This lecture, delivered by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, addresses the theme of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples on the Day of Pentecost “as tongues as of fire,” focusing on the meaning of fire in the Scriptures and its manifestations in the lives of believers and servants.

I. The Meaning of Fire in Holy Scripture

1. Symbolism of Fire: In the Old Testament, fire represents:
   • The Lord’s Majesty and Divine Justice: “For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12).
   • The Acceptance of Sacrifice: As seen with the prophet Elijah’s sacrifice and the burnt offering, where the fire is “not to be put out,” signifying that the offering is wholly for God.
2. Fire and the Holy Spirit:
   • Fire is a symbol for the Lord and His Holy Spirit.
   • Every believer is a “temple of the Holy Spirit,” and this temple must never be devoid of the fire.

II. Manifestations of Fire in the Church

1. In Worship: Fire is continuously present in the candles, incense, and lamps (lights) within the church.
2. Symbolism of Candles:
   • By Icons: They represent the saints who consumed their lives for God (like a candle that melts away to give light).
   • At the Altar: They symbolize the angels and heaven.
   • During the Reading of the Gospel: They symbolize the spiritual light and sacred teaching (“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”).
3. Fire and the Censer (Thurible):
   • The fire in the censer symbolizes the union of the Divinity with the Humanity (the union of the fire with the coal inside the censer, which symbolizes the Virgin Mary).
   • The incense symbolizes the life of a person that is spent to offer a fragrant aroma to the society in which they live.

III. Fire and the Servants of God

1. The Nature of Angelic Servants: “Who makes His angels spirits, and His servants a flame of fire.”
   • Elijah’s ascent in a chariot of fire symbolizes his being carried by angels (“a flame of fire”).
   • The chariots of fire surrounding Elisha and the city of Samaria were angelic chariots.
2. The Lesson of the Seraphim:
   • Seraphim means “those who are burning with fire.”
   • When the prophet Isaiah exclaimed, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips,” a Seraph flew, took a live coal from the altar, and touched his lips with it to purify him.
   • The Lesson: The fiery spirit cannot tolerate the destruction of anyone, but rushes to purify them and grant them assurance.
3. The Nature of the Ministering Word:
   • The tongues of fire demonstrate: “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
   • The servant’s work is not to speak, but to allow the Spirit of God to speak in them “as tongues of fire.”
   • The Effect of Fire: If fire touches anything, it makes it fire; likewise, spiritual servants must “ignite” those they touch with the fire that is within them.
   • Examples: Such as the Apostle Paul, whose words made Governor Felix tremble, and King Agrippa who said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
4. Spiritual Heat (Fervency):
   • The call is: “Be fervent in spirit” (Do not be sluggish or stagnant spirits).
   • Just as the difference between a living and a dead body is “heat,” so is the spiritual life.
   • The Apostles said, “We cannot but speak” (because a fire is burning within them).
   • This heat was not only in the word, but also in prayer, repentance, asceticism, and the defense of the faith, which enabled the Church to endure the ages of persecution.
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