When Jesus says I will pray the father and he will send the helper does that mean the spirit was not present before

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

When our Lord Jesus Christ says, "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever" (John 14:16), it does not mean that the Holy Spirit was absent or non-existent prior to that moment.

To understand this according to the Coptic Orthodox faith, we must distinguish between the eternal existence of the Holy Spirit and His economical mission (His specific work and dwelling) in the New Covenant.

1. The Holy Spirit is Eternal and Co-essential

The Holy Spirit is the third Hypostasis (Person) of the Holy Trinity. He is co-essential with the Father and the Son. As we confess in the Orthodox Creed, He is "The Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father." Because God is eternal, the Holy Spirit has always been present.

• In Creation: "The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2).
• In the Prophets: The Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets of the Old Testament. St. Peter confirms that "holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).
• In the Incarnation: The Holy Spirit came upon St. Mary for the conception of our Lord.

2. The Difference Between "With" and "In"

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon specific people (kings, prophets, and judges) for specific tasks or periods. However, because of the fall of Adam and the presence of sin, the Spirit did not "abide" or dwell permanently within humanity.

When Jesus speaks of sending the Helper, He is referring to a new mode of presence.

• Before Christ: The Spirit was external to the human nature in its fallen state.
• After Christ: Because Christ purified our human nature through His death and resurrection, we became temples worthy of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus clarifies this distinction in John 14:17: "...for He dwells with you and will be in you."

3. The Grace of Pentecost

The "sending" Jesus refers to is the Great Outpouring on the Day of Pentecost. This was the birth of the Church. Through the sacrifice of the Cross, the barrier of sin was removed, allowing the Holy Spirit to be "poured out" (Acts 2:17) upon all flesh.

This "sending" by the Father through the Son is the fulfillment of the promise that the Helper would come to:

1. Abide forever: He does not leave the Church or the believer.
2. Teach and Remind: Guiding the Church into all truth.
3. Grant Adoption: Making us children of God through Holy Baptism and the Mystery of Chrismation.

Summary

The Holy Spirit was always present as God, but He was "sent" in a new, corporate, and permanent way to dwell inside the faithful after the work of Redemption was completed by the Son. As the Church Fathers teach, the Son came to do the work of salvation, and the Holy Spirit came to apply that salvation and sanctification to our lives.

In the Coptic Orthodox tradition, the Holy Spirit’s relationship with the Holy Virgin Mary is unique and represents the highest level of grace ever bestowed upon a human being.

To answer specifically: Yes, the Holy Spirit rested upon St. Mary from the moment of the Annunciation, and His presence remained with her throughout her life. However, it is important to understand the nature of this "resting" or dwelling in two distinct stages:

1. The Purifying and Creative Dwelling (The Incarnation)

At the Annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel told her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35).

As Coptic Orthodox theologians and Church Fathers (such as St. Cyril of Alexandria and St. Athanasius the Apostolic) explain, the Holy Spirit descended upon St. Mary for a specific, miraculous purpose:

• Purification: The Holy Spirit purified her nature completely so that she might become a "Holy Temple" fit for the Son of God to take flesh from her.
• The Mystery of the Incarnation: The Spirit miraculously formed the human body of our Lord Jesus Christ from her pure blood without the seed of man.

Because of this, we call her the "Treasure of the Spirit", as we chant in the Matins Doxology. A treasure does not lose its contents; the Spirit did not "leave" her after the birth of Christ, as she remained the "Second Tabernacle".

2. The Pentecostal Dwelling (The Church)

While St. Mary was already "Full of Grace" from the moment of the Incarnation, she was also present with the Apostles in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14).

On Pentecost, she received the Holy Spirit along with the Apostles, not for the purpose of conceiving Christ (which had already happened), but as the first and most prominent member of the New Testament Church. In this event, she received the communal gift of the Spirit that empowers the Church for its mission and life in Christ.

Why her dwelling was permanent:

• The Untouched Gate: In the prophecy of Ezekiel (44:2), the "East Gate" (representing St. Mary) remains shut because the Lord has entered through it. This signifies her perpetual virginity and her permanent consecration to God. One cannot be the dwelling place of the Word of God and then be "abandoned" by the Spirit of God.
• The Burning Bush: St. Mary is the "True Bush" seen by Moses. The fire (Divinity/Holy Spirit) dwelt within the bush, yet the bush was not consumed. The fire did not just pass through; it resided there, showing the permanent honor and sanctification given to her.

In summary, the Holy Spirit’s dwelling in St. Mary was indeed permanent. From the moment she said, "Let it be to me according to your word," she became the permanent vessel of the Holy Trinity—the Father chose her, the Son dwelt in her womb, and the Holy Spirit purified and overshadowed her forever. This is why we address her in the Doxologies as the "Trusted Advocate" who stands before the throne of her Son, interceding for us.

To suggest there was "no point" in the Holy Virgin Mary being in the Upper Room would be to misunderstand her role as the Mother of the Church and her humility as a servant of God.

In the Coptic Orthodox perspective, her presence in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost was profoundly significant for several reasons:

1. The Head of the New Community

While St. Mary had already received the Holy Spirit for the Incarnation (to conceive the Son of God), Pentecost was the birth of the Church as a Body. St. Luke specifically mentions her presence: "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus" (Acts 1:14).

By being there, she stands as the Matriarch and the heart of the first Christian community. Just as she was the "First Member" of the New Covenant at the Annunciation, she is the "Primary Member" of the Church at Pentecost. Her presence validates and sanctifies the gathering of the Apostles.

2. Differing Graces (Functional vs. Communal)

Theology distinguishes between different "fillings" of the Holy Spirit:

• At the Annunciation: She received the Spirit for a unique, personal, and miraculous mystery—the deification of her womb to carry the Creator.
• At Pentecost: She received the Spirit for the communal life and mission of the Church.

Even though she was "Full of Grace", she did not exempt herself from the sacramental life of the Church. Her presence shows that no one, no matter how holy, is "above" the communal outpouring of the Spirit or the fellowship of the believers.

3. As a Witness and Teacher

The Apostles were the "witnesses" of the Resurrection, but St. Mary was the "witness" of the entire life of Christ—from the hidden years in Nazareth to the Foot of the Cross. In the Upper Room, she was the source of strength and information for the Apostles.

• She "kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19).
• In the Upper Room, she likely shared the mysteries of the Nativity and Christ's childhood with the Gospel writers (like St. Luke).

Her presence in the Upper Room ensured that the "Fullness of the Spirit" fell upon the entire "Household of God," of which she is the most honored member.

4. A Model of Humility

Our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan. Did He "need" baptism for the remission of sins? No. He did it to "fulfill all righteousness" and to sanctify the water for us.

Similarly, the Holy Virgin was in the Upper Room not because she was "lacking" the Spirit, but to fulfill the divine order of the New Covenant. She submitted herself to the same promise given to the whole Church, modeling the humility that she famously sang of in her Magnificat: "For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant" (Luke 1:48).

5. Liturgical Significance

In Coptic hymnology, we see the Holy Virgin and the Apostles as a unified front against the darkness of the world. In the "Aspasmos Adam" for the Feast of the Apostles, we honor her alongside them. Her presence in the Upper Room confirms that she is not a "goddess" apart from the Church, but the Mother of the Church who prays with us and for us.

Therefore, her being in the Upper Room was essential—not to "fix" a deficiency in her holiness, but to manifest the unity of the Body of Christ and to receive the Spirit of the New Mission that would spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The term "first tabernacle" has two primary meanings depending on whether you are reading the Holy Scriptures or the liturgical and Patristic writings of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

1. The Scriptural Meaning: The Mosaic Tabernacle

In the Epistle to the Hebrews (9:1–8), St. Paul refers to the "first tabernacle" as the earthly sanctuary built by Moses in the wilderness. It consisted of two parts:

• The Holy Place (The First Part): Where the priests entered daily to perform services (the lampstand, the table, and the showbread).
• The Holiest of All (The Second Part): Where the High Priest entered only once a year with blood.

St. Paul explains that this "first tabernacle" was symbolic and temporary. It could not make the conscience perfect because it relied on fleshly ordinances until the "time of reformation" brought by Christ (Hebrews 9:10).

2. The Liturgical/Theological Meaning: St. Mary as the Tabernacle

In Coptic theology and the Theotokia (praises for the Mother of God), we describe the Holy Virgin Mary using the imagery of the Tabernacle. As noted in the Orthodox Study Bible, the Tabernacle prefigures St. Mary, whose womb became the dwelling place for the Lord.

• We call her the "True Tabernacle" or the "Second Tabernacle" to distinguish her from the old, symbolic one of Moses.
• However, in the sense of the New Covenant, she is the First Tabernacle because she was the first human being in whom the Word of God dwelt bodily.

Was St. Mary the first to receive the Holy Spirit and the "Seal"?

To answer this according to the Coptic Orthodox faith:

1. The First to Receive the Spirit in the New Covenant Mode:

Yes. At the Annunciation, when the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of the Highest overshadowed her (Luke 1:35), she received the Holy Spirit in a way no human had since the Fall of Adam.

• In the Old Testament, the Spirit came "upon" people for tasks.
• In St. Mary, the Spirit dwelt within her to sanctify her and prepare her to be the Mother of God.

In this specific, Christological sense, she is indeed the first human of the New Covenant to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

2. The Concept of the "Seal":

In the Coptic Church, the "Seal" typically refers to the Mystery of Chrismation, which is our "personal Pentecost."

• St. Mary was sealed by God the Father from her conception to be the chosen vessel.
• At the Annunciation, she was "sealed" by the Holy Spirit to be the Mother of the King.
• However, the formal "Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit" as a sacramental rite for the Church was established at Pentecost.

While we cannot say she was "confirmed" or "chrismated" in the way we are (since she is the one who gave the flesh to the One who sends the Spirit), she is the perfect archetype. She was the first to experience the "Indwelling" which the rest of us receive through Baptism and Chrismation.

Summary

• The "First Tabernacle" in Hebrews is the Old Testament tent of Moses; however, St. Mary is the True Tabernacle of the New Testament.
• St. Mary was the first to receive the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant sense of internal indwelling and sanctification at the Annunciation.
• She is the "Seal of Virginity" and is "Full of Grace," meaning she possessed the fullness of the Spirit's gifts before any of the Apostles or the early Church members.

As we pray in the Fraction Prayer for the Feast of the Annunciation, we recognize that her womb became "wider than the heavens" because the Holy Spirit prepared her to contain the Uncontainable. She is the first-fruit of the sanctified human race.