Pentecost
Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter, is the day of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. It is sometimes called the birthday of the Church, because on that day the apostles baptized the first three thousand new Christians after Jesus’ ascension.
In Jewish tradition, Shavuot corresponds to Pentecost. Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks celebrates both the early summer harvest and the giving of the Torah to Israel through Moses.
The connection between the two is obvious: Pentecost is a harvest festival because the three thousand saved were joined to the Church, and it is the day when the “new Torah” was written directly on the hearts of the people. Jesus fulfilled the promise that He would send His own Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who would lead them into the fullness of truth.
What is the truth that the Holy Spirit is leading us to? It is the truth that we are created by God and He loves us. It is the truth that God gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. It is the truth that the incarnate Son of God has suffered and died for us, thus bringing us the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation.
It is the truth that by rising from the dead, the Son of God conquered death, sin and evil, and gave mankind the hope of new and eternal life. It is the truth that when we are born again in baptism so that our guilt is washed away, we have nothing to fear because God is with us with His grace and blessing.
God lives within us through His Holy Spirit who enlightens and guides us, gives us faith, hope and love, and helps us bear the fruit of eternal life. The Holy Ghost makes us witnesses of new life before the eyes of the whole world, remembering what St. Peter said in his sermon on the first Pentecost: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”