meditation

Meditation 28
The Holy Spirit's School of Prayer

Let our spirit now circulate in our meditation around this first of the great tools in the Sanctuary and scrutinize its message, as at this altar we learn to read the 10 first letters of our spiritual alphabet. As a prefiguration of the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the altar gives us a precious lesson regarding the mysteries of the faith: it can and in numerous cases does becomes stagnant. The first lesson we must learn at the altar is to put the wood of our sensuous disposition on its griddle which is nothing but our own stony heart. It is thus and only thus how the Holy Spirit purifies our growing love represented by the altar's fire. This mystery enkindles the second stage of faith.

It is only in its second stage as a living source of efficient grace that the faith will be a secure path to the fullness of Beatitudes. We can say the same regarding the two sacraments represented by this tool in the Sanctuary: the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. The first is a sacrament of the dead, the second the first sacrament of the living. By the baptism God gives the soul all the fullness of the Beatitudes which she loses soon again by turning her awareness and attention from God. In the grace of repentance the soul realizes again in the virtue of the remembrance of God that the sacrament of confirmation is a secure pathway to the live of grace as was emphasized in the ancient Church when the neophyte was given spiritual gifts when he stepped out of the basin of baptism as a token of the gifts of the Spirit. In the first four centuries of the Church's history its members were for the most part spiritual men and women. They had to sacrifice much when they confessed the Trinitarian faith in accordance with the apostolic tradition. The Church was a communion of saints, confessors and martyrs and in numerous instances the faithful had to bear witness of their faith by outpouring their blood. This changed drastically when the emperor Constantine declared Christianity as the official faith of the Roman Empire in 413 AD. People streamed to the Church in large flocks and a new kind of believers appeared on the scene: the nominal Christians.

These were people living on the outskirts of the Church – as they do still today – occasionally attending mass after their own liking, confessing the institutional Church nominally, but completely ignoring the inner and spiritual message of Christ regarding the role of the charismatic graces as a divine gifts intended to build up the living body and its members. The emphasize on the koinonia or communion of the saints was the distinct mark of the ancient Church. The former atmosphere of devotion and sanctification changed so radically in one decade that John Chrysostom when referring to the charism of former times said that “many of the wonders which then used to take place have now ceased” [1]

In spite of the fact that “Chrysostom did not think that the prophetic charisms were real possibility for the life of the local church” [2] of his time he emphasized the charisms explaining the words “He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit” and mentioned “nine graces received in initiation [of baptism]: forgiveness of sins, remission of punishment, justification, holiness, redemption, filiation, fraternity, sharing in the inheritance and abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” [3] Cyril of Jerusalem and the contemporary of Chrysostom after his burning enthusiasm as a young priest giving his Lectures on Catechism is also rather hesitant in his Mystogogy Lectures which he gave in his local church in Jerusalem to the newly baptized as an old and experienced bishop ca 486 AD. At this time the Jerusalem church under his leadership and after his liturgical renewal had become the center of Christianity and pilgrims streamed to the city from all corners of the world. Since in the middle of the second century the Church had to fight against the Montanism, movement that threatened to undermine the holy tradition and the office of authority. It emerged in Phrygia and its members claimed to be directly inspired by the Holy Spirit and the members of this movement revolted against the hierarchical structure of the Church instituted in apostolic times.

Already in the times of Ignatius of Antioch the importance of keeping the charisms “beneath the pastoral miter of bishops” [4] was emphasized and the scourge of heretics, Epiphanius, and contemporary of Cyril of Jerusalem said reputing the Montanists that “holy church of God welcomes the same (charisms) as the Montanists, but ours are real charisms, authenticated by the church in the Holy Spirit.” [5]
And the Alexandrian bishop Athanasius of Alexandria wrote in a letter about 354 that “the charism of miracles is still to be found” [6] beneath the bishop's miter. Perhaps Cyril of Jerusalem has shed best light on this development when he emphasized that “the imparting of the charisms and graces is in proportion to the candidates 'fervor.' This includes, among other things, the charism of the special faith which moves mountains.” [7] By this he pointed to the fact that “the communication of the Holy Spirit is granted in proportion to the faith of each” and “according to your capacity” [8] in order to be able “to accomplish deeds beyond human power.” [9] This same disposition has already been emphasized above in the discussion of the efficacious grace of the sacraments, that the Holy Spirit infuses into our hearts the virtue of the remembrance of God to make us able to put the wood of our sensuous disposition on the griddle of the altar and thus enkindle the fire (fervor) of the prayer in our growing participation in Christ like humility.

The dispute with the Montanism was the first serious Protestantism in the history of the Church against the apostolic tradition and touched the core of the Christian revelation and the descending of the Holy Spirit over the Church as the Living body of Christ. In the Eucharist the Church appears as a single nature united to Christ as the Head of His living body. The mystical body of Christ consist in the unity of the community or koinonia with Him and thus the Holy Spirit revealed Himself in the Church in two communications.

The first communication took place when Christ appeared to His apostles and gave them participation in the Holy Spirit by His breath (see Jn 20. 19-23), the other and latter was revealed by the PERSONAL coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Ac 2. 1-5) over each and everyone of the faithful. The personal sanctification is the fruit of the UNITY OF THE BODY as one wholeness. We can thus maintain in full earnest that the union is the prerequisite of personal sanctification in the community of the Church, or by the words of our Lord,

Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them (18. 19-20).

These words don't apply only to the community of the Church, but also to the POWERS OF THE SOUL within which attain union when they gather together in our Lords name. The exterior union is thus a foundation of the prayer of rest and the prayer of union and all souls who diverts from this TRUTH are thus grossly mislead because “anyone who does not gather in with me throws away” (Mt 12. 30). By the altar of burnt offerings we are thus obliged to pray,

Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning oven and fountain of all mercy. We carry our hearts in humility before you and ask you to enkindle our obedience, poverty and purity, a complete obedience to your will in order to be able to live in you and for you.

Otherwise the soul will not make any progress on this Sacred Way and never receive the true gifts of the Holy Spirit in order to sustain her as a member of the living body of the Church. This applies to ALL CHRISTIANS.

[1]. On Romans, 14; PG 60.533, quotation from Christian Initiation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit, p. 253.
[2]. Christian Initiation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit, p. 252.
[3]. Ibid.
[4]. Ibid, p. 191.
[5]. Ibid.
[6]. Panarion 48; PG 41:87.
[7]. Lectures on the Christian Sacraments, 5. 11.
[8]. Ibid, 1,13; 17, 37.
[9]. Ibid, p. 190.