Page 69 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 22

The Holy Spirit Makes Up That Which is
Lacking
There are three offices charged with the gover-
nance of the Church: deacon, priest, and bi-
shop. For our purposes here it is noteworthy
that at least in the Orthodox Church, the prayer
of ordina�on for all three includes an acknow-
ledgment of this deficiency: “divine grace,
which always heals that which is infirm and
completes that which is lacking.” In the prayer
“grace” means not an abstract force but the
presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The
same Spirit that overshadows the Virgin and is
poured out on Pentecost is bestowed personal-
ly on the candidate for ordina�on. This is be-
cause the tongues of fire on Pentecost touch
each individually.
And there appeared unto them cloven ton-
gues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of
them. And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak with other ton-
gues, as the Spirit gave them u�erance (Acts
2:3-4).
In the liturgical tradi�on of the Orthodox
Church, all the sacraments—and for that
ma�er, the whole of the Church’s public wor-
ship and private devo�on—include the explicit
invoca�on of the Holy Spirit taken from one of
the vesperal hymns of Pentecost:
Heavenly King, Paraclete, Spirit of Truth, pre-
sent everywhere, filling all things, Treasury of
blessings and Giver of life; come and dwell in
us, cleanse us from every stain, and O Good
One save our souls.
At its best, the work of therapy par�cipates in
the healing grace of the Spirit which touches
each of us personally, correc�ng and healing
our unique deficiencies. The Spirit does this by
incorpora�ng us into the Body of Christ.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye
are called in one hope of your calling; One
Lord, one faith, one bap�sm, One God and
Father of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is
given grace according to the measure of the
gi� of Christ (Eph. 4: 4-7).
It is important to emphasize that the Holy Spirit
heals when it incorporates us into the Body of
Christ. It is here that we find not simply the hu-
man good of fellowship but communion with
the Holy Trinity. It is more than a li�le tragic
then that the public proclama�on of this is
greeted with scorn.
Fools did not recognise the voice spoken
In prophecy, called it drunkenness from wine,
When they heard the Apostles sayings in
strange tongues;
We the devout, inspired, cry out to you:
Renewer of the universe, blessed are you
(Ma�ns, Pentecost).
When the hidden work of the Holy Spirit is
made manifest, it is o�en rejected precisely be-
cause our wholeness of being requires that we
surrender our preference as the standard of
our lives; “not my will but your will be done”
(see Lk. 22:42). Without prejudice to the issues
that bring the client to therapy, it is the a�ach-
ment to our own will that brings about the
estrangement from God that is the cause of our
suffering.
This leads us to our final, and most o�en mi-
sunderstood aspect of the ministry of the Holy
Spirit.
Conclusion: Grace, Asce�cism, and Memory
The Apostle Peter says Chris�ans are “partakers
of the divine nature.” Like iron in fire takes on
characteris�cs of fire while remaining iron, the
Chris�an takes on the characteris�cs of God
while remaining human. St. Peter means this
when he says that we have “escaped the cor-
rup�on that is in the world through lust.” In re-
sponse to this gi� we must cul�vate in “all dili-
gence” the virtues of faith, knowledge, tempe-
rance, pa�ence, godliness, kindness, and chari-
ty. Peter then concludes with the promise that
“if these things be in you, and abound, they
make you that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfrui�ul in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (see 2 Pet. 1: 4-8).
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