Feast of Pentecost

Image: Rainbow on the Dempster Highway

Acts 2.1-11  |  Psalm 104  |  1 Corinthians 12.3B-7, 12-13  |  John 20-19-23

While preparing the 8-year-old children in my Parish for the Sacrament of Confirmation, my local Bishop asked that they be ready to respond to some questions he was going to ask during his homily at the celebration. One of the things they were to know was the major feast days of the Church, particularly the Feast of Pentecost. At our class I shared with the candidates the Bishop’s request and asked if anyone could name that special day, the day when Jesus’ disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit. No one could offer an answer, so I offered a hint. “It starts with the letter P”, I said. At once all their eager hands went into the air. “Very impressive”, I thought, until I asked them to share what they knew. In unison they all shouted out, “Pancake Sunday!”, referring to the monthly breakfast hosted by our local Knights of Columbus. The story goes to show that young children certainly do pay attention in Church and they quickly pick up on not just the things that are said but, more importantly, the things that we do as a congregation.

At the very first Pentecost the Gospel tells us that Jesus’ disciples were gathered in an upper room and they had the door locked because they were afraid. They had just seen Jesus killed and they thought the same thing was going to happen to them. Jesus appears in their midst and offers them Peace and then he breathed his Spirit on them and they were no longer afraid. In the reading from Acts we hear that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples like tongues of fire and that they were no longer afraid but went out into the public and began to preach in many languages so that all the people gathered from many nations could understand them.

The Holy Spirit is offered to each one of us at our Baptism and is sealed within us at our Confirmation and offers us the gifts of; wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, according to the tradition of our faith. How are we sharing that knowledge with the children of our Parish? When they look at what we do they see the Holy Spirit at work within us?

Do we preach the Word with courage, not just with words but with the actions of our daily life? Do we open our doors to everyone, not just from the nations but from every walk of life? When the world looks at us do they see that we are different not because of who we are but because of the gift we have been given? Do we bring Peace wherever we go and let others know that there is no need to be afraid? Are we people of prayer who seek the Lord’s counsel in our daily decisions? Do we understand the nature of this passing world and set our priorities appropriately?

If we want to pass on our faith to the next generation our faith must be more then just words. If we want to teach our youth about the meaning of the Holy Spirit we must show them by our actions that we have received that gift and have unwrapped it and made it a part of our lives.