When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.” (Acts 2:1-11)
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The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1: 29-34)
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On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. (Psalm 87:1-3)
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He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him; yet the world did not know Him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received Him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:10-13)
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Are not all of them spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)
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A personal prologue
Due to another DOS attack —not the first, not the last— I had to delay this post. I could not allow Pentecost to pass without a post. That is why I posted only the biblical passages I had in mind in the hope that the readers would meditate and supply the connections thereof. There were no comments. Not even the usual vicious responses. Here’s the post.
Acts 2:1-11 — A strong wind reaches the ends of the world
Our Blessed Mother, the Apostles of Christ, and all the disciples totaling in all 120 were together in the Cenacle where Christ celebrated the first Mass right before the beginning of His Passion. The wind filled the entire house as it filled the entire Church, the New Israel born in the city of King David. Tongues of fire appeared over each head, giving witness that those gathered there were set aside for sacred service. It is said of the Cherubim “God makes his servants a flame of fire” and so it appeared that each one of the attendants of that first Pentecost of the Church received not only the inner confirmation of God’s approval but also God’s energy to fulfill their mission. Many of those were to give witness of their dedication to God through a glorious martyrdom that opened wide the gates of Heaven for them to go blameless before God’s throne.
“My house shall be a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7) defines perfectly the universal mission and destiny of Israel. That mission that Israel rejected when they rejected Jesus was then assigned to those outside the people of God. Here, Our Lord shows clearly what will be done. By teaching the disciples every language the Holy Spirit leads the way to the ends of the world until the return of Christ marks the conclusion of the age of the Good News of His Kingdom. Thus it is very appropriate for this miracle to occur in Jerusalem.
The nations listed there Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and Libya and Cyrene, Rome (Jews and converts from all over the Empire) plus Crete and Arabia indicate the four cardinal directions. The Church will be catholic that is at the same time complete and universal not only in a geographical sense but extending into every cultural realm and every age. To this day we do not know the full extent of that adjective. I personally have the strong suspicion that it will one day include the more distant stars. That seems to be included in the promise made to Abraham. There is no realm of existence that the tiny seed of that first Pentecost will not reach.
Pentecost celebrates the receiving of the Law of Moses by Israel. One can observe how the purpose of God unfolds. We in this 21st century contemplate the giving of the Law by Moses, and the gift of the Holy Spirit by Christ as steps in the mysterious fulfillment of the will of God for mankind and the world we inhabit. What is ahead of us? Only God knows. We know that nothing, no strength, no cunning scheme, no evil force will be able to stop it: “let your Kingdom come” is not wishful thinking, is the voice of the Logos resonating through history with the same authority that once said “let there be light!”
John 1: 29-34 — The Lamb of God
The aura of light that illuminated the face of Moses as described in Exodus 34:29-35 is an early indication of what was coming in the future. The Spirit that John the Baptist sees reposing as a dove on the person of Jesus as described in Matthew 3:13-17 and the tongues of fire that appear on the disciples’ heads are all testimonies of the same thing: God the Father is willing to share His love with us. That is the same love He shows for His Son. By making the Church the Mystical Body of Christ, God opens the floodgates of His love and offers it to all mankind.
On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. (Psalm 87:1-3)
John 1:10-13 — Sonship
To those who are willing to receive the Spirit He freely gives, Christ “gave power to become children of God” and thus be the inheritors of the Kingdom with a right coming through not human flesh —contaminated by original sin and the fallen condition of man, no!— the right to inherit the kingdom comes from God. (see John 1:10-13 quoted above)
God has the will and the power to make us His sons and daughters if we only surrender to His will and ask Him to receive us. (Luke 23:39-43)
For us alive in this world that is a commandment: be holy, that is “be set aside for service, to serve and worship Our Lord and Owner.” We cannot serve Him personally here on Earth but we can serve those who are to inherit salvation. (See Hebrews 1:14 quoted above) Those are all our brothers and sisters without exception. God has loved them freely, we must love them, we are obliged to love them. Since that first Pentecost the divine wind gives us the impulse to go everywhere, find them and tell them that God has made them His sons if they only want to accept and return His love.
