I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW SPIRIT

1) Read carefully the following verses from the New Testament:

2) Asking for the Holy Spirit

Lk 11:9-13: “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” These are practical directions for us! And the result? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (v.13)

This is perhaps the only clearly expressed petition which is said to be answered exactly the way we ask. The Scripture tells us to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1) Ask! We are told to ask! Whom? Our heavenly Father. Who can and should ask? Those who received Jesus and hence can turn to God the Father in Jesus’ name. How to ask? In Jesus’ name. He says: “Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.” (Jn 16:23)

2) Seek! We are told to seek. But where to seek the Holy Spirit? Where He is, and not where He is not! Otherwise, we would just waste time and energy. And where is the Holy Spirit? If we were baptized, He is with us and will be in us too (Jn 14:17).

The Holy Spirit is also in the Mystical Body of Christ – in the Church. Therefore, I will seek Him among believers who allow Him to manifest His power by convicting the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. In other words: Go to such a community where you can draw life, where you can literally experience the Holy Spirit. You will recognize it when you will hear the believers speak about things of the Lord.

3) Knock! We are told to knock, though knocking at the door is not always polite or tactful. However, Jesus tells us to knock.

If we meet these three conditions, we will receive, find, and have the door opened. If we ask e.g. for someone’s health, God will heal him, but there is a little snag: Is it God’s will? If it is, we have to struggle and persevere. If we do not give up, God will show His glory through us. But when we ask for the Holy Spirit, we need not worry about whether we can ask. This is always the will of God! And what is more, it is not enough to ask once, receive the Holy Spirit and then to stop asking. Every day, every morning again and again, we should ask for the Holy Spirit to fill us. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Every day we have to fight against the flesh, the world and the devil. Every day we need to draw strength from God to overcome.

It is also right and good to turn to the Mother of God and our Mother. She is full of the Holy Spirit. She prayed together with the Apostles on the day of Pentecost.

We need to found our faith on the Word of God which tells us to ask for the Holy Spirit and to wrestle like Jacob: “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” I know brethren who founded their faith on God’s promise: “Father, You have given the promise, and now I ask that it should be fulfilled for me. Lord, I won’t give in. Well, if You had not given the promise… But You gave the promise and I take You at Your word: “The Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.” Now I ask, and I do not ask by myself but there are other brothers and sisters who ask for me. They have already received the gift of the Holy Spirit. My Lord Jesus, I turn to You, You said these words and Your words are true at this time too, or not? You said: “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Mt 18:19-20) And You also said: “Amen, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mt 17:20) Father, now I do not want to ask for a mountain to move or for any other thing, but just for what You promised concretely – for the Holy Spirit.

I know brethren who really founded their faith on God’s promise (Lk 11:13), received the gift of the Holy Spirit and joyfully praised the Lord in tongues at once. So it is clear to everyone that the condition is a concrete and living faith founded on God’s word. Without this faith it is impossible to receive the Holy Spirit or to actualize other promises from the Scriptures. We can attend dozens of scholarly religious lectures, which surely are useful and needful, but information cannot replace a living faith. God requires and responds to our living faith.

There are numerous well-composed catechisms, numbers of religious books, but this all is just like an electric locomotive which is not connected to electric power. What is the use of modern electrical equipment if it is not connected to a source of power? In such condition it is just a hindrance, for instead of setting an object in motion it hinders motion.

Chapter 10 of the Acts of the Apostles describes how the pagan centurion Cornelius received the Holy Spirit. His eager seeking is clearly recognized by the fact that he sent his servants for Simon Peter to come to his house. And his sincerity is expressed in the words: “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour.” (v.30) The Apostle Peter came to his house and shared his personal testimony of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day: “…we ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.” (v.41) While he was speaking the words: “…whoever believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins…”, the Holy Spirit fell not only on Cornelius but on all his friends who heard the word (cf. v.44). Peter and those who came with him were astonished to see that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, “for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God” (v.46).

Question: What should we receive first – the Mother of Jesus like John by the cross or the gift of the Holy Spirit (or baptism with the Holy Spirit)?

Answer: We need to receive both to create the biblical conditions for the coming of Christ. I judge from my own experience that it is better first to receive Mary the Mother of Jesus as our own Mother like the disciple John. By opening oneself to the Holy Spirit, one easily opens to other spiritual streams as well which often imitate the Spirit. I know people who experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and after some time some lapsed into lukewarmness or various extremes, some into heresies and some into pride. Certainly, the reason is not just that they did not receive Mary first but also that they failed to find a living prayer community led by an experienced brother, and so they wandered in the wilderness like the Israelites in spite of having experienced God’s power and God’s love. The souls who have a community and Mary may be assured of quick and safe growth. The community under the leadership of this experienced brother is in union with the universal Church of Christ and recognizes both the authority of God and human authority in the Church. Formation of small prayer groups (3-7 people) poses a danger of elitism but not so much if the group prays in earnest and strengthens its bond with Jesus by purification (repentance) both in prayer and life. 3-7 members, or maybe only 3 some time later, is an ideal number for ridding ourselves of our vices more quickly. On the one hand brothers or sisters must learn to carry each other’s shortcomings, and on the other, they can serve each other with brotherly love by pointing out the faults which the other person is not aware of. However, this requires an appropriate manner and appropriate time. These faults seem to be a trifle but they are like a crack which lets escape a great blessing.

Let us remember that the Holy Spirit has been given to the Church and not only to individuals for private devotion. Where two or three are gathered together in Jesus’ name, there is the Church (Mt 18:20)!

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. …you shall be My people, and I will be your God.” (Ezek 36:26-28)

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