On Blood, and Fire, and Vapor of Smoke, and the Blood Moon

Today, we celebrate the memory of the Holy Prophet Joel. The epistle reading is from St. Peter's quotation of him at Pentecost.

I have often thought it strange that St. Peter continues the quotation, of which he says Pentecost was the fulfillment, with the statement that there would be blood and fire and vapor of smoke, and that the Sun would be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible Day of the Lord.

Regarding the blood and fire, the Fathers are unanimous that this refers to the Incarnation, for the fire of the divinity came and dwelt bodily -- that is, in flesh and blood -- among us, and returned in this same body, and with the blood He shed for us, into the heavens, from whence He sent forth the Spirit.

Likewise, the sun being darkened refers to both the darkening of the Sun at the crucifixion, and also that the pure doctrine of Christ would be obscured by the noxious smoke of heresies in the history of the Church from that day to this, particularly toward the end, "before the great and terrible day of the Lord."

For the Day of the Lord has already begun with the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the sending of the Spirit, who "when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."

The Day of the Lord is already "great and terrible", and this greatness and terror will become open and manifest when He returns "in His own glory, and that of His Father, and of the Holy angles," to judge the living and the dead. In that day the secrets of men will be made manifest, and the judgment that has already proceeded will be revealed in the hearts of men.

Until then, the "vapor of smoke" is both the noxious smoke of the heretics, which arises from the bottomless pit, and also the vaporous and sweet-smelling smoke of the incense of the true prayer of the Church which is brought with and enabled by the Spirit, rising from the censors of our hearts warmed and enflamed by the same Spirit.

For he does not simply say, "smoke", but "vapor of smoke". In this, then, the divine prophet shows that the life-giving Spirit accompanies and enables true prayer, without which the prayer (and thus the theology, for "lex orandi, lex credendi") of the heretics is merely noxious smoke, and not sweet-smelling at all, but burns the eyes and darkens them, so that they cannot see the Sun of righteousness, nor understand true doctrine.

Now, that the vapor of the smoke is the Spirit is evident, for the Psalmist sings, "vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word". And we know that the wind fulfilling the word of the Lord is the Spirit. (And that it is "stormy" refers also to the Spirit, which came at Pentecost upon them as "mighty" and "rushing", which is the same description.)

And unless any remain confused, note also that the Spirit is the giver of life, which St. James compares to a "vapor, which "appears for a little time, and vanishes away". For when the "spirit returns to God who gave it", then our life here on the earth vanishes away, and either we ascend with Him into the heavens (if we have united ourselves in Him), or else we perish if we have not acquired Him.

Now, regarding the moon turning to blood, this is fulfilled in two things. Firstly, Israel, which under the Law was stony of heart and reflect only coldly the light of the Sun of righteousness, in the Theotokos and the Church the heart of stone, under the Law written in stone, is taken away and is given instead a heart of flesh (not carnal flesh, in the sense St. Paul uses it in some places, but rather flesh as in contrast to stone), as the Lord promised by the prophet Jeremiah.

Secondly, that the blood of the Church so gained would then be poured out in martyrdoms, to continuously give light to the world, for "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church", and as the moon shines in the night and activates the seeds so that they grow, so the blood of the martyrs shines in the darkness of the night of sin and activates the seeds of the Word sown in the light of the Day by their preaching.

And thus "the moon has been turned to blood".