The Goal of Humanity: The Holy Spirit – Father Theologos

Nevertheless, the goal of humanity is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit and nothing else—even though today we are being pulled in all directions by a multitude of offers that present themselves as increasingly enticing substitutes for our true goal. How do we navigate this reality?

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Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us! Amen.

Brethren, human beings, like any rational being, must have a purpose, and this purpose can be none other, as I have said before, than the attainment of eternal perfection. Here, however, we face several problems – first of all, some believe that eternity does not exist, and from this stems the lack of meaning – depression, even though within themselves, whether they want to or not, they are terrified of the absence of eternity; they are terrified of death.

Brethren, eternity exists. Brethren, our very progress, our tendency toward the infinite, our life, which looks like a road or a runway, shows that it is absurd for all of this to end in non-being. You see, we accumulate, we accumulate – accumulate experiences, feelings, knowledge, and sometimes even wealth, and suddenly it all hits the wall of death. We have memory, we have consciousness, we have experiences – all of these must have a meaning, and that meaning cannot be death, but eternity – that is, the fulfillment of all that we have accumulated here on earth. That is why, brethren, those who do not believe in God, who do not believe in a blissful eternity and in eternal justice, are depressed – this is one of the main causes of depression, you should know.

Now, beyond this logic, there are also many experiences of people who have been on the brink of death or have even died and come back. Aside from numerous books with testimonies and miracles, I personally know such people. My first experience with such events was when I was still in the world. In our circle of friends there was a guy who was always joking around. He had a Citroën, one of those older models, basically a tank on wheels, if you know what I mean. At one point, our friend disappeared from the group and reappeared a few weeks later, this time looking very serious. When the rest of us in the group saw him, we cheerfully asked, “Hey, where’d you go?” and he replied very seriously, “I saw heaven!” We all started laughing, yes, but when we looked more closely at his face, we saw that he was as serious as could be and wasn’t in the mood for jokes at all. We froze and asked him for more details. What had happened?

He told us that he was speeding down a highway in that Citroën, and at one point he entered a wide curve that allowed him to keep his speed up, but he couldn’t see what was ahead of him. Ahead of him, however, a Dacia had broken down and had come to a stop, and the family – thank God! – had gotten out of the car to try to find a more experienced driver to help them, so they weren’t paying much attention to what was happening behind the car. They were outside the car. In the Dacia, however, a little girl – the family’s child – had been left in the back seat. We thank the Mother of God from the bottom of our hearts that she was secured – if I recall correctly, she was in one of those child safety seats; I don’t remember exactly, please forgive me!

In any case, the Citroën slammed into the Dacia, and the impact was so severe that the Citroën’s headlights plunged right up to the little girl’s ribs. She didn’t even realize what had happened and, due to the shock, kept eating the cookies she’d been eating before the accident. They were… brethren, may the Good and Holy God forbid! Our friend told us that at that very moment he felt his soul leaving his body, passing through a tunnel of light, and saw heaven as he told us, but at some point, of course, he came back. You should know that not everyone sees this tunnel and some have different experiences, but for the most part they are similar to one another.

For example, I know a monk who caught a terrible cold and I think the doctor told him he needed to sweat to get over the cold, something like that. In any case, the brother bundled up very well at night and turned the radiator up to the maximum so that he would sweat in his sleep. He sweated and was soaking wet and involuntarily uncovered himself in his sleep – you know how it is – and just at that moment the radiator stopped. The brother was frozen stiff and his nose and throat became blocked, so he could no longer breathe. He found himself trapped inside his own body. He woke up and started to wheeze and struggle and, from what he told me, his soul started to leave his body.

At that very moment, he found himself face to face with an immense ocean of love, a boundless ocean of love… a boundless ocean of boundless love, waiting specifically for him to see what he would do. He told me that what impressed him deeply was the very personal nature of this experience, that is, it wasn’t a void with him as a nobody, but a deeply loving Person, a personal ocean of love that was deeply interested in him personally. Then this father said, “Lord… what will happen with me??” He told me that God told him several things that he cannot tell me, but the last thing He told him was, “Go to your cassock and see that there you have a VapoRub, a camphor-based ointment – put it to your nose and you will get better,” God told him. Anyway, it is a product that is very well known especially in Australia, yes, which clears your nasal passages – and that is how the brother got better – glory to God!

So, brethren, all these stories about eternity, believe me, are as real as can be. Do you understand? I could tell you even more, but for now I just wanted to convince you, through the experiences of people I know to a greater or lesser extent, beyond the Church’s teachings and logical arguments, that eternity exists, brethren, and especially personal eternity. We do not dissolve into an amorphous soup! Do you understand?

So, our goal is eternal personal perfection, eternal happiness – heaven, brethren, in Church terms. God is our model to Whom we must become similar, and He is totally immaterial and personal. That is God – immaterial and personal. Beyond that, the spiritual teaching of the Church and even the phenomenon of death teach us that we should rather focus on the eternal soul and especially on the spirit, and not so much on matter, because matter, the body, gives birth to strife, decadence, death, separation. We emphasize again that matter is not bad, brethren, in itself, but it constitutes a center of attraction that draws us away from God. Do you understand? Beyond that, matter contains within itself the principle of separation, or “localization,” as it is also called, and this is why so many problems arise. What does the principle of separation, or localization, mean? It means that from here to here is one brick, and from there onward is another brick. This is also valid at the molecular level. Every molecule, so to speak, has its own separate place.

The big problem in this world isn’t that there’s a brick here and another brick there, but the fact that if this brick is mine, it isn’t also yours, and that’s where war comes from. Do you understand? Love is being trampled upon. Whereas, you see, God unites everything through love, without trampling on the freedom of rational beings, because if He did, it would no longer be love, but tyranny. In fact, brethren, you know very well that tyranny does not produce true unity, but only pressures and tensions. In fact, this was and is the fall of Adam: the use of his freedom to detach himself from the loving and unifying God and his striving to find perfect knowledge in the tree, in matter. Thus, man separated himself from the Creator, separated himself from creation, including from Eve, and even more than that: this principle of separation has even entered into us.

You see, man was created from soul and body, but there was also the Spirit of God in the creation of man, the Holy Spirit who breathed into him. For this reason, some Church Fathers say that man is composed of two parts – that is, soul and body – while others say three parts – that is, soul, body, and Spirit – emphasizing that the Spirit of God dwelt, before the Fall, in the finest, most understanding part of the soul, namely, the mind. It is, of course, something other than the mind, being the Spirit of God, and it was the illuminator of the mind. Brethren, without the Spirit, man stumbles about, because he has no goal, no true points of reference. Do you understand?

Although the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, that is, the true God, a Person of the Holy Trinity, many saints also refer to Him, in a sense, as “the spirit of man.” Why? Because the Spirit of God, out of love for man, submits to him and tries to be obedient, for the proper way of existence for beings is obedience. Anything else is distortion. So, the Spirit submits to man; the Spirit becomes the spirit of man, the Holy Spirit. Do you understand? When man broke away through disobedience, he fell into existential distortion, he became twisted, and the Holy Spirit departed, respecting the freedom of choice of the lonely man… and hence his tragedy and torment. Why is this a tragedy? Because the Holy Spirit is the Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Giver of all good things, and, above all, the Giver of life.

So, brethren, do not expect to be masters over yourselves or to be able to experience any goodness or to live properly without the grace of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit, says the Holy Apostle Paul, is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, purity, and others. It would be good for you to learn them by heart. Because you should know that these are not the only ones – there are many others as well. And above all, you must know that the Holy Spirit is the treasury, is the manager of all blessings.

Brethren, do not expect to feel love, kindness, peace and to truly offer love if you do not have the Spirit of God. Likewise, do not think that you will be joyful unless the Holy Spirit overshadows you. Or that you will have peace! Not a chance! The dystopian society, a society of war and conflict, the society we live in today, where unifying love is almost entirely absent, amply proves to us that we will find true happiness and love only in the Holy Spirit. Apart from Him, there are only illusions, mere stimulation of the senses, and carnal pleasures that leave us desolate and depressed, and only create addiction and dependence. Do you understand?

So, brethren, our immediate goal to reach perfection is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. Do you understand? More precisely, our goal is the re-acquisition of the Holy Spirit, because God created us, as I was saying, as body and soul – a soul with the Holy Spirit, and through the fall, the Holy Spirit left and in His place demonic energy entered, and the distorted spirit. People have tried to attain perfection through matter, they have tried to reach God the totally immaterial, how? By building the Tower of Babel, brethren, and because matter has within itself the principle of separation, people necessarily separated even more from each other and from God, trying to do this – to reach God through matter, brethren. You see, the problem is not that people are trying to attain perfection, but that they are seeking it where it does not exist, and in a completely inappropriate way. Do you understand?

Well, let us see how we acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit, in order to acquire all these gifts, that is, to acquire peace, to acquire joy, and, ultimately, perfection, that is, to reach our goal. Let’s first of all see what Scripture says. It says there that the Lord told the apostles to go and stay in Jerusalem, that is, in the city, that is, in their heart – since you know that Jerusalem is the icon of the heart – until the promise of the Father comes, that is, the promise from God. Therefore, brethren, let us not venture out, because a life lived at extremes in a physical sense does not lead us to the Holy Spirit. Rather, let us lead as simple a life as possible, [a life] of waiting for the promise of the Heavenly Spirit, a life that outwardly is deliberately simple, natural, and free from worries, so that our inner spiritual life may be maximized, that is, the rediscovery of people and, first and foremost, of God, and through God, of others.

Brethren, let us not dwell so much on what to do from a material and administrative standpoint. Let us focus much more on the spiritual life of waiting, through good deeds, on the Heavenly Spirit. Let us not do superfluous things that cannot help us after death, brethren! Do you understand? Good deeds. Okay, and what are these good deeds? Well, let us see what Scripture says further: it says that the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost when they were all gathered together in the same place and we know that they were praying in the upper room. So good deeds are the deeds that foster unity among us, which gather us together, deeds of love, deeds of mercy that unite us with God and with one another. Beyond that is the pure prayer – which is actually a great deed of mercy because it unites us with each other and with God. For this, brethren, we must separate ourselves from the world, in the upper room.

Brethren, put your cell phones on airplane mode – that button actually works, you know. Leave the news alone, as it has nothing to offer you. Withdraw to the upper room. The first thing you should do when you get home, after kissing your family, is to engage in pure prayer, free from worries as much as possible. Brethren, the news is online – it’s not going anywhere. I’m not saying that’s a good thing, but it’s not going anywhere. It would be best if you didn’t watch it at all, but let’s say some of you still want to see what’s happening in the world. Brethren, look after you pray. If you look 20 minutes later, it is not the end of the world. And if it is the end of the world, at least we made it through. But if you spend your time first on the news and all the informational garbage spewed by TikTok and other similar apps, you’ll be exhausted by evening, brethren; you’ll be TikTok-ed out and you’ll say your prayers with your head in a bag, if you even say them at all. Brethren, let us not forget our goal! Let’s be focused!

Let’s put people first, and especially the Divine Persons, that is, the Holy Trinity. After that, our loved ones – our family, our lady, our husband, our children… Do you understand? Brethren, the Holy Spirit comes if we put God first, otherwise, He does not come, do you understand? If we do not sit together with the spiritual ones in the city, in that upper room far from the world and close to heaven, and instead we wander about and long to travel and know everything under the sun, God does not come, brethren, do you understand? Yes, okay, the great gift of the Holy Spirit is the almost exclusive prerogative of monks who dedicate themselves totally to God; of course, it is almost impossible for a person in the world to have such experiences; but, first of all, brethren, let us give a little priority to God! Let’s put God first. Even if the monk is privileged because he is under the obedience of a spiritual father, however, still, each of us – each of you in world should taste a little bit of this grace of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that right? Do you understand?

Brethren, if we remain in the unity of love far from the unbridled world, waiting with watchful prayer and patience for the descent of the Holy Spirit, then indeed He will come unexpectedly, suddenly, without us planning it, but directly from God, the Holy Spirit will come upon us and will baptize us, will immerse us in spirituality, as much as each one can hold in their vessel. You should know that not everyone who says they have the Holy Spirit actually has Him. Not every congregation that has sprung up more or less overnight or has strayed from the teaching of Christ has the Holy Spirit. You see, the apostles loved everyone and spoke to all, maximizing unity, yet they did not ask those from other nations what they thought about Christ or about God in general. Do you understand?

Brethren, when we speak of remaining in, and maximizing the unity of love, this does not mean existential stagnation at all, but rather a great strength to minimize the daily worries and concerns that today constitute a great scourge, a great addiction. Unfortunately, today we no longer know how to simply be, we no longer know how to live, we no longer know how to love—everything is action, full steam ahead to acquire money, power, and fame. Sometimes, people no longer know how to do anything but work and can’t stop doing it, terrified of the emptiness they discover within themselves if they step away from the daily chaos, a chaos that actually blinds them. Folks, we must stop for a moment, because otherwise we will miss our mark and become bitter, we will become hardened, we will become incapable of truly rejoicing in another, in our friends, unable to form relationships with others, unable to love.

We must rediscover the art of contemplation and the beauty of the other person, and then the Holy Spirit will come upon us like a mighty rushing wind and will fill our entire existence and especially our heart with the immaterial flames of love. Do you understand? It will not be, however, a dark, sensual love, full of passions, but a radiant love for all people as persons that will push us to speak to everyone about the great treasure that has been revealed in our heart. Yes, okay, some people will mock us – I know that – but we must not back down from virtue, from love, and we must fulfill the purpose to which God has called us.

Brethren, if they said the Holy Apostles were drunk, are they going to let us off the hook?! Let’s be serious! In such situations, it is good to explain to those who have the capacity to listen what God’s will is, without fear, but also without aggression. Of course, only the Spirit of God can do this, a Spirit Whom we must ask to give us this grace so that we do not succumb to the extremes of our incensive side and can maintain our balance as individuals. You see, the Holy Spirit comes as one and personally – the tongues of fire come upon each person personally from the same source of the Spirit. Do you understand?

The apostles explained to those present what was happening because the Spirit was giving each one the power and the gift of speaking to others; however, brethren, if we do not have the experience and confirmation of the Holy Spirit’s gift, let us not set out on our own, for we will not succeed. Do you understand? Let’s not assume we have the experience of the Holy Spirit just because of the prophecy quoted by Saint Peter from Joel, which says that the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh. Yes, that is so – He descends upon us all, but, brethren, we must be open for the Holy Spirit to enter us. In fact, brethren, this is the great tragedy of humanity: The Holy Spirit comes upon us, but we do not desire Him because we do not open our hearts to Him. It’s a great tragedy, brethren!

We’re too preoccupied with our addictions, our plans, our selfishness, and we no longer have time to love one other. We’re sad and lonely because we believe that happiness lies in material things and personal interests. Happiness isn’t found in material things, but in the unity of love in the Holy Spirit. Brethren, today there is a new pandemic, a true pandemic of loneliness. In the USA, over 60% of young people and over 50% of mothers with children suffer from acute loneliness. 60% of young people, and 50% of mothers suffer from acute loneliness. Brethren, I didn’t make up these figures – they’re from Harvard, just so you know. You can look it up. The problem is very serious because people are comfortless and alone, fixated on their work and their interests, believing they can find comfort in material comforts in the absence of the Personal Comforter and in the absence of people. It is not possible, brethren. Brethren, true connection happens only in the Church, as we draw near to God and through God, because only in this way do we escape from passions, from being closed off within ourselves, from selfishness. Do you understand?

True connection isn’t achieved through WhatsApp or Facebook, but through a loving, face-to-face relationship that involves a great deal of love and a great deal of time. Brethren, let’s put aside the screens that don’t love and have more patience to listen to what the other person is saying so that we can understand them; let’s have a disposition to listen and not be ready with ammunition, consisting at least of words, if not gestures, to bring them down and demonstrate the supremacy of our fist over our brother. Because this will lead us to immense sadness stemming from the loneliness into which we will sink, and let us not forget that the sad future is eternal.

Let us not forget that we have a great responsibility before God regarding others, for it is through them that our salvation comes. Brethren, we are not saved alone, but only together. Do you understand? To hell we go alone. If we attack everyone and try to trample over corpses to achieve our goals, obviously everyone will leave us, and first and foremost, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, will leave us. And then love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, self-control and all the rest will also leave us. Learn them by heart, brethren! Then we will miss our goal, and that is hell on earth. Brethren, loneliness gives rise to depression, anxiety, heart disease, and drug use. When I say “drugs,” I mean everything from chemical substances to sex, screens, and many other things. Do you understand? And then, these great passions within us, this hell within us, will torment us and reverberate in those with whom we interact. Do you understand?

Only in God do we find our unity. Because God is at the center of creation, and creation is like a circle, and all beings exist on this circle. Do you understand? On the circumference of the circle, the moment two beings approach the center of the circle, they also draw closer to one another. And only when we reach the center of the circle, that is, God, we will attain unity. Do you understand? May the Good God help us attain unity in the Holy Spirit! Thank you for staying with me until now, and please pray that we may all be open and receive the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Eternal One, in our hearts!

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us! Amen.

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