What's Required to Acquire the Holy Spirit?

Saint Seraphim of Sarov says "the true goal of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit." He says, 

"What God requires is a true faith in Himself and His Only begotten Son. In return He generously bestows the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Lord seeks hearts filled with love for God and for one's neighbor." 

Saint John Chrysostom reminds us that this is not a task just for monks, but is one for all Christians.

"Those who live in the world, even though married, should resemble the monks in everything else. You are wholly mistaken if you think that there are some things that are required of seculars, and others for monastics... They will have to render the same account... When Christ orders us to follow the narrow path, he is speaking to all men."

The level of perfection that we are all called to, does not come without our effort.  This effort involves what is commonly termed ascetic practices which include a daily rule for prayer and fasting as well as the study of Holy Scripture and other spiritual writings.

When St. Seraphim says, "to acquire" the Holy Spirit, he uses this idea of acquiring in a similar way to saying we acquire material benefits. Saint Seraphim says,

Surely you understand what it means to acquire money? The acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God is exactly the same. You understand I am sure, O lover of God, the meaning of acquiring in a worldly sense. The primary aim of ordinary people in a worldly sense is to acquire, or to make, money... the acquisition of the Spirit of God is the same as the acquisition of capital with the difference that it is eternal and dispenses grace. Since it is so similar to everyday ordinary money, it is acquired in much the same way. 

How do we acquire material wealth?  We must train ourselves, develop valued skills, and apply them through hard work. For spiritual benefits we also must work and prepare to receive the heavenly benefits.
Saint Seraphim continues,

Our Lord Jesus Christ himself compares our life in this world with a marketplace. He likens our everyday activities to trading, telling, telling us to 'trade till I come, redeeming the time, because the days are evil' (cf. Lk 19:13; Eph 5:16).  In other words make the most of your time by obtaining heavenly blessings in exchange for you earthly good. The goods you should be trading in are those very same good works done for Christ's sake that confer upon us all the grace of the Holy Spirit.

It is these good works which include not only charitable acts but also our ascetic efforts that are essential to purify our mind and heart from the bodily passions that too frequently take precedence over the desire of the soul.

Ascetic efforts cannot be considered as merits to earn God's grace, but only as means to an end, They prepare us for the acquisition of the Holy Spirit and union with God. With the Holy Spirit moving though us we must align our free will with God's and live the virtues. This is only possible though the work of the Holy Spirit. But, we must always remember that God will not judge us based on our ascetic efforts, but will judge us based on our humility as expressed in our love for others and love for God.  

Saint Seraphim says,

Prayer, fasting, vigils and all other Christian practices, however good they may be in and of themselves, do not constitute the true goal of our Christian way of ice. They only serve as the indispensable means of attaining it. The true goal of our Christain life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. Fasting, keeping vigil, prayers, and charity, as well as every other good deed done for the sake of Christ, are but the means through which we may acquire the Holy Spirit of God.

The love of God must be the motivation of all our actions.  As we learn to love others we will increase our love of God.  As our love of God is increased so will our love for others.  The ascetic practices cannot interfere with our love for others.  If we must take care of the needs of a child or a parent or any other person, we cannot use our ascetic practices to excuse ourselves from our loving care of others.  But we also must recognize that this ability to love is increased as we purify our heart and mind and this comes about as a result our ascetic efforts so we can acquire the Holy Spirit.  

Reference: The Joy of the Holy by Harry M. Boosalis, pp 35 - 43. 

The Work of Patience and Humility

Often, when we are overtaken with boredom regarding our spiritual practices, we will also find we are easily overtaken with despair when confronted with events that do not go as we desire. This is an indication of our spiritual immaturity. We need both patience and humility because they are important works in our spiritual life.

Saint Seraphim says,

A lofty and sound soul does not despair over misfortunes, of whatever sort they may be. Our life is as it were a house of temptations and trials; but we will not renounce the Lord for as long as He allows the tester to remain with us and for as long as we must wait to be revived through patience and secure passionlessness!

All the trials of this life are opportunities for our spiritual growth. Even the most difficult situation provides a chance to demonstrate our love and gratitude for all God's works. This is how we learn to practice patience.

Saint Seraphim tells us,

One should always endure any trial for the sake of God with gratitude. Our life is a single minute in comparison with eternity.

Saint Paul says,

The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom 8:18).

Saint James says,

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4 NKJV)

Humility goes with patience. It is about our willingness to accept whatever comes our way, instead of holding on to the notion that the life of this world should operate by our own ideas or standards. When we are demeaned by others challenging our personal honor we should make an effort to forgive them. We should consider that we are unworthy of this honor we think we possess. It is our work to learn to humble ourselves always.

Saint Seraphim says,

Let us love humility and we shall see the glory of God; for where humility issues forth, there the glory off God abounds.

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1, pp 34 - 37

The Work of Prayer

Daily  prayer is the foundation of a spiritual life in Christ. We pray in the morning and the evening and throughout the day, with an aim for our entire life to be one of prayer. Saint Seraphim places the emphasis on saying the Jesus Prayer.

Saint Seraphim says,

Those who have truly decided to serve the Lord God should practice the remembrance of God and uninterrupted prayer to Jesus Christ, mentally saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner... By such exercises in preserving oneself from dispersion and keeping peace of conscience one may draw near to God and be united to Him.

The daily practice of the Jesus Prayer involves numerous disciplined repetitions of this short but all powerful prayer.  As we practice it, our mind is reshaped, our thoughts are tamed, our soul's orientation is pointed towards God, and prayer is always on our lips. 

Saint John Chrysostom  says, 

"Prayer is a great weapon, a rich treasure, a wealth that is never exhausted, an undisturbed refuge, a cause of tranquility, the root of a multitude of blessings and their source and mother"

In prayer we lift ourselves above our thoughts. It is our thoughts that destroy prayer. The main struggle in prayer is not to allow our thoughts to take away our prayer.

Saint Seraphim says,

One must always strive to give oneself up to dispersion of thoughts: for through this the soul turns away from remembrance of God and love of Him...

This is how we get the benefit from prayer, by controlling our thoughts. And it is by regular prayer where we learn to concentrate on God that we learn to control our thoughts.

Saint Seraphim says,

When the mind and the heart are united in prayer and the soul's thoughts are not dispersed, the heart is warmed by spiritual warmth in which the light of Christ shines, making the whole inner man peaceful.

This is our aim, to be united with God. 


More on the practice of the Jesus Prayer

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1, p 30

The Work of Controlling our Talking

To know God directly requires an interior balance and harmony.  We must consider ourselves to be pilgrims yearning for a personal relationship with God.  We need to maximize our communications with things of spiritual nature and minimize our communications about mundane worldly matters. Saint Seraphim warns us that the fire Christ came to light within us can easily be extinguished.  He says the most common thing that cools this fire is unbridled conversation. These spiritual conversations lead us to great growth in knowledge of God.

Saint Seraphim says,

For the guarding of the inner man, one must strive to restrain the tongue from loquacious: "A man of understanding holds his peace (Prov 11:12), and "he that keeps his mouth keeps his life" (Prov 13:3).

Examine your conversations and determine if they involve the kind of discussion that will lead you closer to God. Those which have no spiritual value you should try to minimize as they can be a distraction. This means especially discussions that involve subjects or language you know would not be approved by Christ Himself. Think of Christ in dialogue with His disciples, His discussions on the steps of the Temple. These are the kind we should seek and all others we should minimize.

It is of upmost importance to not discuss our own spiritual life with no one other than our spiritual father. 

As Saint Seraphim says,

Strive with envy means to keep to yourself the treasure of your spiritual gifts. Otherwise you will lose it, and not find it again...

Always act and speak glorifying God. 

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1, p 28 - 29

Our Work Begins with Reverence and Fear of God.

Saint Seraphim directs us to the following Psalm,

Upon his mind there must always be engraved these words of the prophet: "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Ps 2:11)

All our actions must be done with this in mind.  It is only in this way that our works will aid us in our aim to be united with Him. Saint Seraphim points out that without such an attitude, instead of being blessed, we will be cursed. "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently" (Jer. 48:10).

Our work is great and difficult. We need to always cooperate with God's grace. 

Saint Seraphim says,

Reverent carefulness is necessary here because this sea--that is, the heart, with it's thoughts and desires, which one must cleanse by means of mindfulness-- is great and vast, "and there are numberless reptiles there" (Ps 103:27), that is, numerous vain, unjust, and impure thoughts generated by evil spirits.

Much more than faith is necessary. In cooperation with divine grace, we have to do the work necessary to tame the impulses of our biological being, so that all our actions can be directed according to God's will and not be based on our own desires and fears because of our mortality and susceptibility to sickness and suffering.

Reference: Little Russian Philikolia, p 27

Faith and Works - A Synergy Not Conflict

For many Christians, there is a battle between faith and works.  Some proclaim that our salvation comes through faith alone. They are concerned that one might think they could get to heaven by their own efforts, I guess, without faith. For Orthodox Christians there is no battle between faith and works. We know that both faith and works are necessary. We call it synergic cooperation with God. But, the starting point is always an act of believing in God.

Saint Seraphim tells us the following:

Before anything else, one must believe in God, "that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6).

One who is a doubter is like a man lost at sea without a life raft. He is incapable of doing works that will lead him to God.

Saint James says,

"...he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8 NKJV)

Faith is the necessary first step on a journey to be united with God and know Him through direct experience.  Without faith we could not undertake the necessary preparation. We would not know where to begin. Such preparation for many is seen as works without God, trying to earn our way to heaven. This is a concern without basis. To seek to know God, we begin with faith, believing that it is God who sent His Son for our transformation to be united with Him and that it is His teachings that we must follow. With this belief we will undertake meaningful works that with patience leads us to an intimate knowledge of Him.

Faith of necessity involves works. It is James who tells us, "Faith without works is dead" (James2:26).  He points out that the necessary works involved are love, peace, long-suffering, mercy, humility, rest from all works, bearing of the Cross, and life in the Spirit.

Saint Seraphim says,

True faith cannot be without works; one who truly believes will unfailingly have works as well.

Our journey with Christ is one of cooperation where we submit our will to His will to do His work. To realize this we have many works to do in preparation to receive His grace which transforms and unites us with Him. With faith we desire to under take many works to perfect ourselves in His grace.

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1 , p 25.

Receiving the Light of Christ

Our aim is to know God in a direct way, not intellectually or through reason.  This is often referred to as receiving the light of Christ. When we receive this light we experience a sense of joy. When it is a light sent by the devil we feel a bit of agitation or obscureness. 

Saint Seraphim says,

The Christian heart, when it has received something divine, does not demand anything else in order to convince it that this is precisely from the Lord...

Saint Seraphim also gives many pointers about how to prepare to receive this gift of light.

He says,

To receive and behold in the heart the light of Christ, one must, as far as possible, divert one's attention away from the visible objects. Having purified the soul beforehand by repentance and good deeds, and with faith in the Crucified, having closed the bodily eyes, immerse the mind within the heart, in which place cry out with the invocation of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and then, to the measure of one's zeal and warmth of spirit toward the Beloved, a man finds in the invoked name a delight which awakens the desire to seek higher illumination.

What is important to remember that this gift comes after we have purified our heart and soul of its attachment to the passions of the body and one is committed to a life of ongoing repentance and good deeds, including participation in the sacraments of the Church.

Saint Seraphim goes on to describe this gift.

When a man beholds the eternal light interiorly, his mind is pure and has no sensory representations, but, being totally immersed in contemplation of uncreated goodness, he forgets everything sensory and wishes not even to see himself; he desires rather to hide himself in the heart of the earth if only he not be deprived of this true good--God.

This is the gift that is available to all who are willing to cooperate with God and undertake the necessary preparation.

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Vol 1, pp 46-47

Knowing God

Saint Seraphim tells us that we must first know God before we can contemplate Him. It is this direct knowledge that is necessary if we are to truly love Him.
Saint Seraphim writes,

If you do not know God, it is impossible for love of Him to be awakened in you; and you cannot love God if you do not see Him. The vision of God comes from knowledge of Him; for contemplation of Him does not precede knowledge of Him.

How are we to gain this knowledge? This is the question we should all ask ourselves and have great anguish if we cannot experience God in this non intellectual way but through a direct experience of Him and His love.

Saint Seraphim tells us,

"A man becomes perfect in His sight to the extent that he follows in His footsteps; in the true age God will reveal His face to Him."

This knowledge we seek is one that is expressed in a way that "warms" our inner being.

Saint Seraphim expresses it as follows:

God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. And so, if we feel in our hearts coldness, which is of the devil--for the devil is cold--then let us call upon the Lord, and He will come and warm our hearts with perfect love not only for Him, but for our neighbors as well. And from the presence of warmth the coldness of the hater of good will be driven away.

Christ has given us the means through our participation it it's liturgies, sacraments and prescribed practices for all of us, no matter what our spiritual condition, to come to this direct knowledge of Him. This includes the beauty if His Church which uses all means to lift us to heavenly levels. The sacrament of Holy Communion is a direct encounter with Him that works through all parts of our body to transform our fallen nature into one of His likeness. Through Holy Confession we are aided in not just relieving us from our guilt but committing ourselves with His help to change our mind and way of life. We nurture our growth through our regular practice of fasting and daily prayer. This is the Orthodox ways of life and the path to Theosis where we gain a direct knowledge of Him.

Reference: Little Russian Philokalia, Volume 1, p 23