Pentecost Sunday
As Christians, when we think of the Pentecost, there is one image that is uppermost in our minds – a might wind blowing and tongues of fire falling on the disciples. But the Feast of the Pentecost has a rich history and today I would like us to explore the depths of its meaning. This is more of a catechesis on Pentecost than a homily.
Pentecost, or Shavuot in Hebrew, has many names: The Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Harvest, and later, the Feast of Firstfruits. Although the primary biblical references to Shavuot refer only to a spring harvest festival, today, Shavuot/Pentecost is celebrated by the Jewish community as a commemoration of the day God gave the Torah on Mount Sinai.
The Feast of the Weeks. According to the Torah, it took seven weeks for the Israelites to travel from Egypt to Mount Sinai. The name Shavuot, meaning “weeks,” refers to this seven-week period. On Passover, the people of Israel were liberated from Egyptian slavery; on Shavuot, they were given the Torah and committed themselves to serving God. While Passover marks their liberation from slavery, Shavuot marks the renewal of their commitment and dedication to God.
Feast of the Harvest/Feast of the Firstfruits. During the days of the First and Second temples (the first Temple built by Solomon was destroyed by the Baylonians in 587 BC, and the rebuilt second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE), Shavuot was a harvest festival (Exodus 23:16). Sheaves of barley (the winter crop) were brought to the Temple each day, beginning with the Passover until Shavuot, 50 days later. It was a joyous celebration, with the people bringing the firstfruits of their harvest to the Temple giving thanks to God for God’s providence. For this reason, the Feast also came to known as the Feast or the FirstFruits.
A Spiritual Shift. With the destruction of the Second Temple and the expulsion of the Jewish people from their land in 70 CE, the celebration focused more on the anniversary of the giving of the Torah to Moses at Mt. Sinai — which also fell 50 days after the first day of Passover.
The two holidays, Passover and Shavuot, are linked by more than just fifty days that separate them. The Exodus from Egypt, which Passover celebrates, marked the beginning of physical freedom for the Jewish people. But Shavuot is a reminder for the Jews that physical liberation was incomplete without the spiritual redemption represented by receiving God’s Law.
The Christian Pentecost. The Christian Feast of the Pentecost carries with it some of the Jewish meaning but also brings about totally new meanings to the feast. Even though Christians do not celebrate Pentecost as a harvest festival or offer firstfruits, this original meaning is not completely lost. I will come to that in a little bit. Let me first reflect on the radical newness of the Christian Pentecost.
Pentecost – A Christ-Event. The Christian Pentecost is influenced completely by the Christ event. The Passover that the Israelites observed before the Exodus has a radically new meaning in light of the incarnation, suffering, death the resurrection of Jesus. Just as with the Jewish faith tradition, the Christian Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after the Passover. The difference is that for Christians, Jesus is the Passover Lamb whose blood frees the human race from slavery to sin and darkness into the freedom of the children of God. Thus, even though the Christian Pentecost is a development from the Jewish Pentecost, there is radical new meaning to its celebration.
Pentecost and Holy Spirit. The other new development in the Christian Pentecost is the singular focus on the Holy Spirit. Gone is the emphasis on Pentecost as a harvest festival or the firstfruits from the land. The focus in not so much on what people do or people bring to the temple, but rather on the action of the Holy Spirit in the community. Completely unprecedented events – the mighty wind, the tongues of fire, the apostles’ speech being heard in various tongues, the bold preaching of the hitherto frightened apostles – were manifested at the post-resurrection Pentecost. In the Acts of the Apostles, the early Christian community is led by the Spirit and dependent completely upon the Spirit. The Holy Spirit in not limited to the Jewish people but Gentiles too were freely invited to join this new movement of the Spirit. In this, the Christian Pentecost is a totally new phenomenon.
The Christian Pentecost and Traditional Pentecost Themes. We need to return to the theme of the Firstfruits. In the Jewish tradition, it was the people who brought the firstfruits to the temple until Shavuot and gave it to the priests, who in turn made an offering to God. In the Christian tradition it is Jesus who offers the firstfruits to God. Jesus does not offer sheaves of barley but a people baptized by the Holy Spiritm whom he redeemed, as the firstfruits. Jesus offers us to God, who accepts us as the first fruits.
Pentecost – A New Creation. This catechesis will be incomplete if I do not make a reference to today’s gospel reading. In John’s description of the resurrection appearance of Jesus, he breathes on the disciples and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This might seem like a small gesture, but it carries a world of meaning. Jesus, the resurrected Lord, breathing on the disciples takes us all the way back to God’s life-endowing breath at creation. This means that Pentecost is the recreation of humanity. In the Christian tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of God breathing the Holy Spirit on all of God’s creation. Pentecost is not merely a harvest festival or the end of the Passover celebrations. Pentecost is a new beginning both for humanity and for all of creation.
Connection to the Liturgy. We are here at our Sunday Liturgy. Without the Holy Spirit, this liturgy would be an empty ritual at a meaningless gathering. It is the Holy Spirit that makes this gathering different than the people, for instance, in a stadium. It is the Holy Spirit that breathes life into the word of God read from this pulpit. It is the Holy Spirit that transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood if Christ. On the Friday before Pentecost, Pope Francis tweeted, “Without the fire of the Spirit, prophecies are extinguished, sorrow supplants joy, and routine substitutes love. Christian life would be dead without the Holy Spirit."
Practical Implications. Once again, I would like to borrow this thought from Pope Francis. The tweet that I referenced before began with: “The first task of Christians is to keep alive the flame that Jesus brought to earth (Lk 12:49), which is the Love of God: the Holy Spirit.” Today, may we allow Christ to breathe into us the breath of new life. May we keep alive the flame that Jesus brought to earth, which is the love of God God: the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Fr. Satish Joseph