Holy Spirit Mondays: Storms and Spirits

Each week I send a short email to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. If you have a question or a prayer request, please reach out here.

Read:

"Ever assailed in my soul by the storms of destructive passions and spirits, I set my hope of salvation on thee, the most good Paraclete, in that Thou art God" (St. Maximos the Greek, A Canon to the Divine, Worshipful and All Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, Ode 1).

Ponder:

It is truly disappointing how badly our lives can be turned inside-out and upside-down by our own choices. This is caused by what we call the 'passions' or sin or just plain self-involved, self-inflicted stupidity. That's why the words of St. Maximos are so important. He's naming a very real, very human, very common experience of the storm within (today we might simply call it a hot mess).

St. Maximos is also identifying the destruction caused by spiritual attack. While the obvious interpretation is that evil has its way with us at times, there is also the undeniable fact that not only do we choose not to see, hear, feel, and act on the holiness that the Holy Spirit is trying to build within us, but also that we consciously and subconsciously seek diabolical influence.

The good news in all this, though, is that hope remains alive! How? Because the Holy Spirit is our 'advocate,' 'counsellor,' and 'helper.' Simply put, the Paraclete is with us all day, every day. That is why, like St. Maximos, our prayer should frequently turn toward the Divine Spirt who is in our midst, showing us the path to the Heavenly Kingdom, aiding us in our times of need, reproving us for the sins we commit, and leading us to know and to live God's will for us in this life.

Pray:

"Most Holy Spirit, save me from myself and sanctify me."

A Coptic Orthodox icon of Pentecost.

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