Bishop Nicholas (Berdyuhin)

Glory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters!

I congratulate you with the feast of the Holy Trinity and the Holy Communion!

Do you know that it is the highest point of the summer? The sun rises up to its highest point, the summer is in its peak. Everything grows and blossoms. When God had created this world, He was watching over its beauty. God also created a man in this world.

And we know that our grand grandparents many years ago were celebrating this day. They did not know God, but they knew that He existed. They worshiped Him with many different ways. And when Jesus Christ came in this world, He opened us the deep sense of this feast. He opened God, He showed the nature of God Father. And now we know that God is Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ said that God is the Spirit. And this Spirit is invisible, but He settled upon Mary and showed Himself in His Son, when Mary gave the birth to the child. And God showed that we are the part of God from the Holy Spirit. This invisible part, which is inside us, does not die, but lives for centuries.

We came on this Earth to be in God’s truth and God’s will. We came with purpose – to raise our spirit. And we see how the nature fulfills itself with this sunny warmness, blossoms and gives fruit. And we are the same as nature. Every time when we come into the church we fulfills ourselves with God’s grace, the Holy Spirit. Then our soul grows, gives fruit, which are for God.

We have heard the Apostle today (Acts II:1-11), where it is said that Lord’s disciplines were sitting in the house and heard the noise. The noise was like the blow of the strong wind and then the fire came and separated itself on tongues, the tongues settled on every discipline.

I imagine it in such way: they were sitting together, like that wood, which should be lighted up and the fire would appear. And the Holy Spirit with fire tongues settled upon them and they fulfilled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit started to talk with different languages.

The same things happen with us when we come to the church. We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit, our soul becomes stronger. And everything good, what we do on the Earth, we do due to the Holy Spirit, due to God. All good things comes from God, all grace comes from God. And we become stronger.

And we have heard from today’s Gospel (John VII:37-52; VIII:12) that God told such words even before coming of the Holy Spirit: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

And we have seen those rivers, when the Holy Spirit settled upon Apostles – they had started to do good God’s deeds. They had started to preach, they had become wise and strong with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The same things happen with us. When we are fulfilled with the Holy Spirit, we become stronger. And God’s grace settles upon us every time. And it is very sorry that some people do not understand this, like those Pharisees and scribes did not understand Jesus. They were looking for alive people among dead in the book. They told that He should come from Bethlehem and He couldn’t come from Nazareth. They made a mistake; they did not know the truth. They did not feel with heart that the Lord had come. How much did they lose! And we should feel with heart. The Holy Spirit can help us and open the Truth for us, when He fulfills our hearts. And the Lord said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So I congratulate you, I am very happy that we understand these things, that we come to the church, that we feel this Holy Spirit. We understand everything, what happens around us. We aim to see the second coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be with Him in His Divine power.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

About the Holy Spirit, which lights up human hearts for the eternal life