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24: THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UPON THE APOSTLES
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Question.--What is the manner, and what is the meaning,
of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, as described
in the Gospel?
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Answer.--The descent of the Holy Spirit is not like the
entrance of air into man; it is an expression and a simile,
rather than an exact or a literal image. No, rather it is like
the entrance of the image of the sun into the mirror--that
is to say, its splendor becomes apparent in it.
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After the death of Christ the disciples were troubled,
and their ideas and thoughts were discordant and contradictory;
later they became firm and united, and at the
feast of Pentecost they gathered together and detached
themselves from the things of this world. Disregarding
themselves, they renounced their comfort and worldly
happiness, sacrificing their body and soul to the Beloved,
abandoning their houses, and becoming wanderers and
homeless, even forgetting their own existence. Then they
received the help of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit
became manifested; the spirituality of Christ triumphed,
and the love of God reigned. They were given help at that
time and dispersed in different directions, teaching the
Cause of God, and giving forth proofs and evidences.
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So the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles
means their attraction by the Christ Spirit, whereby they
acquired stability and firmness. Through the spirit of the
love of God they gained a new life, and they saw Christ
living, helping and protecting them. They were like
drops, and they became seas; they were like feeble insects,
and they became majestic eagles; they were weak and became
powerful. They were like mirrors facing the sun;
verily, some of the light became manifest in them.
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