He imparted the fellowship of this Holy Spirit to the apostles, for it is written, When he had said that, he breathed upon them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.’^[1] This was the second breathing (the first had been impaired by willful sins)^[2] to fulfill the Scripture: One who has been delivered from affliction has come up panting into your presence. He has been delivered from Hades. For it was after his resurrection, according to the gospel, that he breathed on them. He gives the grace at this time, and he will lavish it more abundantly. He says to them, I am ready to give it to you even now, but the vessel cannot yet hold it. Accept for the time the grace of which you are capable, but look forward to yet more. But wait here in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.^[3] Receive it in part now; then you will be clad in its fullness. For he who receives often has the gift only in part, but he who is clothed is entirely covered by his garment. Fear not, he says, the weapons and darts of the devil, for you will possess the power of the Holy Spirit. But be mindful of our recent admonition, that the Holy Spirit is not divided, but only the grace he bestows.

One has come up blowing in your face, rescuing you from tribulation.^[1] God is the cause of this for you by his decision as though by some kind of blowing, destroying them but freeing you from their power. Just as by blowing a breath of life into Adam he made him a living being,^[2] so he provided you with salvation by the blowing of life. This is also what Christ the Lord gave the sacred apostles after the resurrection. Since Adam lost what he had received by way of image through the divine blowing, it was right that Christ the Lord should renew the image and restore it to the sacred apostles and through them to all the believers, blowing on them and saying, Receive the Holy Spirit.^[3] Since former things are a type of the new, therefore, let us take the Assyrians’ kingdom that was destroyed as the devil’s tyranny brought to an end through Christ the Lord.

But is this the only place we read of substance? Has it not also been said in another passage: The gates of the cities are broken down, the mountains are fallen, and his substance is revealed?^[1] What, does the word mean something created here also? Some, I know, are accustomed to say that the substance is substance in money. Then, if you give this meaning to the word, the mountains fell in order that someone’s possessions of money might be seen. But let us remember what mountains fell, those, namely, of which it has been said, If you shall have faith as a grain of mustard seed you shall say to this mountain, ‘Be removed, and be cast into the sea!’ ^[2] By mountains, then, are meant high things that exalt themselves.^[3]

Let us mourn with Nahum and let us say with him, Woe to him that builds up this house [by injustice].^[1] Or rather let us mourn for them as Christ did in his day, when he said, Woe to you rich, for you are now having your reward and your comfort.^[2] Let us not, I beseech you, cease mourning in this way, and if it is not unbecoming, let us also bewail the apathy of our brothers. Let us not weep loudly for him who is already dead, but let us weep for the robber, the grasping, miserly, greedy man.