Spirituality of the Holy Pentacostal

The Spiritual Spring over the year, or so called by the fathers of the church, is the Great Lent period. And the peak of this Spiritual Spring is the Holy Week; where we live with Christ moment by moment. Many dedicate this week for prayers that they take vacations from their work, and stay in the church day and night, praying and contemplating in Christ Passion. This marvelous peak concludes with the Joyful Bright Saturday and the Easter Eve Liturgy. Indeed it is a week when we get spiritually charged, to go with this charge along the narrow road for the rest of the year.

However, right after the Easter Eve, we are faced with a critical period. There are no two Paschas every day any more. There are no regular weekday liturgies any more. And the Liturgy on Sunday is shorter than that we used to for 7 weeks now! No fasting on Wed. or Fri., after 55 days of first degree fasting⁽¹⁾! This causes us – for many times – to regard the Holy Fifties period as a “break” or in tuff words: vacation from God, which is clearly not the case! The church – Christ’s pride - wouldn’t ever compel us to take “vacation” from God.

This raises the question: what is it then the spirituality of the Holy Fifties? How can we preserve the charge we just received for a bit longer than the Holy fifties period? How can we not fast, not pray with entreating or metanias, and yet be as close to God as we were during the Holy Week?!

Well, I have no answer. But the Bible does. Listen to The Holy Spirit teaching us through St. Paul’s tongue: "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death," (Phi 3:10)

Listen, He – The Holy Spirit – mentioned resurrection first, then the fellowship of His suffering, while Christ suffered first, then resurrected. But that is not a mistake, because God The Holy Spirit is infallible. This is a message to us, that it is Resurrection, and knowing Jesus Christ, and His Resurrection is what help us endures the tribulations and temptations of the world. It is The Power of the Resurrection that enables us to have the will to carry the cross and follow Him. And not only to endures sufferings, but to do so with JOY. Listen to the Holy Spirit commending us saying: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phi 4:4)

Have you ever wondered, how can one rejoice ALWAYS? Well, this is what the church train us to do during the Holy Fifties. We sin and repent during the Holy Fifties as any other time of the year, but the difference is that in the Holy Fifties, with our eyes focused on Resurrected Christ, we rejoice even during the pain accompanied with repentance. We rejoice when we endure those who trespasses against us. That is why the Chruch sings in joyful tone all the year.

In fact, there is a single service in the Church that get longer during the Holy Fifties: The Mid-night praise. There is a Aspasmos (piece) before first Hos (praise), and some pieces at the end of the Theotokia (St. Mary glorification). Why specifically the mid-night praise is getting enlounged while every other prayer is shortened? Because the praise is the service of Joy! They say that praising is not asking God any thing, it is just contemplating in God’s goodness, mercy and beauty. Thus, no one can praise unless he/she is joyful and rejoicing. Thus, the Church teach us to rejoice with God! And endure in Christ with Joy during the Holy Fifty.

Rejoice always in Resurrected Christ!

⁽¹⁾ Fasts in Coptic church are ranked into degrees, with the first degree being every Wed and Fri, Great Lent, and Jonah Fast; where we stop eating or drinking till sunset, then eat vegan with no sea food.