Homily 2—On Receiving the Holy Spirit and Repentance

Thus preached Jesus Christ. In our last conversation we spoke about how all our happiness and well-being consist in the Kingdom of Heaven; and that to attain the Kingdom of Heaven it is not enough to fulfill the law of God, or to withdraw from the world, or to give alms, to fast and to pray—but one must receive the Holy Spirit.

Let us now see how one can receive the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Holy Trinity. He is just as omnipotent as the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is just as omnipresent as the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit need not be sought somewhere in some special place. He is always with us, always surrounds us; and as soon as He finds in someone—even in the greatest sinner—even the slightest receptiveness and readiness, He immediately begins to act in him.

How sins act in man we know, and to our misfortune experience very often in ourselves; but how does the Holy Spirit act in the man in whom He dwells? The Holy Spirit acts inwardly in man—directing his will toward good; giving him strength to resist temptations; brightening his mind; warming his heart with love for God and for his neighbor; and finally, in the person who has received the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit produces prayer and contrition—and through these gradually removes and cleanses from him all impurity of soul, and fills him with love and peace and joy, leading him in time to perfect holiness and to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Many say that the gift of the Holy Spirit such as the Apostles had cannot be received by anyone else. Let us grant this is true—for the Apostles had, so to speak, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and such fullness was needed for the planting of the faith. But everyone can receive the Holy Spirit to the degree necessary for his own personal salvation and blessedness—just as all the saints received Him and acted in His power.

As the Holy Spirit acted in all the saints, or as all the saints acted in the power of the Holy Spirit, so likewise can every man act who is counted worthy to receive the Holy Spirit and in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.

But who today receives the Holy Spirit?

But how merciful is our God! Ah, how untiringly and unceasingly He cares for our salvation! Although man by his iniquities and depravity drives the Holy Spirit away from himself, yet the Holy Spirit does not abandon and does not forsake the sinner until death itself. However sinful and depraved a man may be, the Holy Spirit is always near him—and as soon as he shows the least desire and effort to reform himself, the Holy Spirit is already at work in him.

We read in the Acts of the Apostles that the Holy Spirit visibly descended upon the centurion Cornelius, who had not yet been baptized, did not yet believe in Jesus Christ, and was only then for the first time hearing the preaching of the Apostle Peter—yet notwithstanding, the Holy Spirit visibly descended upon him and upon all the pagans who were with him.

So then, by what means can one receive the Holy Spirit? First—by holy baptism, by which the soul of man is washed from every sin and sealed with the eternal, indelible seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit; second—by strict fulfillment of the law of God and the preservation of purity of heart and morals.

But how can those sinners who have not kept the law of God and have not preserved purity of heart and morals receive the Holy Spirit? How can those who, having been baptized, cannot be baptized a second time, receive the Holy Spirit?

For such people, God in His great mercy has granted two means—namely, repentance and Holy Communion: repentance, which the Church calls the second baptism, while Holy Communion is the beginning of man’s sanctification. These are for us sinners the two most effective means of receiving the Holy Spirit.

Let us now look at the repentance of the prodigal son. Jesus Christ says that the prodigal son, tormented by hunger, finally came to himself—that is, began to reflect on his situation; and seeing his inevitable ruin, he said: Ah! How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, while I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father. — And he arose and went to his father. This is what Jesus Christ calls repentance.

Here is an example of true repentance. See how the repentant prodigal son acted. 1) He came to himself, examined his whole life, reflected, came to his senses, and saw that he had lost and squandered the inheritance of his good father; that he had offended him by his insolence and grieved his tender heart; and that he, who had been a free son and heir, had become the last of slaves—a swineherd. And having thus reflected and come to himself, he was overcome with sorrow, shame, and grief.

So every man, always—and especially in affliction or misfortune—must first of all turn his attention to the state of his soul; must ponder and feel the whole ugliness and magnitude of his sins, and grieve, be sorry, and repent from the heart that he has angered God, his gracious Father. All this is called repentance.

2) The prodigal son felt the whole magnitude of his guilt, but did not despair of his father’s mercy; he entertained a firm hope in him as a good father, and was even confident that he would receive him. — So likewise, every penitent sinner must never despair of God’s mercy, but must always and firmly hope in His goodness.

3) The prodigal son, having conceived hope in his father, did not remain any longer in his former place, did not postpone his return, but straightway arose and went to his father—and once set upon his way, did not turn back to the place and objects of his debauchery, but immediately and without stopping, went straight to his father.

So every man who wishes to return to God must not delay, must not put off his conversion from time to time, but must immediately bring repentance—and return no more to his former sins.

4) The prodigal son went to his father not with hope and confidence alone, but also with a contrite heart: he went specifically in order to give himself up, as a criminal, as a guilty one, to the full justice of his father; he begged his father to receive him out of mercy, not as a son but as one of the hired servants—that is, as the last person of all. Such complete submission to the will of God must also accompany repentance.

So the penitent sinner must not only hope in God, but at the same time give himself over to His full will: let God, if it please Him, punish us for our sins—if only He will receive us to Himself.

How did his father treat the prodigal son? Did he repulse his petition? Did he drive him away? No. His good father could never forget him, grieved for him as for a lost son, and although he had no hope of seeing him again, yet by the drawing of his heart he looked every day in the direction in which he had gone—and at last saw him from afar, and while he was yet a great way off, ran to meet him, fell on his neck, wept, and kissed him. This is how God treats every sinner who repents and returns to Him.

Therefore, my brethren! We, who have imitated the prodigal son in his dissolute conduct—and perhaps have imitated him very zealously—let us imitate him also in his conversion; let us always have the feeling of repentance, let us sincerely and as often as possible be sorry and repent for our sins; let us feel our iniquity and our remoteness from God; and with complete submission let us cast ourselves at the feet of our Heavenly Father—and He will receive us and forgive us everything.

It now remains to show what confession is, and what Holy Communion is—but of this we shall speak another time.

The grace of God the Father be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.