Up until this point in our liturgical celebrations, it has been all about Jesus. His death, burial, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. Now with the rushing of a strong wind -- whoosh! -- the focus shifts for Pentecost.
Fifty days after the Resurrection; ten days after the Ascension. The Holy Spirit comes with power upon the Apostles and Mary. It is the birthday of the Catholic Church. The time after and the time before -- between the Ascension and the Second Coming. This is the time we live in, when the Holy Spirit leads the Church into all truth.
It is a time most hopeful (our great Love will return!) and a time most painful (we live amid weakness and sin). For many, hope has given way to despair, and despair to disbelief, or vice versa. How can we hope so much as to believe that God in the flesh rose from the dead and will return? Why should we rejoice in Him who comes to judge the living and the dead? Not as a helpless babe who warms the hearts of all, but next time as an Omnipotent Judge to cull the wheat and burn the weeds.
Our lack of hope spurred Pope Benedict XVI to write a whole encyclical on the subject, Spe Salvi (In Hope We Are Saved). In brief, he says that much of mankind has lost hope because it does not expect good things to come from Jesus. They have lost true faith.
Let us look at the first Pentecost to recover some of the faith and hope that can make all the difference in life. St. Luke, author of the Acts of the Apostles, describes a dramatic scene. The Apostles and disciples gathered in one place and "a strong driving wind" filling the room, with "tongues as of fire" settling above each one, and the Holy Spirit coming upon them all (Acts 2:1-4).
The first effect is that they all begin speaking in different tongues, different languages. The obvious reason for this miraculous occurence is that the Apostles must preach the Gospel to the whole world, and need to be understood in all languages. The first effect of Pentecost is the preaching of the Word of God.
Peter, the chief Apostle, explains the happenings to the strangers. Jesus Christ is the Savior promised to Israel; though crucified, He rose from the dead and is exalted at the right hand of the Father. And now the Holy Spirit is poured forth on all who believe and are baptized.
About 3,000 persons were baptized that day!
Peter preached faith and hope at a time when there was little of either in an aging classical culture. Today, we face what some call a Post-Modern, Post-Christian, post-something world that -- even amid the wonders of new technology and prosperity -- seems lonely, lost and cynical.
There is a solution, the answer of Pentecost: do not despair; preach the breathtaking newness of the Holy Spirit! Make this Pentecost the new day of your faith -- as fresh and inspiring as when the Spirit first descended. You may not have the eloquence of Peter to convert 3,000 listeners on the spot. But share your joy, and give an account of the hope that you hold. Dare to tell a friend or neighbor: He is Risen!
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