Sunday of the Descent of the Holy Spirit

The breath of the Spirit is a breath that knocks at the gate of every heart

In the sermon delivered at the end of the Divine Liturgy, on the feast of Pentecost, in the Cathedral of Saint Hubert, HG Bishop Ioan Casian spoke to the faithful about the significance of this great Feast:

“In the event of the Descent of the Holy Spirit that we honor on this feast, God gives us the power to change our lives and implicitly the world around us. This is the feast of God's generosity, richness, love and communion. God thought of man in His plan with the purpose of deification and offering him to acquire the Kingdom of Heaven. Today's celebration shows us that the way to the Kingdom of Heaven is a path man cannot travel only by himself but with the help of God's grace.”

“The text of the feast taken from the Acts of the Apostles shows how each of those present heard the words about the works of God in his own language and marveled at it. The Holy Spirit gave the Holy Apostles the gift of tongues. The event shows us the universality of the preaching of the Gospel, of the communion to which we are called. We are invited to pray for the whole world, asking the guidance of God to His kingdom. The Holy Spirit comes as a wind blowing fast. The same thing happens with Elijah at Mount Sinai. The breath of the Spirit is a breath that comes and knocks at the gate of everyone's heart but does not break inside. And depending on man's hope and openness, the Holy Spirit can enter there. At the same time, man needs humility. Why? The humble one looks at himself to make room for the other. Without humility we cannot be visited by the Holy Spirit.”

In conclusion, HG Bishop Ioan Casian underlined the joy and importance of the feast for us today:

“Let us rejoice today for this feast fulfills all the others. Everything that was done in the plan of salvation had this purpose, that God should give man His Holy Spirit. God has fulfilled his mission of redemption and salvation of man. He accomplished everything from His point of view, leaving man free to accept by faith and humility the grace of this work which should enter his life. Every time we come to Church and perform holy services, we live apostolic times in the Church. We are invited like the apostles to proclaim in the world in which we live the joy of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord.”