieve perfection, love is so strong that they are ready to sacrifice everything for the Lord and loved ones — even their own life. Added to this, the happiness given to them by the Holy Spirit sometimes makes them unfeeling to grief (Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad...8th and 9th beatitudes. See also 1 Thes. 3:12; 2 Tim. 1:7).
• Peace, long-suffering, gentleness. The pacification of the forces of the soul, purity of heart and spiritual wisdom make a person capable of helping others come to peace with God (Blessed are the pure in heart...Blessed are the peacemakers...6th and 7th beatitudes).
• Goodness (mercy). The ability to feel compassion and the desire to help others (Blessed are the merciful...5th beatitude).
• Faith. The spiritual sensitivity and intuition to see and accept religious truths, and the desire to live with spiritual values (Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness...4th beatitude).
• Meekness. The calming of temperament: the indicator of moral health (Blessed are the meek...3rd beatitude).
• Temperance. Meekness, repentance and temperance: this is the threefold basis on which the house of virtues is constructed (Blessed are the poor in spirit...Blessed are they that mourn...the first two beatitudes).

Besides these, the Holy Scriptures mentions other blessed gifts, which contribute to the spiritual growth of a person. We will mention some of them.

The first effect of the Holy Spirit is to lead people to Christ, instilling faith in Him and in the truth of everything which He taught (John 6:44; Gal. 1:15-16; Eph. 2:8; Neh. 9:20-30; Ez. 36:26-27; John 16:13; 1 John 2:20-27; 1 Cor. 12:3; 2 Cor. 3:3; Eph. 2:18). The gift of faith, in turn, opens up the attainability of the rest of the blessed gifts (Rom. 5:2). Although the Holy Spirit may influence a person to believe in Christ, he does not force anyone's will. Therefore a person is free to accept or reject what the Holy Spirit would instill in him. Nevertheless, he is responsible for his decision before God (John 12:48; Acts 7:51).

Implanting in a person the seeds of faith, the Holy Spirit inclines a person to repentance and correction, softening his hardened heart (Zac. 12:10-13:1; John 19:37; Acts 2:37; Rom. 2:4). He assists prayer (Rom. 8:26) and purifies the conscience of the penitent (1 John 1:7; Heb. 9:9. Acts 2:22-41).

In Baptism, the Holy Spirit engenders a person for a spiritual form of life. He completely regenerates him, changing within him the gradation of values. The Scriptures compare this inner re-birth to the resurrection from the dead, in which the faithful become the new creation of God (John 3:3-6, 8:34; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Col. 2:13; Eph. 2:15).

Upon awakening in a person his spiritual abilities, the Holy Spirit leads him to a spiritual form of life and achievement (Luke 4:1; Gal. 2:20; Tit. 2:11-14). The result of these efforts of repentance and feats of temperance are that the "outer person" (body) "decays," but the "inner person" is renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16).

The Holy Spirit gives a warm feeling of filiality and nearness to God to people living for spiritual interests (1 John 3:1-2; Rom. 8:13-16, 23; Gal. 4:6). He kindles in them a spiritual burning and inclination toward God (Luke 12:49; Phil. 2:13). Along with this He gives them strength, vigor, fortitude and indefatigability (Is. 40:29-31; 1 Cor 15:10; Eph. 6:10; Phillip. 4:13; Eph. 3:20; Rom. 8:26, 37; Gal. 2:20).

The Holy Spirit literally directs every step of the believer’s life on Earth to salvation and good (Ps. 143:10; Is. 63:10-14; John 4:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:5), giving him everything necessary for life and piety. (James 1:17; 2 Pet. 1:3-5; 2 Cor. 3:5, 2 Cor. 12:9-10).

Thus, throughout the entire life of a person the Holy Spirit transfigures him, adorns him with moral perfections and likens him to Christ. He sanctifies believers, making them living churches of God (Gal. 3:27; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 1 Thes. 5:23).

Despite all the power and effectiveness of the blessed gifts, the actual processes of moral rebirth occur gradually, often unnoticed by the person himself (as the Saviour explained in His parable of the unseen growth of the seed, Mark 4:26-29; 2 Pet. 3:18). More than that, the Lord even hides the perceptible side of the gifts which He gives, in order to protect the soul from conceit and weakening.

Yet, though the Grace of God is invisible, it is more necessary than oxygen. Without it a person is barren, morally weak, and empty. He is incapable of any truly worthy act (John 15:5; 2 Cor. 3:5). No matter how talented, bright and charming he may seem, in the spiritual plane he is a dried and shapeless log!

We know that everyday physical energy can be dynamic, i.e., performing work, or that it can be merely potential, as, for example, water collected in a man-made lake. Like an unused lake filled by the streams flowing into it, a person with the sacraments and services of the Church can receive the abundant Grace of God, without, however, doing any good works. When, however, one opens the sluices of an inactive lake, powerful streams of water break out, turbines spin and generators produce electric energy. Just so, each of us may overcome our inertia and begin to live a full-fledged spiritual life. Then, by the words of the Saviour, "out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).

Help us, O Lord!

The Holy Spirit is called Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth, and Life-Creating. These names basically reveal the same thing. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth because it leads us into the truth. As Christ said to his disciples: "When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify on my behalf" (John 15:26); and, "When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will lead you into all the truth" (John 16:13).

Whosoever, then, is illumined by the Holy Spirit is mystically assured that Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. And being assured and finding rest in this, he is filled with a great and fiery joy, henceforth becoming invincible to evil and established in the truth uncovered for him. For the Holy Spirit reveals all the secrets which are unknown to other people: "This is the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him" (John 14:17). Further on, Christ says: "But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you" (John 14:26).

This meant that whatever things Christ had spoken of to His disciples earlier, that they could now be assured of these same things, mystically revealed through the descent of the Holy Spirit; it also meant that their hearts would be strengthened. This joyful assurance about God's compassion and power allowed the Apostles to overcome suffering, ridicule, persecution, the sword, travails, hunger, nakedness, and every form of spite, and thus to run towards death, as a thirsty deer runs toward water.

Even when the Apostles still had Christ with them in the flesh, they became afraid, abandoned Him, and ran away; nevertheless, after His Crucifixion and His Resurrection, they were all willing to die for His sake. This is why Christ told them to wait until they had received strength from the Holy Spirit, as happened on the day of Pentecost: "But stay in the city of Jerusalem until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49).

All the martyrs of the faith also showed this same untamable spirit at the time of their suffering, being strengthened by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. This is why the Spirit is called the Paraclete, which means "comforter," because whoever receives the Holy Spirit passes through a kind of fire which renders him untouchable by human beings and demons alike. All things appear to this person as calm and peaceful, and he finds rest and silence through such a blessed joy.

For this person even jail is no longer frightening, nor do beatings feel harsh, nor are stabbings and other forms of suffering so terrible. Everything is sweetened by the mystical comfort of the Holy Spirit. So the world marveled at how the martyrs did not feel any pain, but instead accepted their suffering with joy and "with burning spirit." People saw women, who used to be frightened by a single loud cry, now standing fearlessly before their executors, who were about to slay their virgin bodies. The grace of the Paraclete tamed even the wild countenance of these hard-hearted men and their cruel weapons.

This sweetness of the Paraclete, that calms everything in the eyes of a Christian and instills in his heart an immortal blessedness, is the treasure that is found in every aspect of our sanctified Orthodox faith. It is found in the behaviour of pious Christians, the venerable clergy and ascetics; in their modest words and dress; in the holy churches; and in the holy icons of Christ, the Theotokos, the angels and saints; in hymns and chants; and in prayers.

If Orthodoxy has experienced sorrow and pain, it nonetheless knows that through this sorrow comes a spiritual joy, according to the words of our Lord: "Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matt. 5:4). They will be consoled, and they will receive the Paraclete.

Everything in Orthodoxy is covered by a compunction that is filled with peace; all is calm, all is simple, all is humble, because we have the hope of the Gospel and the comfort of the Paraclete. This is why Paul writes to the Galatians: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Gal. 5:22-3). And to the Romans, the Saint writes: "May the God of hope fill you with all Joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13).

The consoling joy of the Holy Spirit is also revealed in the words of the prophet Isaiah, uttered by the lips of Christ himself. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor He has sent me to heal all those who have a broken heart, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind" (Luke 4:18).

The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of wisdom, Spirit of sobriety, and Spirit of godly fear. The apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians: "I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of His great power" (Eph. 1:17-19).

All these profound and saving mysteries are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. And then we may become entirely filled with light, and fear nothing, because we have the peace and certainty of immortality. I pray that we as sinners also become worthy of these things according to the degree of our humility. Amen.

Contemporary man has altogether forgotten the world that is within himself and has occupied himself only with the world that is outside himself, the material world. He investigates by means of science, "the outside of the cup and of the platter" (Matt. 23:25).

One world is material, the other, spiritual. One is for the transitory life; the other for the eternal. One is in space and time, while the other is beyond space and time.

Today's man lives materialistically, busying himself with spiritually false things. Only matter interests him, the rather coarse, more tangible aspect of the universe. He cannot experience spiritual reality by means of his bodily senses and does not concern himself with it. He who projects machines made of aluminum into space, he whose brain is full of numbers, screws, springs, and other such things, cannot understand what is hidden behind the material world perceived by means of his physical senses. How can he taste the fruit that is hidden inside the husk of the universe? He can only nourish himself with a husk, for it is the husk that his materialistic science is constantly studying. How can he understand the words of Christ, who says, "The kingdom of God is with us"? Or those of the Apostle Paul, who says: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16). How can this barbaric and hardhearted people, who are attached to the mud of matter, understand the words of the divinely inspired Paul, who says that carnal men, "worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator?" (Rom. 1:25).

For those who are engrossed with the knowledge of material things, "the mystical gate is closed," and they are not given even a small way into the concept "the holy of holies." Their materialistic minds do not experience any other life besides that of the flesh. They have placed all their hopes in it and are incapable of hearkening to the words of Paul, who says: "if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19). That is, if we believe only in this life, we are the most miserable of all human beings. And elsewhere he calls such materialistic individuals those "who have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13).

Indeed, we see that such people are full of anguish, fear, and agitation, because "the wages of sin is death." "For whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap, for he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:7-8). And elsewhere it is written that "to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Rom. 8:6). In saying "peace," Saint Paul means true peace, whereas only a false peace is found in the external, material world in which the materialists believe.

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" asks Christ (Matt. 16:26). But who listens to Him? All of us are striving to gain this unreal world. We do not want to understand those words which used to be sung by a beggar with the wisdom that is possessed by simple men:

Therefore, listen again my brother to what Saint Paul says, and try to understand something of the hidden world of mystery that is behind the external world. We investigate with the aid of machines, believing in our learned ignorance that we possess knowledge of the roots of the totality of things.

St. Paul says: "The creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption" (Rom. 8:21). The "bondage of corruption" is the slavery of those who live and labor for the corruptible world of matter; those whose thoughts are bad and foolish. Those who are without faith and without love are full of death, since they are preoccupied with the world of corruption which has no hope, but is full of darkness and despair. These individuals are the faithful followers of Satan, who serve him obediently without knowing why.

On the other hand, the faithful ones of God, "the children of God," possess freedom, true freedom, which consists in knowledge of the Truth, that is, of Christ.

Only through this knowledge do the nuptial doors open, from which the soul beholds the wondrous light of the incorruptible essence of the cosmos. The thoughts of these children of God are good, peaceful, and gladdening. "Become peaceful within yourself," says a certain saint, "and heaven and earth will become peaceful. Enter into the chamber that is within you, and from there you will behold the palace of heaven."

Christ has revealed the things that exist in incorruptible heaven. The true things which the soul looks at from the mystical chamber are inside us. They are blessed, peaceful isles in the ocean that extends beyond every material constellation, and are outside the slavery of space and time.