Christianity perceives its god as one, but at the same time it is represented by three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That is, the Holy Spirit is one of the creatures of the Creator, which is part of the Holy Trinity. Once again converted to the Christian faith, it can immediately be difficult to understand the nature of God, the foundation seems intricate. So what is the Holy Spirit, we will understand in more detail.
What is the Holy Spirit?
So, Orthodoxy teaches us that we at once honor the whole holy Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, because they are all our one God. It’s easy to understand . How else do they perceive the Trinity? The Holy Spirit Father is the mind, the Son of God is the word, the Holy Spirit himself is the soul, and all this is one whole. Even in the usual sense, mind, soul and word do not exist separately.
Some interpreters of the Bible explain the Holy Spirit as “God's working force,” which knows no material or spiritual obstacles. So, saying “the sun has entered the house”, they do not mean that the luminary itself was in the room, but its rays just penetrated and illuminate everything around. The sun itself has not changed its location. So our God through the Holy Spirit can be in many places at once. This statement greatly strengthens the faith of Christians. Everyone knows that God is omnipresent; he never leaves his children.
Holy Spirit Redeems Sins
One of the actions of the Holy Spirit is to convict believers of sin, even at a time when sin itself is not perfect. From early childhood, it is explained what sin is, what actions do not need to be committed. According to the scripture, we are already born sinners into this world. Everyone knows the legend of Adam and Eve, from that very moment sin is transmitted already at birth in our body. Throughout life, every believer must atone for original sin, and the Holy Spirit helps him in this.
There is nothing easier than strictly following the basic commandments. Lead a righteous lifestyle. Everyone will agree that Christian values coincide completely with universal values . Each sane person can well control his attitude to the world, behavior. After all, in fact, getting rid of anger, envy, pride, vanity and laziness, you can find peace and satisfaction in life. Do not deceive your neighbors, show love for them and notice how grace descends.
Descent of the Holy Spirit
The very event of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles is celebrated at Pentecost. Spirits day - on the fifty-first day from Easter, after the Resurrection of the Lord. On this day, the first after the Trinity, believers give their respects to the Holy Spirit, glorify the life-giving essence by which our Father God God "pours grace on his child." In the church special prayers are read, services are held. It is believed that the grace of God comes to believers on this day.
The coming of the Holy Spirit was not unexpected. Even during earthly life, the Savior told his disciples about him. The apostles explained in advance the need for the crucifixion of God's son. The holy spirit, he said, will come to save people. And on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, more than 100 people gathered in the Zion's chamber. There was the Virgin Mary, myrrh-bearing women, disciples of Christ.
The descent happened all of a sudden. At first, a certain noise appeared over the chamber as from a strong wind. The whole room filled with this noise, and then the audience saw flames. This amazing fire did not burn at all, but had amazing spiritual properties. Everyone he touched felt an extraordinary rise in spiritual strength, a certain inspiration, a huge surge of joy. And then everyone began to loudly give praises to the Lord. At the same time, they noticed that everyone can speak different languages that they did not know before.
Peter's sermon
Hearing the noise coming from the Zion chamber, a large crowd of people gathered, because on this day everyone celebrated Pentecost. With praises and prayers, the apostles went to the roof of the room. People around were amazed how simple, uneducated people spoke foreign languages, preached the Gospel. Moreover, each of the crowd heard his own speech.
In order to dispel the bewilderment of those gathered, the apostle Peter came to them . He addressed the people with his first sermon. He told how the ancient prediction about the descent of the grace of God upon them miraculously came true. He explained what the Holy Spirit is. It so happened that the meaning of his story came to everyone, because the Holy Spirit who had descended himself spoke with his mouth. On this day, from 120 people, the church grew to three thousand Christians. This day was considered the beginning of the existence of the Church of Christ.
Holy Trinity Day
Every year the church celebrates the feast of the Holy Trinity, it coincides with Pentecost. They recall the grandiose event of the descent of the Holy Spirit. On this day, the foundation of the Christian church was laid, parishioners strengthen in the faith, renew the gifts sent by the Holy Spirit during the sacrament of Baptism. The grace of God gives everyone the most exalted, pure, bright, renews the inner spiritual world. If in the Old Testament teaching, believers worshiped only God, now they knew about the existence of God himself, his only begotten Son and the third hypostasis - the Holy Spirit. On this very day, many centuries ago, believers learned what the Holy Spirit is.
Tradition of the Trinity
The celebration of the Trinity, every Christian begins with cleaning their own homes. After the chambermaid begins to shine with purity, it is customary to decorate rooms with green branches. They serve as a symbol of wealth, fertility. Services on this day also take place in temples decorated with birch branches, flowers, the Holy Spirit is glorified. The churches with their rich decoration show their admiration and reverence for the Holy Trinity. Divine Liturgies pass, then immediately evening.
Believers on this day stop all work, bake pies, boil jelly, set the holiday table. There is no post during this period, so you can serve anything on the table. After the service, people go on a visit, glorify the Trinity, regale themselves, and present gifts to each other. On this day in Russia it was customary to get married. It was believed that the family would be happy if the matchmaking took place in Trinity, and the wedding itself on the Protection of the Virgin.
Temple of the Holy Spirit. Sergiev Posad
The first temples dedicated to the Holy Spirit and the Trinity appeared only in the XII century. In Russia, the first church in the name of the Descent of the Holy Spirit appeared in the Radonezh Forest. In 1335, he was built by the humble monk Sergius, who devoted his whole life to serving God; he knew well what the Holy Spirit was. The construction served as the basis for the erection of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in that place . Now it is the largest spiritual center in Russia. First, a small wooden temple and several cells were erected. Since 1423, the cross-domed, four-pillar Trinity Cathedral rises on the site of that. For many centuries, the architectural ensemble of the Lavra was rebuilt here.