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Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord:
The Jewish Feast of Weeks, referred to in the books of
Exodus and Leviticus, celebrated the completion of the grain harvest.
Because it was held 50 days after Passover, it was given the name
“Pentecost” (the 50th day) in Greek. The feast came to be
regarded both by Jews and Christians as also commemorating the Giving of
the Law to Moses on Mt Sinai.
According to the account of Luke in the book of Acts,
the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples 50 days after the
resurrection day. So the same title, “Pentecost,” was given by the
Church to the feast celebrating the coming of the Spirit.
Originally the term Pentecost was used to refer
to the whole of the Easter season—the 50-day period of great rejoicing
following Easter. During this period no fasting was allowed, prayer was
always said while standing (kneeling was forbidden), and the “Alleluia”
was sung frequently. During the 4th century, this unified
season was divided into separate commemorations, with the Ascension
being celebrated 40 days after Easter day and Pentecost 10 days later.
Sr. Egeria, the Spanish nun who visited the Holy Lands
at the end of the 4th century, describes a celebration of the
feast of Pentecost in her travel diary. The feast had its own octave,
like Easter, from early times. In the Roman Rite the octave was removed
when the liturgical calendar was revised in 1969.
Pentecost was celebrated with a vigil which, almost from
the beginning, became strongly associated with the administration of
Baptism. In around the year 205, Tertullian, the great leader of the
Church in North Africa, wrote: “After Easter, Pentecost is a most joyous
time for conferring Baptisms, because during that time the resurrection
of the Lord was repeatedly proved among the disciples.”
The feast of Pentecost commemorates two things: the gift
of the Spirit that enables us to praise and proclaim, and the birth of
the Church as an active community. The gift of the Spirit, especially
when visualized as tongues of fire, may be seen as a prototype for a
universal mission and a multicultural society.
The symbol of a dove, commonly found on Pentecost
vestments and decorations, does not adequately capture this sense of
mission and ministry enabled by the Spirit. Of the 331 direct references
to the Spirit in the Bible, only three liken the Spirit to a dove. More
common descriptions are of “fire” and “wind”. The Spirit “seizes”, is
“poured out”, and “lifts up”. These dynamic references reflect the sense
of excitement and zeal for mission of the early disciples.
The feast of Pentecost celebrates and enriches the sense
of community renewal, or birth, of the Church—the Church that proclaims
salvation through the birth, ministry, passion, death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
“Father of light, from whom every good gift comes,
send your Spirit into our lives with the power of a
mighty wind,
and by the flame of your wisdom open the horizons of our
minds.
Loosen our tongues to sing your praise in words beyond
the power of speech,
for without your Spirit we could never raise our voice
in words of peace
or announce the truth that Jesus is Lord.”
(Opening Prayer, Pentecost Sunday)
Let’s give our minds and hearts to the Lord!
Father Joe |
