THE ATTACKS OF ENEMIES AS ANOTHER PREPARATION FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD Having not responded to the divine warning through the locust attacks, God spoke to Judah by a more bitter voice; namely, by the attacks of enemies. Yet, while wounding, He presents to him His Holy Spirit, to grant him the possibility of bandaging through rebukes on his sins, to return to him. 1- Destructive desolation 1 – 11 2- A call to repentance 12 – 17 3- God will pity His people 18 – 27 4- An ultimate reform by the Holy Spirit 28 – 32 1. DESTRUCTIVE DESOLATION: Having not benefited from the attacks by locusts; As said by the prophet Amos: “I blasted you with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased, Your vineyards, Your fig trees, And your olive trees, The locusts devoured them; Yet you have not returned to Me” (Amos 4: 9); God started to speak to the people about another form of chastisement; namely, the destructive attacks of enemies; saying: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming” (Joel 2: 1) (1) Blowing the trumpet has been a task of the priests; at the start of the march in the wilderness; … For the declaration of war; … For the anointment of a king; … For the celebration of feasts, etc. The trumpet were made of silver (Leviticus 10); referring to the divine commandment, or the divine Word, that works in the soul during her strife, and her war against sin; filling her with joy and rejoice, with every inner divine work. God commands blowing the trumpet in Zion; not on account that a certain nation is going to attack Zion, But because the day of the Lord is at hand; and all the inhabitants of the land should tremble! By blowing the trumpet in Zion, He intends to proclaim that it is God who allows for the attack by the enemies, to chasten His people. In case they do not listen to His voice through the commandment, He would come against them through their enemies, to realize their salvation from evil, if they do not listen through His meekness; let them anticipate His firmness! Let us then hear the warning voice of the trumpet, from the mouths of the priests; … Let us receive the divine commandment; even if it is bitter for the wicked, destroying the evil they love, … “Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble:”; Everything earthly, Every disobedience in the heart of the wicked, would shake, and tremble before the divine commandment; …And as it is written: “If a trumpet is blown in a city, Will not the people be afraid?” (Amos 3: 6). If blowing the trumpet refers to the coming of the divine Word to the soul; This will definitely be followed by a destruction of every inner idol, that has for long occupied the heart; according to the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, and 32 will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst” (Isaiah 19: 1). (2) “A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick fog; Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains” (Joel 2: 2) If the day of the Lord, for the believers is like a joyful and bright day of wedding, in which the Groom – the Sun of Righteousness -- approaches to encounter His bride, who, like the moon, reflects His light; It is, for the wicked, a day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick fog; during which they are unable to behold the Lord in His glory and splendor, nor to enjoy His secrets. The prophet Joel looks, to see how the day, because of the locust attacks, has turned into thick darkness; not because there was no sun, but because of the dense waves of locusts that covered the whole land, turning the day in man’s eyes into night. That scene was mentioned in the book of Exodus to describe the day when the plague of locusts came to cover the whole land of Egypt, “So that the land was black” (Exodus 10: 14, 15). Through that scene, the prophet Joel also sees what will happen in Judah by the armies and chariots of the enemies; when, because of their great number, the land would be covered by a dense cloud of dust that causes darkness and gloominess. The same thing will happen for the wicked on the great day of the Lord, when He comes to judge the world. For them, that day Will be a day of darkness and gloominess, because of what they bear inside them of sin that would deny them of beholding its splendor. The darkness and gloominess would also refer to the bitterness and anguish that would dwell upon the soul during the chastisement; that cause man’s eyes and his look at the world to become as dark and gloomy. As to saying: “Like the morning clouds spreading over the mountains”, It probably is a confirmation of its occurrence; definitely coming on all mankind: … on the holy mountains, as well as on the unclean ones; … The holy mountains of Zion will rejoice, while those on which are the altars of the Baal, will totter. (3) He presents to us the following bitter and cruel portrait of the opposing army, concerning the number of warriors, as well as their might and activity: a- “A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been, nor will their ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations” (Joel 2: 2). b- God, with His longsuffering, waits and waits …; But will eventually, for the sake of His love, and because of our lack of response, He will have to chasten, although He may seem cruel and harsh. It is His compassionate fatherhood for the sake of the salvation of the soul, rebelliously consistent on her sins. c- It does not stop at the great number, but: “Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like swift steeds, so they run; with a noise like chariots, over mountaintops they leap” (Joel 2: 4, 5). He terrifies our eyes by their appearance; and our ears by their noise. The eyes that became slothful in their spiritual strife, will become terrified by the divine chastisement; seeing it like swift steeds, and like leaping horsemen; … There is no time for slothfulness; … Its noise is horrible and very terrifying, like that of unstoppable chariots over mountain-tops! d- Chastisement would expose the work of the sin in us; turning our inner paradise into a wilderness: “A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; The land 33 is like the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them” (Joel 2: 3) This fiery invasion, although in its depth is a divine chastisement, Yet it is a natural fruit of the work of sin, the deadly fire, Whoever practices it would be embracing a fire that burns him. Nothing could overcome that fire, except the fire of the Holy Spirit, who turns the desolate wilderness into a joyful paradise. By the fire of the Holy Spirit, the fire of sin is destroyed; And by the fruit of the Spirit, the heart would return to its former condition, to become the joyful paradise of God; and the believer would then praise his Savior, saying: “Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its pleasant fruits” (Song 4: 16). If this is the book of the day of the lord, horrible to the wicked, whose paradise has turned into a wilderness; It is, at the same time, the book of the pouring of the Holy Spirit over mankind, Who will give us back our nature, a paradise for God, instead of the wilderness that we have become. That is why St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa addresses the Catechumens, saying: [You were, O Catechumens, outside the paradise, sharing with your father Adam his exile; But now, the door is open for you to go back to where you have been1]. If the prophet sees in the sin, “a flaming fire that devours the stubble” (5); The fiery Holy Spirit would turn the ashes into a holy temple for the Lord. St. Cyril the Great says: [The one baptized gets the Holy Spirit in him, to turn actually into a temple of God2]. e- Concerning the plan, it is extremely elaborate: “They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. And when they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down” (Joel 2: 7, 8) The prophet watching the attacks of the locusts utterly covering the land, to devour everything green; Then coming into houses through windows; with nothing to stop them; He notices how every individual locust has her designated task, how it does not cut down its fellow locust; and how it moves only within the range allowed to her by God. It was not a haphazard natural catastrophe, but it bore an accurate goal, both in its wholeness, or in its details. The same thing happens against Judah with the attack of the enemy. The devastation that would place is not without goal, but everything is elaborately planned beforehand. The plan is executed, with every fighter occupying his designated location; And in case he falls among the ranks, he would not be cut off until he realizes his goal. f- As long as everybody sinned, nobody would escape chastisement; If the locusts attack the exposed green fields, to turn them Into wilderness; they also infiltrate through the windows into the houses in cities; Nothing would stop them, or escape from them. The fruit of the sin would follow him wherever he is, even inside his secret place, surrounded by secure walls. g- He would bear the bitterness of bitter that no one can endure: “The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. The Lord gives voice before His army, for His camp is 1 PG 46: 416 C. 2 In Joan S. 2. 34 very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?!” (Joel 2: 10, 11) These are the signs provided by the Lord Christ Himself for His ultimate coming; very terrible signs for the wicked sinners. God allows for nature to shake and tremble before the eyes of sinners, so that when they realize the extent of what sin would do to nature; they may prepare themselves by repentance to encounter God. It is amazing how God considers the opponent army, as “His army”; Having Himself allowed it to chasten His people; to become the rod of chastisement; Yet for a certain time! The fathers have symbolic spiritual concepts for the quaking of the earth, the trembling of heaven, the darkness of the sun and the moon, and the falling down of the stars … to which we shall return, if God allows us to live, to discuss in more detail in our commentary on the gospel of Matthew. (chapter24) We shall mention here only certain quotations. Now is the end of every mortal life; And according to the words of the prophet: The form of this present world will go away, to be followed by a new world; And in place of the seen stars, Christ Himself will shine, being the Sun and the King of the New creation. How great will be that Sun, and how great would be His splendor! The sun, the moon, and the stars that shine now would darken before such a great light! (Josabius the Caesarean)1 Like the sun and the stars when they quickly diminish their brightness once the sun rises; So it will be when the Lord Christ comes; The sun darkens; the moon will stop giving its brightness; and the stars of heaven would fall from the sky. Their past splendor will be taken away, to be given a new greater light. (St. John Chrysostom 2 The quaking earth is the human body that weakens and grow frailer because of the abominations committed by man, for the sake of the pleasure and comfort of his body. While assuming that he is giving it comfort, he is unconsciously terrifying it. Heaven, on the other hand, refers to the soul, which was meant to be a center of the kingdom of God, and His dwelling place, … It would loses her security and peace through the sin, and tremble. The heavenly lights would stop giving their brightness, as a sign of the loss of the loss of the spiritual insight, and of the entrance into a state of spiritual confusion. So the divine chastisement proclaims the fruit of our fruit of our sins; exposes it in us that we do not endure His horrible day. “The men of Beth Shemesh (previously) said, ‘Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall (the ark of the Lord) go up from us?’” (1 Samuel 6: 20); And the Psalmist says: “You, Yourself, are to be feared; And who may stand in Your presence, when once You are angry? You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still. When God arose to judgment, to deliver all the oppressed of the earth” (Psalm 76: 7-9). 2. A CALL TO REPENTANCE: 1 Catena of Creek Frs. (Luke 21). 2 Excerpta in Secund Adv. 35 Revealing by His chastisements, the activity of the sin in the soul and the body, God opens the doors of hope wide before His people, so that no one would fall in despair; proclaiming: “Now, therefore, says the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your hearts and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him – a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?” (Joel 2: 12-14) In this call He proclaims the following: a- Repentance, in its essence, is ‘a return to God’ … It is not merely a remorse on sin, or a forsake of iniquity, But, positively, it is a return to the divine bosoms, to give God the face and not the back … That is why God confirms His personal features in His relationship with us, … that He is “gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” And as said by St. Cyprian: [God can forgive and show compassion to the sinner, who works on seeking mercy1]. He used every possible means to express His love for man, and His compassion toward him, to make him return to Him, to find in Him the divine bosoms that never close before those who return. And St. Ambrose says: [I wish no one fears perdition, whatever his abominations are, and however severe his fall may be; As the good Samaritan of the gospel will eventually pass by, to find him coming down from Jerusalem to Jericho; namely, fleeing from the passions of martyrdom, to the enjoyment of the pleasures of the world; wounded, between life and death by the robbers. That good Samaritan, a symbol of the Lord Christ, the Guard over the Spirits, will never forsake you, will have compassion on you and will heal you2]. If it is God who allows for chastisement – which we consider as evil – Once we return to him, “He will relent from doing it”. And as father Theodoret says: [The Holy Book often uses some expressions, not according to their original meaning; like, for example using the word ‘evil’ to express ‘sorrows and anguish’; not that they are evils, or of evil nature; But as those on whom they dwell for their own benefit, may consider them as such. When God talks to humans, He so does according to their own language and human feelings3]. b- The return should be with the whole heart: There are many who return to God at times of anguish, but not with their whole heart; And once the anguish is lifted up, they would soon go back to their previous evil ways, and probably to worse; Like the Case with the Pharaoh of Egypt who called Moses and Aaron, and asked them to pray for him and for his people; promising to let the children of Israel go to sacrifice to the Lord (Exodus 8: 8). “But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he Hardened his heart, and would not listen to them, just as the Lord has said” (Exodus 8: 15). Therefore, let our return to the Lord be from our whole heart; together with fasting, weeping, and even wailing …. As though our body shares with our soul, her return to God; proclaiming it by praying, fasting, and tears. 1 Treat. 3: 36. . 2 ترفقوا بالخطاة: القدیس أمبروسیوس 1968 ، ص 32 3 Cassian: Conf. 6: 6. 36 About this, St. Ambrose says: [I wish those who repent, know how to do it; … by what zeal, and by what feelings; …How it should swallow all his thoughts, shake his inner body, and pierce the depths of his heart! According to the words of the prophet Jeremiah: “See, O Lord, that I am in distress; My soul is troubled; My heart is overturned within me” (Lamentation1: 20); Who also says: “The elders of the daughter of Zion, sit on the ground and keep silence; They throw dust on their heads and gird themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground. My eyes fail with tears, My heart is troubled, My bile is poured on the ground, because of the destruction of the daughter of my people” (Lamentation 2: 10, 11). Likewise, when the people of Nineveh grieved, they were spared of the perdition of their city (Jonah 3: 5). How powerful is the activity of this medicine of repentance! It may even look as though it can change the intention of God!]. [Reveal your wounds to the sivine Physician, that he may heal you … Cleanse your wounds with tears!; the way the woman, mentioned in the gospel did, who, through washing the feet of the Savior with her tears, she washed away, and wiped out the awful smell of her sins1]. Repentance should not stop at the outer appearance; But should also touch the whole inner heart; … “Rend your hearts, and not your garments”. And as St. Cyprian says: [I beseech everyone of you, dear brethren, to confess the sins he committed in this world … Let us return to the Lord with our whole hearts; … Let us express our repentance by real grief; ,,, Let us supplicate to God’s mercy; … Let our souls bow before Him; … Let our grief intercede before Him; … Let all our hope be in Him ; … So let us return to the Lord with our whole heart; … Let us quench the fire of His wrath by fasting, weeping, and grief; the way He, Himself, instructed us to do2]. c- Saying: “He may probably relent”, does not imply that He is not sure, But it is a sign that we should stand before the Lord in humility and with contrition, seeking His mercy; As, in our repentance, He seeks humility; “The sacrifices to God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart – These, O god, You shall not despise” (Psalm 51: 17). Relenting does not imply that God would change His mind; But it carries the meaning of love; … the way a father, while firmly chastening his son, pretends to be cruel, with the hope that his son may return to him, and he would then return to his son. Even in the moments of his firmness, God does not endure the tears of his son. A sign of relenting is that, instead of anger, His chastisement would end up with a blessing; And He would accept from His son a grain offering and a drink offering, a sign of his pleasure with him and of receiving him. “Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him” (14). d- Repentance should be practiced by the whole congregation, including the elders, the infants, the suckling, the newly married, the priests, and the ministers of the Lord. As long as the sin extended to all, It would be fitting for all to partake of it; The whole building should support itself in the life of repentance. .56 ،51 ، 1 ترفقوا بالخطاة: ص 50 . 2 للمؤلف: الحب الإلهي، ص 51 37 The prophet Jeremiah telling us about what the sin has done, even to the infants, says: “The tongue of the infants clings to the roof of its mouth for thirst; The young children ask for bread, but no one breaks it for them” (Lamentation 4: 4)… And in God’s mercy, the infants of Nineveh, having their special consideration with Him, He says: “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their Left, and also much livestock” (Jonah 4: 11). e- The priests, whose main job is to minister to the Lord through the altar; namely, through the slain Christ, through perpetual prayers and intercessions on behalf of the people, should also partake of the people’s repentance “Let the priests who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach. That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” (Joel 2: 17) 3. GOD WILL PITY HIS PEOPLE: “Then God will be zealous for His land, And pity his people” (Joel 2: 18). The sufferings that God allows, are for the sake of His zeal for His holy land; namely His people, beloved to Him, and his pity on them. While chastening His children, He asks them to look at Him, not as an avenging Judge, but as a loving Father, who longs to have joy in them, and to get pleasure in their love for Him. The signs of His love are: a- When the soul enters into a state of hunger, thirst, and sickness, because of sin; God in His love, presents Himself to her, as food, drink, and spiritual medicine; saying: “Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations” (Joel 2: 19). She will no longer seek from the nations – namely the world – to fulfill her emotion, to soothe her feelings, or to bandage her wounds, But she will find in her Groom all her needs. St. John Saba praises God, the source of true fulfillment, saying: [Blessed is he, who forgot the talk of the world by Your talk to him; As by You, all his needs are consummated! You are his food and drink! You are his abode, and the dwelling place of his comfort; To you, he will always resort to be covered! You are his Sun and his daylight; By Your light, he can see the hidden things! You are the Father; His Father! In him, You have given the Spirit of Your Son; And this Spirit gave him the daring to seek from You everything; the way a son seeks from his father! With You, he talks all the time; As he knows no other father but You1]. b- Having realized the goal of His chastisement, when His people return to Him; God judges the opponent people, whom He used as a tool of His chastisement …. Why? Because they have fallen into pride, arrogance, and haughtiness; according to the words of the prophet: “It shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, ‘I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks” (Isaiah 10: 12). 1 Treat. 3: 29. 38 Because, in his arrogance, the enemy thought that he is mighty, and did not realize that God was using him to chasten His people; God will humiliate him: “But I will remove far from you the northern army, and will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, with his face toward the eastern sea, and his back toward the western sea. His stench will come up, and his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things” (Joel 2: 20) Therefore, because he has fallen into arrogance and haughtiness, God cuts him off to destroy his (face) in the waters of the Dead Sea, and his (back) in the Great Sea to the west; that the two would never come together again. His stench will come up, and his foul odor will rise everywhere; According to the words of the prophet Isaiah: “For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand, I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, and have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man… Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts will send leanness among his fat ones, and under his glory He will kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire. So the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; It will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field (both soul and body)’” (Isaiah 10: 13-18). c- The Lord shall cleanse the previous wounds of His people, and turn their sorrow that prevailed on them because of the sin, into gladness and rejoice. “Fear not, O land, Be glad and rejoice, For the lord has done marvelous things” (Joel 2: 21) d- Sanctifying all their energies and talents by the Holy Spirit; saying: “Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field, for the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the lord your God, For He has given you the for you – the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month” (Joel 2: 22, 23) The Messianic era in the minds of the prophets was often connected to the holy waters (Ezekiel 36: 26; Isaiah 30: 23; Jeremiah 31:9; Zechariah 13: 1, 2; Psalm 46: 4, etc.); Water that would turn the wilderness into fertile land, would fulfill the believers like the trees of the paradise of God; would take away the filth, would purify the land of idol-worship; and would present life and sanctification1. What is the early and the latter rain, but the Holy Spirit who waters the thirsty wilderness of the soul and, let the trees bear their fruits; the fig tree and the vine give their strength?! It is the Holy Spirit who worked in the old as an early rain; But who has rather settled in us after the ascension of the Lord, to turn our inner wilderness into a joyful paradise. The prophet says: “Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field, for the open pastures are springing up” (22). If the body, because of sin, has become like beasts of the field, with no pastures; The Holy Spirit will sanctify the body and will fulfill all its energies and feelings, for edification. He does not destroy the beasts of the field, nor despise them, but would sanctify them, and fulfill them with what are the Lord’s. That is why He requests from the children of Zion to be glad and rejoice because of that heavenly rain. It is as though the prophet proclaims through the shadow, what the Lord will later proclaim to His disciples: “I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go . 1 للمؤلف: الروح القدس بین المیلاد الجدید... ص 49 39 away, for If I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; But if Idepart, I will send Him to you” (John 16: 7). This is the “rain” that the Lord Christ has promised to send to His disciples from the Father, as a sign of His love and His care for them. And as it came in the proverbs: “In the light of the King’s face is life; And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain” (Proverbs 16: 15). And as the prophet Hosea says: “His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth” (Hosea 6: 3). And the prophet Zechariah asks us to seek that latter rain to work in our life: “Ask the Lord for rain, In the time of the latter rain, the Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone” (Zechariah 10: 1). That is the great gift of God: “Let us now fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest” (Jeremiah 5: 24). The Lord Christ has given us this latter rain in its season, for our souls to get fulfilled by the Lord, to praise Him, and to realize His dwelling in their midst; Namely, granted them the spiritual fulfillment, the life of praise, and the feeling of the divine presence; Saying: “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wonderfully with you, And My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame” (Joel 2: 26, 27) Having come out hungry of paradise, the whole world would not be able to satisfy man’s heart, his feelings, or his mind … And He would so remain like a fugitive on earth, in great hunger, until God would fill him with His fulfilling Holy Spirit. This fulfillment provides praise; that man becomes like a suckling infant rejoicing in his mother; all his feelings shaking, and all his body members responding to his joy, to produce a praise of true love, that the tongue is unable to express. Praise is not mere words we sing, or tunes we learn; But in its depth, it is a state of true joy that shakes the whole being of the believer, both physically and spiritually, to let his tongue set forth to praise, his heart to dance, and his soul to shake with heavenly angelic tunes. Being connected to the believer’s realization that the Lord dwells in him; the believer praises and rejoices, not for the sake of gifts given to him, even if they are spiritual, but for the sake of the divine Giver Himself! These are the signs of God’s fatherly love for His people: That He fulfills the soul, waters it, bandages her wounds, gives back her glory in Him, takes away the reproach of sin and iniquity; sanctifies all her energies, and talents to His account; and proclaims His dwelling in her midst, as the secret of her fulfillment, and her spiritual praise! The blessings of His love for His people could be summarized as follows: A-He would have pity on them; namely would have compassion on them (18). B-He would respond to them and listen to them (19) C-He would satisfy their needs, and would grant them spiritual fulfillment (19). D-He would take away their reproach (19); and would grant them glory. E-He would drive away their enemies, and would destroy their pride (20). F-He would take away their fear and worries (21). G-He would grant them gladness and joy (21) H-He would even care for their beasts (22). 40 I-He would bless the fruits of their lands (22) J-He would grant them rain, both the former and the latter (23) – the gift of the Holy Spirit. K-He would restore to them the years that the swarming locusts has eaten (25). L-He would grant them the spirit of praise and the living spiritual worship (26) M-He would proclaim His wonders in their life, to become themselves wonders (26). N-He would proclaim His dwelling in their midst (27). O-He would grant them His Holy Spirit (28). 4. AN ULTIMATE REFORM BY THE HOLY SPIRIT: Having compassion on His people, and zeal for His heritage; He does not deny them anything, He even grants them Himself. He gives them His Holy Spirit in them, as the secret of their ultimate inner change; saying: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams; Your young men shall see visions; And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in these days” (Joel 2: 28, 29) It is the greatest gift that God gave humanity, after preparing for it by presenting the sacrifice of redemption on the cross. The gift that the church has enjoyed on the day of the Pentecost, as proclaimed by the apostle Peter (Acts 2: 14-21); and was presented to every man who approaches God; … The gift of God to the sons and daughters; namely, on one aspect, with no discrimination between sexes, and on another, is given even to those with little experience; … It is the free gift from God to every one who receives! It is the gift of God to the elders whose life grew fat and felt loss, to turn their spiritual aging into youth renewed in the Lord, filled with hope and joy. It is the gift of God to the menservants and the maidservants; Given to those who feel like slaves, to set them free, granting them the spirit of sonhood. It is the gift of God to all mankind … Namely to everyone who receives it! As to the work of the Holy Spirit in us; It is enough to mention the words of St. Basil the Great: [By the Holy Spirit we have: Restoration of our dwelling place in paradise; Our ascension to the kingdom of heaven; Getting back our divine sonhood; Our daring to call God “Our Father”; Our partaking of the grace of Christ; Our being called the children of light; And in few words, being granted the fullness of blessing in this age, and the age to come1]. Commenting on the phrase “I will pour out My Spirit”, St. Ambrose says: [He does not say: ‘I will pour the Spirit’, but says: “I will pour My Spirit”; As we cannot receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, but receive of Him, according to His will (Philippians 2: 6)2. But that does Not mean that the whole Spirit would not dwell in us; 1 De spir. Sanc. 15: 35. 2 Of The Goly Spirit 8: 92. 41 Or that we get a part of Him! As St. Clement of Alexandria1 warns us against dividing The Spirit! It is the secret of the dwelling of the Holy Spirit working in us according to the will of God for our edification, in an exalted divine way. This gift is accompanied by: “I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood and fires, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Joel 30, 31). It is as though, the goal of this great gift is to set forth with the church to the great day of the Lord; When she sees how the heaven and earth would go away; how the light of the world be quenched, and yet how everything divine would remain; her heart would flare toward the union with the only eternal God. Finally, he ends his prophecy about the Holy Spirit, by a proclamation that all who come to Him from the nations will be accepted; saying: “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the lord shall be saved” (Joel 2: 32) God will open up His arms to whoever calls on His name, whether he is a Jew or a Gentile, according to the words of the apostle Paul: “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10: 11-13); And according to the apostle Peter: “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, , as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2: 39). St. Augustine says: [The name of the Creator of heaven and earth was before called only among the Israelites; while the rest of the Gentiles called the deaf and the mute idols; or called the devils that hear what would harm them2]. But now, the Gentiles are calling the name of the living God, by the Holy Spirit. 1 Strom. 5: 13. 2 Ser. On N. T. 6: 1. 42 AN INSPIRATION FRP THE BOOK OF JOEL 2 AMID YOUR CHASTISEMENT, I FEEL YOUR PITY AND COMPASSION You allowed for the four locust attacks to chasten Your people. And having not benefited from them, You allowed for that of the Babylonians. Yet in all that, You are amazing in Your love! You have pity on Your people! Amid Your chastisements, I feel Your pity and Your compassion. Amid Your chastisements, and in Your day of gloominess. Yet I feel that You are beyond that cloud. Soon that cloud will scatter, and You will shine with Your splendor. Allow me to behold Your light amid my sufferings. Show me how mild You are in Your love and compassion. That to You I shall return, not through rending my garment, but through the contrition of my heart. Against You, You only, have I sinned. To You I reveal the wounds of my soul, O the heavenly Physician. Heal me, that I be healed! Fill all the void of my heart by Your love. Send Your Holy Spirit to work in my depths. To turn my inner wilderness into a heavenly paradise. How mild You are in Your love, even during the moments you chasten me.
Welcome