Pentecost Sunday celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. This year Pentecost falls on Sunday, May 23, 2010.

Pentecost "the fiftieth [day]") is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ. The feast is also called Whitsun, Whitsunday, Whit Sunday, or Whitsuntide, especially in the United Kingdom. Pentecost is celebrated seven weeks (50 days) after Easter Sunday, hence its name. Pentecost falls on the tenth day after Ascension Thursday.

Pentecost is historically and symbolically related to the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, which commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus. Among Christians, Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the New Testament Acts of the Apostles 2:31 during these Jewish "fiftieth day" celebrations in Jerusalem. For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described as the "Birthday of the Church".

St. Paul, in his first letter to the Church in Corinth, said, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:3) For St. Paul, it is in and through the grace of the Spirit of God that we are introduced to and strengthened in our faith in a God who loves us. We have come to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ through the Spirit’s action in us and in the Church as a whole. Therefore, the Holy Spirit has a very special role in the building of God’s reign on earth. This is precisely why Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the Spirit to guide them in their mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all the ends of the earth.

Fifty days after Jesus’ return to His Father in heaven, He sent the Spirit to His disciples. The book of the Acts of the Apostles narrates this event for the disciples and to us Christians of today: “On the day of Pentecost, all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly, there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind. It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.” (Acts 2:1-4)

Although many refer to the Holy Spirit as the often “forgotten” person of the Blessed Trinity, His active role in our Christian life is very significant. For us, He serves as comforter and paraclete – He gives us strength and consolation in times of trials and difficulties. He inspires us to be faithful to live and share God’s Word. He empowers us to do our mission on earth so that one day, we may share in the heavenly reward. Just as the Spirit of God accompanied Jesus in His earthly ministry as well as the early Christians in their task of spreading the Word of God to all nations, we can be sure that the same Spirit will guide us in our journey of faith and life.

As we celebrate Pentecost Sunday today, let us acknowledge His active role in our lives. As He is our guide and protector, let us entrust to Him ourselves – our actions and our daily activities so that through His guidance and protection, we may not fall into the temptations of this world and choose always to follow God.

The following prayer to the Holy Spirit by Cardinal Mercier is a fitting prayer today as we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit: “O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will.”
Wish you all the best.

Tags: pentecost sunday, pentecost sunday 2010, pentecost, pentecostal, holy spirit, pentecote