Pentecost is also the birthday of each of our learning communities, and of Catholic education. So it is a great idea to celebrate Pentecost in our schools. This has been made abundantly clear by Pope Francis who, on Holy Thursday, chose to wash the feet of refugees who were Hindu, Muslim and Christian.
There are other important instances too. These feasts happen in the kitchen and at the dining table, or at morning tea. In a similar way the feast of Pentecost could be celebrated in your school, perhaps in ways unique to your local context. For some years Archbishop Denis Hart has written a Pentecost letter to the young people of the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
In it he says,. Jesus was like us in all things but he chose to live a courageous life. These words are liberating and galvanising. The Letter would be a powerful way to engage students in reflecting on the meaning of Pentecost for them today.
The Archdiocesan Office for Youth website also has a number of resources to assist with this. Prayer is a powerful way to welcome the presence of God in our lives. The Awareness Examen , for instance, is a good way to deepen our awareness of the action and invitation of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This might be a focus in staff meetings, in classrooms or in individual prayer. But Peter said to them: Repent and be baptized; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
One final question: why the miracle of tongues? In answer, recall the story regarding the tower of Babel. Puffed up by pride, men attempted to build a tower that would touch the heavens. To punish their sin, God confused their speech. Sin causes confusion and division. Now Christ came to gather all men into His Church and thereby to unite them to Himself. This should result in creating but one family of nations again.
To this blessed state the miracle of tongues points. Yes, even we as individuals have a gift of tongues which all men can understand. It is the gift of love infused into us by the Holy Spirit.
Love unites, love is a common language, by means of love we can speak to all nations. Roger Landry's homily for Pentecost Sunday. Commentary for the Readings in the Extraordinary Form: Pentecost Sunday "Suddenly there came a sound from heaven , as of a violent wind.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" Epistle. Today is the birthday of the Church, of all those who have been reborn into His Mystical Body. How did the first Christians prepare? They were all "in prayer" with Mary; and they were "all of one mind," under the leadership of Peter, making ready to tell "men from every nation under heaven.
The Spirit was already at work in bringing different people into a one people of God. These physical manifestations of the coming of the Holy Spirit were made present for the recipients to concretely understand that something amazing was happening. By seeing and hearing these physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit they were more properly disposed to understand that God was doing something awesome.
And then, upon seeing and hearing these manifestations, they were touched by the Holy Spirit. They were consumed, filled and set on fire to carry on words and deeds of Jesus.
Pentecost changed their lives! If you are sure you received the Holy Spirit, where are you keeping Him? In your closet somewhere? We need to see and hear the effects of that Holy Spirit you believe you have received.
The Apostles by their testimony, and by our receiving the same Spirit the world, and people around us need to hear and see that transforming faith we live. This , Christians will be celebrating the Pentecost on June 4. Found in the New Testament in Acts —13, the Pentecost signifies the time when Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and when the Holy Spirit blessed His disciples and made them speak in different tongues.
Rooted from the word "pentekoste," which is the Greek term for "50th," the Pentecost also symbolizes the 50th day after Easter Sunday, creating the term Pentecost Sunday. On this day every year, Christians and people from different walks of life are encouraged to have a leap of faith.
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