PENTECOST

Pentecost is a Greek word which means fiftieth day. It is the fiftieth day after Easter and Resurrection of Jesus. It signals the end of the Easter Season and ushers the Ordinary Time. It is also the Solemnity of the Coming of the Holy Spirit, the birthday of the Church. It is the Holy Spirit that gives birth to the Church empowering her to continue The work of Jesus. It is a deep realization that she is enriched, gifted, blessed and loved by God, the greatest lover of all. That giftedness is meant to be given in mission to the world. Pentecost is the initiative of God bringing new life to the world. The Holy Spirit is the agent of transformation and recreation. It is the Spirit of the Father and the Son empowering the disciples to participate in the life of God liberating them from fear and begin their proclamation of the Good News to the ends of the earth that Jesus is alive. The Holy Spirit is a gift of the Risen Christ and it is meant to be given away. It is the divine love that remains in us if we give it away. If we don’t give it away, the divine love will not remain in us. Jesus is the gift of the Father and He gave His life away, loving to the end by laying down His life for His friends. Therefore, the Holy Spirit empowers the disciples to also give their lives away. In fact, the Apostles became martyrs giving their all for the faith and for the love of God. The coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Blessed Mary recalls the Mt. Sinai event where God renews His covenant with His people. God gave the law to Moses and there was the manifestation of God’s presence. There was earthquake, thunder, strong wind, lightning and smoke. That is Also the manifestation of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. There was strong driving wind and tongues of fire rested upon the disciples. They spoke in different tongues and the Jews from every nation understood them. They were empowered to speak the mighty acts of God and their language is the language of the Holy Spirit which is love that transcends boundaries.