By Leon Bent —
Pentecost was one of the Jewish festive holidays. However, it was not called Pentecost. That’s the Greek name. The Jews called it the Feast of Harvest (End Times/the original “Earth Day”) or the Feast of Weeks. Shavout, as it is also known, is celebrated fifty days after the Passover, and is a festival that reminds Jews that God meets both, their physical and spiritual needs. Jewish pilgrims celebrated the goodness of God and the bringing in of the wheat harvest (“fullness of life”). The feast is mentioned in five places in the Pentateuch—Exodus 23, 24, Leviticus 16, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16.
Pentecost (pentēkostḗ in Greek) is the 50th day after Easter in the Christian dispensation. At the first Pentecost after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was manifested, showered and communicated as a Divine Person to the Church, fulfilling the Paschal Mystery of Christ according to His promise” (726, 731; cf. 1287; also: Cf. Catechism, Glossary, p. 893). Yes, Pentecost was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of Jesus’ assurance (Jn.20:21-22; Acts 2:33-36).
Culmination of the Paschal Mystery
Pentecost was the beginning of the Church’s Mission! The Holy Spirit was sent by Christ to sanctify the Church. “The Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the explosive outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” The significance of such a beginning should not be missed. Pentecost is the culmination of Jesus’ Paschal Mystery, where the incarnate, crucified and now risen and ascended Lord lavishes on the world, the Spirit with which he himself was anointed. We could say that Pentecost is the point at which Jesus wished to arrive, as it were, so that, what he did in one time and place during his sojourn on earth, could be extended to every time and place through his Holy Spirit. This outreach is the Church, that is, the assembly of all that Jesus draws to himself when he is lifted up. (See Jn. 12:32).
Pentecost Inaugurates the Last Times
Pentecost, the completion of the Paschal Mystery, also simultaneously inaugurates the last times. “Inaugurated eschatology sees the first coming of Christ as the beginning of the kingdom in the present, while acknowledging that the consummation or fulfillment of the kingdom of God is yet to come” (Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, 46).
I present eight different supporting reasons to view the Kingdom of God through the lens of inaugurated eschatology:
The kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:15); this is… the last days (Acts 2:16-17); The end of the ages has come (1 Cor. 10:11); In later times, the last days, some will depart from the faith and there will come times of difficulty, just as you already see (1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1); In the last days, scoffers will come, and have come (2 Pet. 3:3-5); Treasure something eternal in these last days (James 5:3); In these last days, God spoke to us by Christ (Heb. 1:2); The powers of the future exist in the present (Heb. 6:5).
“Pentecost inaugurates the day of reckoning – not the final day of judgment – but its prolepsis (a rhetorical device by which objections are anticipated and answered in advance), as Israel and the nations are gathered to be judged and justified, in these last days, before the “Last Day”, in which only judgment will prevail” (Michael Horton, The Gospel Commission…formation of Disciples.)
The Birth of the Church
Before the events of the first Pentecost, which came a few weeks after Jesus’ death and resurrection, there were followers of Jesus, but no movement that could be meaningfully called “the Church.” Thus, from an historical point of view, Pentecost is the day on which the church was born. This is also true from a spiritual perspective, since the Spirit brings the church into existence and enlivens it. Pentecost is about renewal, energy and enthusiasm of the Body of Christ. Consequently, Pentecost is the Church’s birthday.
The Church’s Mission
“…the Church’s Mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity” (Catechism, 738).
The Holy Spirit manifested that is, revealed Himself or made Himself known, through “a strong, driving wind” (Acts 2:2) and “tongues as of fire” (Acts 2:3).
The “wind” recalls the Spirit of God moving over the waters at the creation of the world (Genesis 1:1-2). The manifestation of the Holy Spirit through the “strong, driving wind” indicates that a “new creation” is taking place: the renewal of humanity in God’s Holy Spirit! The “tongues of fire” denote the Presence of God, Purification, and Judgment.
Our Lord Jesus Christ promised to send them – a Paraclete – the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to teach them the “Truth”, and abide with them forever (see John 14:25-26). Truth, succinctly put, is that “Jesus is the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the Most High God is summed up!” Truth enlightens man’s intelligence and shapes his freedom, leading him to know and love the Lord (Veritatis Splendor).
Relationship with the Father Renewed
The central purpose of Jesus’ mission, which was finalized in the gift of the Holy Spirit, was to renew our relationship with the Father, a relationship severed by sin, to take us from our state of being orphaned children, and restore us as his sons and daughters.
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians in Rome, says: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, which enables us to cry out, “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:14-15). Here we see our relationship renewed: the paternity of God is re-established in us, thanks to the redemptive work of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A Program for Life
Pentecost offers us a program for life: “Walk by the Spirit” (Gal.5:6, 25).
The world needs men and women who are not closed in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit. Humanity requires the courage, hope, faith and perseverance of Christ’s followers. It needs the “Fruit of the Holy Spirit”: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal.5:22).
The “Gifts of the Holy Spirit” too, (Isa.11:1-3a), have been bestowed upon the Church and on each one of us, so that, we may live in genuine faith and active charity, that we may sow the precious seeds of reconciliation and peace. The seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are, according to Catholic Tradition, heroic character traits that Jesus Christ alone possesses in their plenitude, which he freely shares with the members of his Mystical Body, that is, the Church. They are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord (reverence/wonder). They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspiration (CCC 1831). Strengthened by the Spirit and his many charisms, may we be able, uncompromisingly, triumphantly, to battle Satan and sin, devoting ourselves with patient perseverance to the works of justice and peace (cf. Pope Francis).
Add to these inexhaustible riches the extraordinary spiritual benediction, often termed “Charismatic Gifts”. They are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, increased faith, the gifts of healing, the gift of miracles, prophecy, the discernment of spirits, speaking in diverse tongues and the interpretation of tongues (1 Cor.12:7-11;The Catholic Encyclopedia. III; “Spiritual Gifts”, A Dictionary of the Bible). And what does the Holy Spirit do with this new capability which he gives us? He guides us into all the truth (cf. Jn. 16:13), he renews the face of the earth (Ps. 103:30), and he gives us his fruits (cf. Gal. 5:22-23). He guides, he renews and he makes fruitful. The world needs men and women who are not closed in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit.
St. Pope John XXIII said at Vatican Council II: “Throw open the windows of the Church and let the fresh air of the Spirit blow through.”Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI says, The Church – recollected as she was at her birth with Mary – prays: “Veni Sancte Spiritus!” –“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love!” Charismatic Pope Francis almost echo’s his predecessor’s message, “We Need a New Pentecost: Come Holy Spirit, Come with Your Fire!”
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.