PENTECOST
Pentecost, which we celebrate this Sunday, is the liturgical season after Easter. It celebrates the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Church. Pentecost begins the eighth Sunday, or 50 days, after Easter Sunday. The descent of the Holy Ghost ushered in a new era for the people of God.
The Jewish History of Pentecost
“Pentecost” is from Greek meaning “fiftieth.” The name Pentecost was originally given to the Jewish Feast of Weeks which fell on the fiftieth day after Passover. On this day, the first fruits of the grain harvest were offered to the Lord (Leviticus 23:15-21 and Deuteronomy 16:9-11). The second chapter of Acts begins by noting that the Feast of Weeks had just passed.
In Acts 2:1-41 the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles. This occurred ten days after Jesus’ Ascension. Jesus had asked his Apostles to pray, and their nine days of prayer can be considered as the first novena.
When the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles, they preached the Gospel, (Good News) of Jesus Christ. Miraculously, people of many different languages and nations could understand the Apostles in their own languages. This miracle reflected God’s desire for the Gospel to be preached to all, and for all the peoples of the earth to be united in faith. Another wonder surrounding Pentecost was that tongues of fire appeared and rested on the Apostles and the Blessed Mother assembled in the upper room at that moment. God left no doubt that Pentecost was an important event in the history of the Church and that the Holy Spirit was truly present.
The miraculous tongues of fire, along with the Apostles’ ability to speak in different languages, may seem to be the most impressive signs of Pentecost. However, the most important and most lasting effect of Pentecost went deeper than that.
Peter, the leader of the Apostles, stood in front of the crowds and preached. He preached with boldness and conviction. Consider that up until this point the Apostles had not preached at all. Just 10 days before, the Apostles still thought that Jesus’ mission was to restore an earthly kingdom to Israel (cf. Acts 1:6). Now, however, Peter recognizes the mission of Jesus and boldly preaches instead of remaining hidden in a room.
The boldness that the Holy Ghost gave the Apostles on Pentecost gave them the courage and wisdom to preach to many nations and peoples. This, in turn, resulted in the spread of Christianity and the conversion of thousands of people. On the day of Pentecost, about 3,000 people were baptized (Acts 2:41).
Pentecost is the birthday of the Church because from that point on the Apostles carried the message of Christ to the whole world. The authority that Christ gave his Apostles through the Holy Ghost extends through the bishops today. The Holy Ghost continues to guide the Church. In fact, St. Augustine said that the Holy Ghost was the soul of the Church. Just as the soul gives life to the body, so also the Spirit gives life to the Church.
Pentecost ushered in a new age of the Church through which Christ works in different means for our salvation.
Jesus has not left us alone. He is still present to us in other ways. Jesus has left us the Sacraments through which the Holy Ghost conveys the grace of God in a physical and tangible way. Pentecost marks the beginning of this new, Sacramental era in which we live today. It does so because the ministers of the Sacraments (priests and deacons) have the power to perform the Sacraments because the Holy Ghost acts through them. The Holy Ghost conforms the minister to Christ.
Today, we usually baptize catechumens at the Easter Vigil (the Mass the night before Easter). In the early Church, Pentecost was another popular day for Baptism. because Baptism is a Sacrament in which the Holy Ghost fills the baptized person with supernatural life.
The liturgical color for Pentecost is red. Red can signify martyrdom, but in this instance it represents the Holy Ghost. It does so because of the tongues of fire associated with Pentecost.
One unique thing that happens at Pentecost Mass is the Pentecost Sequence (Veni Sancte Spiritus–“Come Holy Spirit”). This is a prayer to the Holy Ghost that is either sung or said before the Alleluia and the Gospel. The Sequence invites the Holy Ghost to come into our hearts. It includes many descriptions of the Holy Ghost. These descriptions include “You, of comforters the best,” “In our labor rest most sweet,” as well as many others. The sequence is a beautiful part of Pentecost Mass.
Everything that we traditional Catholics believe in and do must have only one end, HOLINESS. The work of the Holy Ghost is to SANCTIFY US and make us into other Christs.
We find the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost in the writings of the Prophet Isaias.
In the Book of Isaiah 11:2-3, the Gifts of the Holy Ghost are described. In the passage, the gifts are considered ones that the Messiah would have possessed. Through Jesus, we also receive the Gifts of the Holy Ghost in the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The Gifts of the Holy Ghost that sanctify us:
1) Wisdom. This enables us to know God and esteem divine things above worldly things.
2) Understanding. Helps us to understand our Catholic Faith, the Bible and Saints.
3) Counsel. This is the knowledge necessary to guide ourselves and others to do God’s will. It helps us help others get through spiritual and temporal problems.
4) Fortitude. This is the strength we need to endure and have courage. It helps us suffer persecution and adversities for the sake of good.
5) Knowledge. This helps us to know God, ourselves and others as God knows.
6) Piety. This gift infuses us with love for serving God and see Him in all events through a holy life of prayer.
7) Fear of the Lord. “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” We fear his just punishment of our sins for ever, but we more so fear even displeasing or offending Him.
Saint Paul, in the Letter to the Galatians (5:22), lists the fruits of the Holy Ghost.
The 12 Fruits of the Holy Ghost are:
1) Charity. The Holy Ghost is Love and gives us the infused theological virtue of charity to prefer God over everyone and everything. We desire this loving union with God. And it overflows in our love for ourselves and our neighbors for God’s sake.
2) Joy. Happiness is realized when we live for God and know someday we will be with Him forever in heaven.
3) Peace. The Holy Ghost gives us order in our souls and a clean conscience. He also gives us order to our family, friendships and duties of life.
4) Patience. When one is close to God, everything else falls into its place so that one can have patience and tranquility. Love is patient.
5) Benignity. This is the virtue of kindness to others.
6) Goodness. We renounce evil and seek what is good. We repent of our sins and strive to do God’s will.
7) Longanimity. Perseverance in the mission God has given us and the ability to stay faithful to the love and will of God.
8) Mildness. This gives us the moral virtue temperance that helps us overcome our natural tendency to be rough or angry.
9) Faith. This is a theological virtue given to us in Baptism. It gives us the Divine grace to be able to assent to the revealed truth of God. We put God as the absolute authority.
10) Modesty. This includes how we act and dress. These are external signs of our interior modesty. It gives us the preference to purity of mind and heart in in our actions and lifestyle.
11) Continency. This is the virtue to control sexual and other appetites in a holy manner, to always remain pleasing to God in our moral behavior.
12) Chastity. This is the self giving of oneself to God completely as a priest, religious or consecrated layman. All vocations are called to have chastity in their way of living. This includes married people to be faithful to their spouses. It also gives the grace for all those waiting to get married to be sexually pure.