PENTECOST SUNDAY: These were the best days in Daisy’s lifetime. Finally things were working again in her marriage which many had predicted would not last because of her husband’s drinking problem. “I can’t explain what happened to him Mum; he just came from work one day and said that he was through with drinking. It’s now two years since and he has been the best husband and father ever. It just feels like a good dream that I don’t want to wake up from.” Daisy said to her mum. “How can you say that you don’t know. It is the Holy Spirit of course…Don’t you remember how many nights I spent praying for him to be TRANSFORMED.” Retorted her mother. Friends, welcome to Pentecost Sunday: TRANSFORMATION SUNDAY. Pentecost is the 50th and therefore Last day of Easter. This is the day when all our churches are adorned in red and all sing to the tune of the sequence, “Come holy Spirit.” This is the day when we put out the Easter Candle and welcome the season of ordinary time beginning that begins tomorrow. Pentecost is not just a Christian feast. It neither began with Christians nor is it a thing of the New Testament. Pentecost actually began as a Jewish feast. In fact, it was one of the three most important Jewish feasts(the others are the Passover and feast of the Booths) that required all Israelites to make a compulsory pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate two things: First, is the harvest( remember Israelites after the sojourn in the desert were agriculturalists) and Secondly it was also the day to commemorate the promulgation of the Torah by Moses on Mount Sinai. The Israelites believed that Moses made known the 10 commandments to them on the Pentecost…i.e. 50 days after the Passover. It is therefore in the context of this feast that we have descent of the Holy Spirit as elaborated in our first reading. (Acts 2:1-11). So what basically happened during the Descent of the Holy Spirit? You will all agree with me that what happened was not a question of coming up with a new feast but rather transforming the old one into a new one. The Material Harvest of the Judaic Pentecost was simply transformed into the Spiritual Harvest of the Christian Pentecost (Gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit). The Promulgation of the Torah commemorated in the Judaic Pentecost was transformed into a Promulgation of the Church in the Christian Pentecost. That is why we say that the Pentecost is the Birthday of the church. The 50 days after Passover in the Judaic were transformed to be 50 days after the resurrection in the Christian Pentecost. Judaism the religion of the old Pentecost was transformed into Catholicism in the New Pentecost as people from every nation hear the word as preached by Peter and other disciples. This theme of transformation is also seen clearly in characters involved. Before the Pentecost event, Peter was very timid, fearful going up to the extent of denying the Lord. Now, after the Pentecost event he is transformed and he becomes the brave man who is ready to explain to the people in Jerusalem that Jesus is risen. The other disciples are also transformed; they who were initially timid and fearful, (they ran away from Jesus during the crucifixion) are now seen fearlessly preaching and many will shed their blood for the sake of the gospel. Again whereas earlier in the case of the Tower of Babel, different languages were a source of confusion and fall, with the coming of the Christian Pentecost event, this situation is transformed as men from different nations are able to listen and understand the Apostles in their own languages. So friends, it is clear from the above examples that wherever the Holy Spirit descends what happens is that there is a transformation. The Ignorant becomes knowledgeable, the fool becomes wise, the barren bear children, the difficult situation becomes easy. This transformation can be seen also in other instances of the Bible where the Holy Spirit is involved. When the Holy Spirit was involved, the Virgin was transformed into a mother as it’s seen in the case of B.V.M who conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Again when the Holy Spirit was involved the barren and aged were transformed and conceived. This is clearly seen in the case of Elizabeth (Lk 1:41) and Zechariah (Lk 1:67). Again because John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit (Lk1:15) he was able to survive with the least as a Nazarene. The notion of the Holy Spirit as transforming is also clearly seen in the liturgy and the life of the Church. When the Holy Spirit invoked during the Epiclesis in the mass, Bread and Wine is transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. When the Holy Spirit is invoked in the prayer of consecration during sacrament of Ordination a mere man is transformed into a priest.(This is exactly what is elaborated in our Gospel Pericope…by Jesus breathing onto the eleven and giving them the Holy Spirit, He simply ordained them. When the Holy Spirit is invoked the sinner is transformed into a child of God. In the sacrament of confirmation, the frail human is transformed into a solider of Christ. Therefore, the Holy Spirit’s major work seems to be that of Transforming. It is important to observe that though we are talking of the Holy Spirit’s descent during the Pentecost does this mean that the Holy Spirit was not at work before the Pentecost? On this question he fathers of the second Vatican Council in the concilliar document ‘Ad Gentes n.4 observed that “though the Holy Spirit was at work before the Descent he came down so that he might remain here forever.” As we commemorate this feast of Pentecost, let us pray that the Holy Spirit may transform the evil/ bad in us into good. we especially pray for transformation of our families, friends, family trees, countries and those who have planned evil for us. In what area of your life do you think you require transformation? May the Blessed Virgin Mary, She who was among the witnesses of the Descent of the Holy Spirit journey and intercede for us.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 22:59:48 +0000
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