"O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who is present in all places and fills all, the treasury of good things and the Life‑Giver, graciously come, and dwell in us and purify us from all defilement, O Good One, and save our souls."
The Holy Spirit is very meek. He answers the call of man at once – provided that the person calls in sincerity, faith and simplicity. It would be enough to call Him as one calls a pure and simple child, and he would listen and respond right away. The book of the Coptic canonical hours teaches us to address Him in these words: “kindly come and abide in us.”
So it is that the Holy Spirit rests in one’s heart, by means of a simple but firm faith in God’s mercy. Now the abiding of the Holy Sprit is not accompanied by any sensational sign. He finds no rest in cries and discords, or in a heart which is cruel, malicious, wrathful or proud; or in a worldly man, or in a lover of earthly things; or in a man disposed to fleeting beauty; or in one aspiring to the glories of this world.
The Holy Spirit is a friend and partner of a poor but grateful man, as well as of a rich man who loves the poor. He is the comforter of persecuted subordinates and merciful bosses, a light to the wretched and a life to those who dedicate themselves to the service of the Gospel and to charity among the poor. Therefore, to safeguard the power of the Holy Spirit that sanctions prayer and lifts it to God, we should first learn to satisfy Him by shunning all faults inconsistent with His meekness, holiness and love.
Moreover, he or she who prays before God should also have full trust aided by the Holy Spirit, who gave birth to us at the baptismal font. One should repeatedly cry our from the depths of one’s heart, calling upon Him to qualify him for prayer and grant us power to fulfill it in accordance with the wish of the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer concerns the Holy Spirit more than it concerns us. For through prayer the new man begotten by the Holy Sprit within us grows up till he attains enlightenment, accepts the will of God, and learns how to implement it by grace.
+ From The Third Hour Litany, Prayer of the Canonical Hours (Coptic Rite)
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| The Descent of the Holy Spirit Icon at St George Coptic Orthodox Parish, Toledo |
The Holy Spirit is very meek. He answers the call of man at once – provided that the person calls in sincerity, faith and simplicity. It would be enough to call Him as one calls a pure and simple child, and he would listen and respond right away. The book of the Coptic canonical hours teaches us to address Him in these words: “kindly come and abide in us.”
So it is that the Holy Spirit rests in one’s heart, by means of a simple but firm faith in God’s mercy. Now the abiding of the Holy Sprit is not accompanied by any sensational sign. He finds no rest in cries and discords, or in a heart which is cruel, malicious, wrathful or proud; or in a worldly man, or in a lover of earthly things; or in a man disposed to fleeting beauty; or in one aspiring to the glories of this world.
The Holy Spirit is a friend and partner of a poor but grateful man, as well as of a rich man who loves the poor. He is the comforter of persecuted subordinates and merciful bosses, a light to the wretched and a life to those who dedicate themselves to the service of the Gospel and to charity among the poor. Therefore, to safeguard the power of the Holy Spirit that sanctions prayer and lifts it to God, we should first learn to satisfy Him by shunning all faults inconsistent with His meekness, holiness and love.
Moreover, he or she who prays before God should also have full trust aided by the Holy Spirit, who gave birth to us at the baptismal font. One should repeatedly cry our from the depths of one’s heart, calling upon Him to qualify him for prayer and grant us power to fulfill it in accordance with the wish of the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer concerns the Holy Spirit more than it concerns us. For through prayer the new man begotten by the Holy Sprit within us grows up till he attains enlightenment, accepts the will of God, and learns how to implement it by grace.
Fr Matta el-Meskeen (Fr Matthew the Poor), Guidelines on Prayer
