The Holy Apostle Andronicus and those with him; Passing into Eternal Life (1952) of Blessed Ivan Ziatyk, Protohegumen of the Redemptorists and Martyr
Acts 12:25-13:12; John 8:51-59
Read Acts 12:25-13:12
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
Notice in today’s lesson how important it was for the early Christians to gather together to worship the Lord. It is within this context of gathering together, that is, liturgizing, that not only do we become the Body of Christ, but we encounter the Holy Trinity in a powerful and privileged way. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, is sent to us by our Lord in order to animate, illumine, sanctify, empower, and guide the Church. St. John Chrysostom, in his homily on the Acts of the Apostles, points out that the Holy Spirit acts with divine authority to direct the Church and spreads out the workers of the vineyard in order to bring the Gospel to more people. The Holy Spirit is divine and takes an active and direct role in the life of the Church.
We also notice that the Holy Spirit of God does not speak to just anyone, but only those who are open to Him. Those that are disposed with their heart to serving Him, who attend the Liturgy, and those who fast. This means those who have made the Gospel of Christ their highest priority in life and who have stripped of themselves earthly ambition. Fasting is a physical action that directs our body to lay all earthly cares aside in order to focus on the highest priority of encountering the Lord God in the Liturgy. This is why praying and fasting opens us up to the direction of the Holy Spirit in a powerful way and we see this in the life of the early Church time and time again.