The Lamp of the Spirit

Τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε· προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε. Πάντα δὲ δοκιμάζετε·  τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε. Ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε.    Ἀχλύς τις παχεῖα καὶ ζόφος καὶ νεφέλη κατακέχυται τῆς γῆς ἁπάσης·  καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔλεγεν·  Ἦμεν γάρ ποτε σκότος· καὶ πάλιν, Ὑμεῖς, ἀδελφοὶ, οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σκότει, ἵνα ἡ ἡμέρα ὑμᾶς ὡς κλέπτης καταλάβῃ.  Ἐπεὶ οὖν νύξ ἐστιν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἀσέληνος, καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ βαδίζομεν, ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν λαμπάδα φαιδρὰν ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου τὴν χάριν ἀνάψας ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς.  Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ φῶς οἱ μὲν δεξάμενοι λαμπρότερον εἰργάσαντο καὶ φαιδρὸν, οἷον ὡς Παῦλος, ὡς Πέτρος, ὡς οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες ἐκεῖνοι· οἱ δὲ καὶ ἔσβεσαν, ὡς αἱ πέντε παρθένοι, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι οἱ περὶ τὴν πίστιν ναυαγήσαντες, ὡς ὁ ἐν Κορίνθῳ πεπορνευκὼς, ὡς Γαλάται παρατραπέντες. Διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος νῦν φησι, Τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε, τουτέστι, τὸ χάρισμα· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτῷ καλεῖν ἔθος τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Πνεύματος. Σβέννυσι δὲ αὐτὸ βίος ἀκάθαρτος.  Καθάπερ γάρ τις ἐπὶ τοῦ λυχνιαίου τούτου φωτὸς, ὕδωρ κατασκεδάσας, ἢ χοῦν, ἔσβεσε τὸ φῶς, καὶ εἰ μηδὲν τούτων, ἀλλά γε τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξελών· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ χαρίσματος· ἄν τε γὰρ γήϊνα καὶ τῶν διαῤῥεόντων πραγμάτων κατασκεδάσῃς φροντίδας, ἔσβεσας τὸ πνεῦμα· ἄν τε σὺ μηδὲν ἐργάσῃ τοιοῦτον, ἑτέρωθεν δέ ποθεν πειρασμὸς ἐπελθὼν προσβάλῃ σφοδρῶς, καθάπερ τι πνεῦμα, καὶ μὴ σφοδρὰ ᾖ ἡ φλὸξ, ἢ πολὺ τὸ ἔλαιον ἔχουσα, ἢ τὴν ὀπὴν μὴ ἐμφράξῃς, ἢ τὴν θύραν μὴ προσκλείσῃς, πάντα ἀπόλωλε. Τί δέ ἐστιν ἡ ὀπή; Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ λύχνου, οὕτω καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν, ὀπή ἐστιν ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ ἀκοή. Μὴ ἀφῇς ταύταις προσπίπτειν πνεῦμα σφοδρὸν πονηρίας, ἐπεὶ ἔσβεσε τὸν λύχνον, ἀλλ' ἀπόφραξον τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Θύρα τὸ στόμα ἐστί· κλεῖσον, πρόσκλεισον, ἵνα καὶ τὸ φῶς παρέχῃ, καὶ ἀποκρούηται τὴν ἔξωθεν προσβολήν. Οἷον, ὕβρισέ σέ τις; ἐλοιδόρησε; σὺ κλεῖσον τὸ στόμα·  ἂν γὰρ ἀνοίξῃς, ἐῤῥίπισας τὸν ἄνεμον.  Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις, ὅταν καταντικρὺ καὶ ἐπ' εὐθείας δύο θύραι στήκωσι, καὶ σφοδρὸς ἄνεμος ᾖ, πῶς, ἂν τὴν ἑτέραν κλείσῃς καὶ ἀντίπνοια μὴ γένηται, οὐδὲν ἴσχυσεν ὁ ἄνεμος, ἀλλὰ τὸ πολὺ τῆς ἰσχύος ὑποτέμνεται;  Οὕτω καὶ νῦν, δύο εἰσὶ θύραι, τὸ στόμα τὸ σὸν, καὶ τὸ τοῦ ὑβρίζοντός σε καὶ ἐμ  παροινοῦντος·  ἂν ἀποκλείσῃς τὸ σὸν καὶ μὴ δῷς ἀντίπνοιαν, ἔσβεσας ὅλον τὸ πνεῦμα·  ἂν δὲ ἀνοίξῃς, ἀκάθεκτον γίνεται.  Μὴ τοίνυν αὐτὸ σβεννύωμεν.  Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος,Ὑπομηνα Ἐις Την Προς Θεσσαλονικεις Ἐπιστολην Πρωτην, Ὀμιλια ΙΑʹ

'Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophecy. But test all things; hold to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil.' 1   A thick mist, a darkness and a cloud, is poured out over all the earth. And making this clear, the Apostle said, 'For we were once darkness.' And again, 'You, brethren, are not in darkness, so that that day should take you like a thief.' 2 Since then there is, so to say, a moonless night, and we walk in this night, God has given us a bright lamp, having kindled in our souls the grace of the Holy Spirit. But some who have received this light have rendered it more bright and shining, like Paul and Peter and all those saints, while others have quenched it, like the five virgins, like those who have made shipwreck of the faith, like the fornicator of Corinth, like the Galatians who were corrupted. Thus Paul now says, 'Do not quench not the Spirit,' that is, grace, for it is his custom so to call the grace of the Spirit. But an impure life quenches it. For as any one who has sprinkled both water and dust upon the light of this lamp quenches it, and if he does not do this, but only removes the oil, so it is also with grace, for if you have poured upon it a flood of worldly things, you have quenched the Spirit, and if you have not done this, but a temptation coming from some other place has vehemently rushed upon it, like some wind, and if the light is not strong, or if it does not have much oil, or if you have not shut the opening, or if you have not closed the door, all is destroyed. But what is the opening? As in the lamp, so is it also in us, the opening is the eye and the ear. Do not allow a strong gust of wickedness to fall upon these, since it would quench the lamp, but close them with the fear of God. The mouth is the door: shut it, fasten it, that it may give light and ward off the assault from without. Has someone abused you? Reviled you? Close your mouth, for if you open it, you strengthen the wind. Do you not see in houses, when two doors stand opposite, and there is a strong wind, if you shut one, and there is no opposite draught, the wind has no force, but the greater part of its strength is diminished? So now there are two doors, your mouth, and the mouth of the one who abuses and treats you ill. If you close your mouth and do not give opposition, you have quenched the whole wind, but if you open it, it will not be restrained. Let us then not quench it. Saint John Chrysostom, Homily 11 on First Thessalonians 1  1 Thes 5. 19-22 2 1 Thes 5. 4