FEAST OF PENTECOST

Feast of Pentecost...

Pentecost is celebrated on the seventh Sunday or 50 days after Easter Sunday and brings the Easter season to an end. It is a major feast of the Church’s year when Christians recall how God’s Holy Spirit was given to the disciples after Jesus’ ascension, empowering them to begin the work of making disciples of all nations as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

The Role of the Holy Spirit Today 

The Holy Spirit transformed fearful apostles into courage witnesses to Christ. They received the gift to preach the Gospel in all languages and on that day 3,000 people were baptized and converted. From these humble beginning the Church of Christ spread to every land which is why we consider Pentecost to be the birthday of the Church. Ever since the Holy Spirit has guided and strengthened the Church and still continues to do so today. 

Personal Implications

Pentecost presents us with an opportunity to consider how we are living each day. 

• Are we relying on the power of God’s Spirit? 
• Are we attentive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit? 
• Is the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.) growing in our lives? 

Pentecost invites us to live by the Spirit and to ask the Lord to fill us afresh with his power.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit  

On the day of Pentecost, the Apostles received the Holy Spirit, a power that enabled them to witness to Christ without fear.

St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica, listed the seven gifts of the Spirit.

• Wisdom: To discern what God expects of us and to have a desire for the wisdom of God which is infinite love.
• Intelligence: To help us deepen and understand the Word of God, of course with our intelligence, but more with our heart. 
• Counsel: to listen to God and to be guided by him.
• Strength: to remain faithful to the Gospel and to dare to witness to Christ to others.
• Knowledge: to help us better understand the true meaning of life, for ourselves and for others.
• Filial affection or piety: to love God like a child
• Fear of God: this is not about any kind of terror, but about being able to get rid of an idea of " personal omnipotence. 

All these gifts are closely related to each other. We receive them on the day of our baptism!