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Pentecost (the "fiftieth day") by The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy "Pentecost is the Greek name given to the Feast of Weeks, so-called because it fell on the 50th day after Passover. At this feast, the first-fruits of the corn harvest were presented (see Deut. 16:9) and, in later times, the giving of the Law of Moses was commemorated. As the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles on this day (see Acts 2:1), the name was applied by the Church to the feast celebrating this event, popularly called Whitsunday. In early times, the word Pentecost was also used for the whole period between Easter and Whitsunday, i.e. the Paschal time, during which no fast was allowed, prayer was only made standing, and the Alleluia was sung more frequently." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, edited by F.L. Cross "On Pentecost, fifty days after Easter and a feast already honored by the Jews as a harvest feast, we celebrate the roaring entry of the Spirit. We celebrate the fruits and the effects of the driving wind and the scorching flame of the Spirit. The apostles are filled with a new wisdom and are prompted to express themselves, their timidity transformed by an infusion of divine enthusiasm. The harvest feast becomes the fruitful birthing of the Church, of people taking on themselves the work of redemption, of people who live by the Spirit. Life in the Spirit is different. The Spirit wells up from the center of our very being. It finds us and breathes into our actions the enthusiasm of love and a genuine creativity…In the mystery of Pentecost, we await the gift of tongues - the ability to hear and speak the word, each as we come to know it, understand it and proclaim it in the uniqueness of our personhood. The gift is to interpret the meaning of Christ's mission as it unfolds in our human experience, and through it we discover a common language. Meaning is what our waiting minds perceive and love, the word each heart understands. Come, Holy Spirit, sear and quicken us with a love that will imbue and recreate meaning in this worldly existence of ours." To Dance with God by Gertrud Mueller Nelson. The Feast of Pentecost will be celebrated on Sunday May 30th. Those interested in the sacrament of Baptism, most appropriate on this day, are requested to speak to a member of the clergy.
Copyright © 2004 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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