THE ACQUISITION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Fr. Paul Costopoulos, HOLY TRINITY/HOLY CROSS, Birmingham,AL

To be what God wants us to be and to do what God wants us to do is very difficult.
Some say it is impossible. Among other things it requires us to love our enemies, bless
those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use
us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44). But who of us can do these things?
The answer to the question is a simple one. None of us can. Attesting to this is
Jesus Himself. He tells us that salvation with men is impossible (Matthew 19:44). This is
the bad news. But the good news as communicated to us by our Lord is that we do not
have to despair because with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:44). They are
possible because of Jesus’ redeeming death upon the cross. To be sure! But they are
also possible because of the “gift” of God given on the day of Pentecost, namely the Holy
Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity.
The Holy Spirit is the power of God that makes it possible for one to do God’s will.
The Holy Spirit is God’s grace and free gift given to those who believe in Him and
live in accord with His will. Our need for the Holy Spirit is great. It is not possible to be and do what God wants us to be and do without it. It is for this reason there is much wisdom in that aphorism once articulated by St. Seraphim of Sarov which states that whole purpose of life is to acquire the Holy Spirit and as much of it as possible.
Encapsulating this aphorism are the following words: “Prayer, fasting, vigils and all other
Christian acts, however good they may be in themselves, certainly do not constitute the
aim of the Christian life; they are but the indispensable means of attaining that aim. For
the true aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit…”
If acquiring the Holy Spirit is the aim of the Christian life, and if fasting, prayers, vigils,
and other Christian acts make it possible to acquire the Holy Spirit, then it stands to
reason that we ought to engage in these Christians acts, and most especially in the
act of prayer. For what is greater and more beneficial to the Christian than the Holy
Spirit? And what is easier than the means by which the Holy Spirit is given to us: prayer?
Does Jesus Himself not speak to us about the facility of the acquisition of the Holy Spirit
when he says: “If you then…know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13).
Someone once asked me, “What is your goal in life?” My response was a simple one, “To be a son of my Father who is in heaven and to live eternally with Him in His Kingdom” (cit. Matthew 5:45). The goal is a realizable one. It comes through being what God wants us to be and
doing what God wants us to do, which in turn comes from acquiring the Holy Spirit and
as much of it as possible.
Toward the end of acquiring the Holy Spirit through Christian living and a life of prayer is the end toward which we ought to address ourselves.