The Repose of our Venerable Father Theodosius, Hegumen of the Monastery of the Caves at Kyiv and Organizer of the Cenoebitic (Common) Life in Rus’ (1074) and the Holy Martyrs Timothy and Maura (286-305)
Acts 8:5-17; Hebrews 13:7-16; John 6:27-33; Matthew 11:27-30
Read Acts 8:5-17
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
Today’s reading gives an interesting account of the missionary work of the Church. St. Philip the deacon, one of the seven ordained by the apostles, was sent out to Samaria to preach the Gospel. Along with his words the power of the Holy Spirit worked great and powerful wonders to uphold and empower the message. Notice that St. Philip had the authority to baptize and the Holy Spirit was working powerfully through him yet he did not have the authority to give the gift of the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized. The giving of the Holy Spirit was reserved to the apostles, who were the leaders of the Church. Even to this day the bishops, who are the visible successors of the apostles, continue to have this same authority of giving out the Holy Spirit. In the Wester Tradition it is the Bishop who lays hands on the baptized to impart on them the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the East the Bishop’s consecrate Holy Chrism, which then is used by the priests, who receive through the Chrism the authority to impart the Holy Spirit from the local bishop.
Regardless of which Tradition you follow the most important point is that the Church is led by, empowered and embolden by the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit the Word preached by St. Philip would not have been received. Without the Holy Spirit the signs and wonders worked through St. Phillip would not have brought people to the Gospel. For this reason when we stifle the Holy Spirit in our lives we are stifling the power of the Church. St. Paul describes of the greatest spiritual tragedies that Christians suffer is when we find ourselves “holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Tim 3:5). We do this when we call ourselves Christian and follow the Christian Tradition, but do not make spiritual efforts to cultivate the Holy Spirit in our life.