On this Pentecost Sunday, united with the wider church, throughout the world, we joyfully conclude our celebration of Easter.
For the Jewish people, Pentecost was a feast of thanksgiving that marked the conclusion of the spring harvest and the commemoration of the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. It was celebrated 50 days after Passover. Pentecost is a Greek word meaning “50 days” or “50th day.”
For the first Christians, gathered to celebrate this feast in Jerusalem, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit “reinvented” Pentecost. Just as the old feast celebrated the abundance of God’s gifts by giving back to God the first fruits of the fields, so the new Pentecost celebrates the incredible abundance of God’s giving upon the community, the many
gifts of the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, we conclude our celebration of Easter by affirming the ways the Risen Christ has bestowed diverse gifts, talents, and charisms upon our community.
On a liturgical note, after the final Mass of Pentecost, the Paschal Candle will be removed from the place it has occupied since Easter and will remain next to the baptismal font. Having concluded the Easter Season, we now enter the Season of Ordinary Time, which will extend through late November.
Our celebration of Pentecost invites our reflection: In what specific ways have I been gifted and blessed? How can I use the specific talents and gifts with which I’m blessed to build up the Body of Christ? How might I encourage others to use their own talents? How might the Holy Spirit be calling us as parishioners of Our Lady of Good Counsel to work and pray in new ways? Is there a giftedness among our parishioners that we have overlooked or ignored?
Let us pray for a courageous openness to the new paths on which the energy and breath of the Holy Spirit is leading us.