Pentecost

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

Since today is the Feast of Pentecost, I felt I should talk about this day. Some history and other general stuff should suffice I think.

There are some important events that happened on Pentecost. For one, Pentecost is the official start of the Church in 33 AD. It was the day on which the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles (and Mary) as tongues of fire which gave them the strength to begin spreading Christianity. It is pretty important feast.

During this day, the Apostles were still stuck in the Upper Room waiting for the Holy Spirit to come. It was a very nerve wracking time as the Apostles were worried that they would die just like their Lord. When the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles, they were filled with the strength to preach to the crowds that were coming into the city due to the Jewish feast. In fact, it was because of this festival that so many Christians were baptized on that very day. Due to the gift of tongues given by the Holy Spirit, they were able to communicate to all peoples from varying lands. It was a really great day for the Church.

Now in the modern era, the Church calendar still celebrates this feast on fifty days after Easter (well roughly since it will be on the closest Sunday). Since the day commemorates the Holy Spirit's descent, the liturgical color for this day is red instead of white. Also this feast is one of the most well-known examples of Confirmation as the gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to those in the Upper Room; one of the most famous gifts, the gift of tongues, displayed before the crowds leading the conversion of many. The Descent of the Holy Spirit is also the 3rd Glorious Mystery as well for the Rosary.