Main news for 3 September 2025

Reading the description of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts, one can notice that almost the first consequence of this event was the fearlessness of those very disciples of Christ who just before this had gathered only in secret "for fear of the Jews" (John 20:19). The apostle Paul also writes about this same gift of the Holy Spirit.

What fears usually live in us and keep us from living? Fear of death, fear of pain and suffering, fear of making a mistake, fear of losing something or someone, fear of the unknown... These and other fears intertwine, forming a kind of net that paralyzes all our movements. What does the Spirit set against these fears? First, He gives power - not our human power, which only feeds our pride and which will always meet another power greater than itself, but the power of God, made perfect in our weakness. And if God is for us, who is against us? (Rom 8:31). Second, the Spirit brings love with Him. Love for God enabled Christians of every age to accept suffering and death without fear, because in suffering and death there is union with Christ, who conquered death. Love for neighbor has no fear of loss, for those we love do not belong to us and go their own way, and loss cannot be eternal because only love is eternal. And finally, there is the gift of chastity, which stands against our fear of ourselves and of our mistakes. Chastity is not celibacy, as we are used to understanding it. Chastity is wholeness, undividedness, the inner unity of the person himself, sanctified by the wisdom that God gives. It appears in every sphere of our life, not only in the sexual sphere. In marriage it is faithfulness; in celibacy, abstinence; in relationships with God, humility; in relationships with people, service. Perhaps chastity is precisely what every person is unconsciously seeking when he turns to a psychotherapist with his problems.

So here is the secret of genuine Christian freedom, the freedom to live in openness and fearlessness: the Holy Spirit, bringing with Him power, love, and chastity.