Each Monday, I will send a short email to help you focus on and deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. It will contain a quote or two about the Holy Spirit and a reminder to pray for the intercession of the Spirit. Read : (Matins, 20 July 2025) "To the Holy Spirit we say ... 'You are God, life and intense love, light and mind. You are goodness, and You reign forever'." "In the Holy Spirit, as in the Father and the Logos, is the principle of life; and by Him every living being is animated'." Ponder : When we acknowledge the existence, presence, power, and love of the Holy Spirit, we more naturally seek the will of God, more readily desire prayer, more innocently give and receive love, more steadfastly work toward humility, more gratefully adore this life, and more intensely seek God for the next. Pray : "Most Holy Spirit, save me from myself and sanctify me." A Coptic Orthodox Icon of Pentecost

Each Monday, I send a short email to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. It will include a quote, a brief reflection, and a short prayer asking for the intercession of the Spirit. Read : “... a house divided against itself falls" (Luke 11:16). "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13). Ponder : Life is hard. People disappoint us. We disappoint them. They accuse. We insult. Then, we fight. Sometimes, one of us damns the other. But that's never the end of the story. In the midst of all this vitriol, God reminds us to sincerely ask for the intervention of the Holy Spirit ... who already resides within and without ... who leads us to peace and forgiveness ... who is love and giftedness ... and shows us the path to the heavenly kingdom. Pray : "Most Holy Spirit, save me from myself and sanctify me." A Coptic Orthodox Icon of Pentecost

Each Monday, I send a short email to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. It will include a quote, a brief reflection, and a short prayer asking for the intercession of the Spirit. Read : "In the Holy Spirit is an ocean of divine gifts, a wealth of glory, a great depth of judgments; He is identical in glory to the Father and the Son, and therefore to be worshiped." (Matins, 3 August 2025) Ponder: As hard as life can be sometimes, it is good to be alive! God created you for a reason, a purpose, a calling ... and gave you all the gifts you need to fulfill His will and flourish within. Think about it. We know the Holy Spirit grants gifts of wisdom, knowledge, teaching, faith, healing, mercy, discerning, serving, encouraging, giving, leading, and speaking. But there's way more than that. Infinitely more. In other words, you are unique in the eyes of God, and he has given you something to be, to do, and to give. If you are lost and confused, then reach out! If you are not, get to work. Pray : "Most Holy Spirit, save me from myself and sanctify me."

Each Monday, I send a short email to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. It will include a quote, a brief reflection, and a short prayer asking for the intercession of the Spirit. Read : "Behold now, what is so good or so pleasant as for brethren to dwell together? For in this the Lord has promised life everlasting" (Matins, 10 August 2025). Ponder : Why do we turn on each other so easily? Is it self interest? Is it miscommunication? Is it just sin plain and simple? The inner desire to offend and be offended ... to go on the offensive or resort to the defensive ... often comes from a deeper sense of vulnerability. It is easy to imagine how we become susceptible to negative actions and reactions when life's battles overwhelm us. But we may also be surprised when our own behavior stems from the insecurities that can arise from hearing the will of God and not knowing how to live it. It can also come up when we try to live the will of God and it doesn't quite fit into people's expectations or assumptions. This is how mutual rejection can occur. The good news is that we can heal, improve communication, grow in love, and offer mercy to each other through the Holy Spirit. Pray : "Most Holy Spirit, save me from myself and sanctify me." A Coptic Orthodox Icon of Pentecost

Each Monday, I send a short email to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. It will include a quote, a brief reflection, and a short prayer asking for the intercession of the Spirit. Read : "B y the Holy Spirit all creation is renewed and thus returns to its first state. For He is equal in power to the Father and the Logos" (Matins, 17 August 2025). Ponder : Sometimes we're not hard enough on ourselves. But most of the time, we're our own worst enemies. Think about it. When we talk to ourselves, we often recount the sins we've committed, the mistakes we've made, the people we've let down, and the dreams we've let slip away. It's the kind of self-deprecation that starts with 'if only I could have' ... 'I probably should have' ... 'I definitely would have, if only...' But we don't have to believe or think or act like that every day. Why? Because the Holy Spirit lit the world at creation. The Holy Spirit set creation on fire at Pentecost. And the Holy Spirit enlivens us in Chrismation, Confession, and Anointing. Even now, today, the Holy Spirit personally comforts us, counsels us, and advocates for us. The Holy Spirit reminds you, me, and all of us that we can overcome much of what ails us and renews in us the love of God, self, and others. In this we are brought back to a type of original state, which enables us to live life more fully in faith, hope, and the joyful fulfillment of God's will. Pray : "Most Holy Spirit, save me from myself and sanctify me." A Coptic Orthodox Icon

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 : "From the Holy Spirit all wisdom gushes forth, as does grace to Apostles. By Him Martyrs are awarded for their contests, and Prophets have visions" (Matins, 24 August 2025). Ponder : How do I attain wisdom? What do I do with grace? How do I know if a vision is from God, myself, or something dark? When we partake of Eucharist, Confession, and Anointing, our eyes and ears are opened, our minds are cleared, and our hearts are filled with an eternal love. Thus, we are given a stronger sense of discernment and can better detect the work of good versus evil in and around us. As a result, we learn to follow more clearly the path of the Holy Spirit and to live the gifts we were given. Pray : "Most Holy Spirit, save me from myself and sanctify me." A Coptic Orthodox Icon of Pentecost

On the 6th Sunday of Matthew, we hear about a paralytic whom Jesus healed. On July 20, we also commemorate the Holy Prophet Elias (Elijah). Read: Elijah was of priestly lineage, a man of a solitary and ascetical character, clothed in a mantle of sheep skin, girded about his loins with a leather belt, and a zealot who was compared to fire and a burning lamp. Elijah commanded the rain to stop for 3.5 years, multiplied the little flour and oil of the poor widow of Sarephtha of Sidon (and raised up her son), brought down fire from Heaven upon Mount Carmel, slew 450 false prophets and priests at Kisson, and received food from an angel. Elijah beheld God on Mount Horeb, divided the flow of the Jordan (so he and Elisha could walk across), ascended into heaven on a fiery chariot in the year 895 BC, and appeared at the Transfiguration. Ponder: "The incarnate Angel, the Cornerstone of the Prophets, the second Forerunner of the Coming of Christ, the glorious Elias (Elijah), who from above, sent down to Elisha the grace to dispel sickness and cleanse lepers, abounds therefore in healing for those who honor him" (Apolytikion of Prophet Elias). Simply put, Jesus wants to heal us and sends His prophets and priests (from before the Incarnation and long after the Ascension) to affect that healing. Pray: Lord, I do not want to be afraid as the crowds were when you healed the paralytic. Heal me and show me Your will! Prophet Elijah, intercede before Christ, so that I may gain the strength to help others in their infirmities too. Icon with the Prophet Elijah, 1180–1200, made in Kastoria, Greece. Egg tempera on wood, 48 13/16 x 24 5/8 in. Image courtesy of the Byzantine Museum, Kastoria, via the Getty Museum.

The asceticism that goes into the most-important work of letting go of the physical, emotional, intellectual, relational, and spiritual dysfunction that besets us in the life-long struggle against human degradation, results not only in an understanding of the vital need to search for God within our spiritual core (the nous ), but also the real desire to participate in a deeply personal and ultimately eternal relationship with God. "In the Holy Spirit deification is possible for all, good pleasure, understanding, peace, and blessing. He has the same energies as the Father and the Logos." (Antiphon 2 Matins: 26 Jan 25)

The Holy Prophet Elisha lived in the 9th century BC, and was a native of the village of Abelmaum, near Jordan. By the command of the Lord, he was called to prophetic service by the holy Prophet Elias (July 20). When it became time for the Prophet Elias to be taken up to Heaven, he said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha boldly asked for a double portion of the grace of God : “Let there be a double portion of your spirit upon me...” The Prophet Elias said, “You have asked a hard thing; if you see me when I am taken from you, then so shall it be for you; but if you do not see me, it will not be so” (4 [2] Kings 2: 10). As they went along the way talking, there appeared a fiery chariot and horses and separated them both. Elisha cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” (4 Kings 2: 12). Picking up the mantle of his teacher which fell from the sky, Elisha received the power and prophetic gift of Elias ... The holy prophet worked numerous miracles. He divided the waters of the Jordan, having struck it with the mantle of the Prophet Elias; he made the waters of a Jericho Spring fit for drinking ... he delivered a poor widow from death by starvation through a miraculous increase of oil in a vessel. This Shunamite woman showing hospitality to the prophet was gladdened by the birth of a son through his prayer, and when the child died, he was raised back to life by the prophet ... The holy Prophet Elisha died in old age at Samaria. “In his life he worked miracles, and at death his works were marvelous” (Sir. 48: 15). A year after his death, a corpse was thrown into the prophet’s grave. As soon as the dead man touched Elisha’s bones, he came to life and stood up (4 Kings 13: 20-21) ... Julian the Apostate (361-363) gave orders to burn the relics of the Prophet Elisha, Abdia (Obadiah) and John the Forerunner, but the holy relics were preserved by believers, and part of them were transferred to Alexandria . Eventually they made their way to the Monastery of St. Macarius in the Nitrian Desert. An icon of the Prophet Elisha (bottom right). Reliquary for Prophet Elisha and St. John the Forerunner: St. Macarius Monastery, Egypt Relics of Prophet Elisha: St. Macarius Monastery, Egypt Prophet Elisha is commemorated on June 14. Material for this post was prepared using this OCA site.

Pentecost has arrived! On this 7th Sunday of Pascha, the 10th day after the Ascension, and the 50th day after Pascha, the Holy Spirit became known to the world as the completion of Jesus' promise, and the fulfilment of the hope of the disciples! Today* the Holy Spirit: ... inaugurated the priesthood of grace ... distributed the grace of the ordination of the Apostles to their successors ... appointed stewards of His divine Mysteries ... ordained the instructors of the whole world ... inspired the preaching to the nations and ... commenced the celebration of the Holy Eucharist! Today, the Apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit and given: ... the incomparable glory of the authority given them ... the capacity to initiate others by the guidance of the Holy Spirit ... illumination ... wisdom ... ordination and apostleship ... the proclamation of good tidings and ... the authority to baptize and appoint shepherds! Today, commemorates the salvation of the 3,000 souls. An icon of Pentecost. * To be clear, today is not the 'birthday of the Church' because the Church existed from the time of the creation of the Angels who are also members of the Church.

"In the Holy Spirit is all the wealth of glory. From Him issue grace and life to all creation. And He is extolled with the Father and the Logos" (Antiphon 3. Matins 11 May 25). An icon of Pentecost.

"In the Holy Spirit are perceived all holiness and wisdom, for He gives substance to all creation. Since He is God, let us worship Him, as we do the Father and the Logos" (Antiphon 2, Matins 11 May 25). A Coptic Icon of Pentecost