Happy Birthday to the Church!

Pentecost Sunday is one of the most ancient feasts of the Church, celebrated early enough to be mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (20:16) and St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (16:8). It is the 50th day after Easter(if we count both Easter and Pentecost), and it supplants the Jewish feast of Pentecost, which took place 50 days after the Passover and which celebrated the sealing of the Old Covenant on Mount Sinai.


The Acts of the Apostles recounts the story of the original Pentecost as well (Acts 2).

Jews from all over were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast. On that Sunday, ten days after our Lord's Ascension, the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary were gathered in the Upper Room, where they had seen Christ after His Resurrection: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with different tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak. [Acts 2:2-4]

Christ had promised His Apostles that He would send His Holy Spirit, and, on Pentecost, they were granted the gifts of the Spirit. The Apostles began to preach the Gospel in all of the languages that the Jews who were gathered there spoke, and about 3,000 people were converted and baptized that day.


That is why Pentecost is often called "the birthday of the Church." On this day, with the descent of the Holy Spirit, Christ's mission is completed, and the New Covenant is inaugurated. And, as with most “birthdays”, there are gifts!

Gifts of the Holy Spirit enable us to live a holy Christian life. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are:

• Wisdom - desire for the things of God, and to direct our whole life and all our actions to His honor and glory
• Understanding - enable us to know more clearly the mysteries of faith
• Counsel - warn us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation
• Fortitude - strengthen us to do the will of God in all things
• Knowledge - enable us to discover the will of God in all things
• Piety - love God as a Father, and obey Him because we love Him
• Fear of the Lord - have a dread of sin and fear of offending God

How can we tell that the Spirit has given us our “presents”? By our acts! You can tell a tree by its fruits! The twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit are works that we can perform only with the aid of the Spirit.

The fruits of the Holy Spirit are charity (love), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continency (self-control in sexual matters), and chastity.

But the “gifts” and “fruits” are not forced upon us. We must accept them or use them as our free will guides us. Too often in today’s world, either through stubborness or ignorance, these gifts are rejected. Let’s pray that more of God’s people accept these gifts and turn away from the sin and relativism that seems to prevail today.

Come Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your Divine Love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Oh God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructed the hearts of the faithful, Grant, that by the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.