The Holy Spirit communicates and each of us must listen carefully to discern what is being ‘said.’ St. Seraphim of Sarov, who is commemorated on January 2, is emphatic about this. Simply put, in prayer we may be granted a conversation with Jesus. But when the Holy Spirit descends to dialogue with us, silence must reign in our minds and hearts.
In his famous work, On the Acquisition of the Holy Spirit, St. Seraphim explains why and how. First, we hunger and thirst for the Spirit. Then we humbly "call upon His holy Name." Third, we "lovingly ...receive Him, the Comforter, in the mansions of our souls." In other words, our longing for the Holy Spirit requires quietude from us.
That is why it is said: ‘Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.’ (Ps. 45[46]:10). That is, I will appear and will continue to appear to everyone who believes in Me and calls upon Me, and I will converse with Adam in Paradise, with Abraham and Jacob and other servants of Mine, with Moses and Job, and those like them.
What we should take from this is that the Holy Spirit will come to those who believe and call out for Its presence. As such, we must learn how to stay still, keep quiet, and listen to the uncreated silence of the Holy Spirit. St. Seraphim explains that this kind of hearing contains ‘all the words of eternal life.’
Astonishing, isn't it?
Let us pray for one another that we may offer ourselves completely to hearing the Holy Spirit.
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