What do we understand of Pentecost and what is its significance?Its significance might not be that obvious considering that we are easily seduced by the spectacular. And what is more spectacular than the tongues of flames coming to rest on the Apostles. Our understanding of Pentecost is that the Spirit goes wherever He wants to. That is the impression we get because Vatican II has often been described as a breath of fresh air set against what was perceived as the rigidity of the pre-Vatican era. This sense of the Spirit being able to work without and beyond “confines” and “limitations”, appeals to our idea of freedom, which is commonly accepted as being able to do anything, anywhere and at anytime.
But, what if I propose to you that Pentecost is also as sober as the Sacrament we are celebrating today? It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to confect the bread into the Body of Christ. On the mountain Christ promised to be with His Church until the end of time. Thus, the Spirit is that promise kept which means the Spirit is “tied” to the Church. This being “tied” to the Church reveals a kind of “responsibility” quite antithetical/contrary to our concept of unlimited freedom. Through our ritual celebrations, the Holy Spirit guarantees that the liturgical actions of the Church are truly the actions of Christ Himself.
Christ on earth, through His Prophetic, Priestly and Kingly actions, exercised the authority of God the Father. He revealed Himself as the Truth, offered Himself as the Lamb who took away our sins and He conquered Death by taking away its eternal hold over us. He then sent His disciples out with the same authority He has received from His Father: “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you”. This sending is through the Holy Spirit. This sending is empowering and therefore exciting. It gives us a sense of purpose. Granted that the world is so wrong, we yearn for the Spirit’s strength to change the world and to, cliché as it may sound, make the world a better place.
But, at the heart of this sending we encounter a contemplative spirit, Mary, who reveals to us the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Church. She was there at Pentecost and it would not be heretical to say that she was not totally surprised by all that was taking place. Why? She herself had been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit at the moment of the Annunciation. Pentecost was to be another overshadowing. Thus, she who had given birth to the Body of Christ incarnate would now give birth to the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. Thus, the Mother of Christ is also the Mother of the Church.
By the action of the Holy Spirit, Christ was incarnated through her and once again by the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church is incarnated through her. The birth of the Church took place in the Upper Room. Up there we note a distinct connexion between the Holy Spirit and Apostolic Authority. We hear this in the Gospel today: Those whose sins you forgive they are forgiven. Those whose sins you retain, they are retained. At Pentecost, what was visible in Christ has now passed into the Sacraments.
Your browser may not support display of this image. We can safely say that the heart of Pentecost beats with a Marian rhythm. Take a look at this icon of Christ’s Ascension. In the Orthodox tradition, Ascension and Pentecost are coalesced into one, and in its iconography, the Holy Spirit is not depicted because by His very nature the Holy Spirit is invisible. What you see is Christ is portrayed as enthroned in glory surrounded by the angels who are sending the Apostles out on missions. At the heart of the different missions stands the figure of Mary with her hands in the “orans” position. She prays for the Church.
If Pentecost is the beginning of the Church, then right at the beginning stands the model of one who is forever faithful: Mary. Even as we break into joyful noise, there is a stillness which commands us to pray. In an age which prizes “happening” and which celebrates a “can-do” spirit, we are led by Mary to a deeper appreciation of the relationship between prayer and the Church.
In summary, the significance of Pentecost is that we do not of ourselves make the Church and neither can we grant ourselves salvation. The contemplative spirit of Pentecost has Mary praying for the Church that through the Spirit, we become Church. Make us one body and one Spirit in Christ; a prayer echoed in all the Eucharistic Prayers and this one taken from EPIII. It is true that we cannot help but be overawed by the 3000 added to their number. And, just when we think that Pentecost primes us into action, Mary leads us back to prayer. Pentecost celebrates what the Spirit, through prayer, can do for us.
But, if this sounds lame, let me tell you it does because we breathe the air of self-help. Go to any bookshop and you will find a big section entitled: “Self-help”. We have come to believe more in our own strength than the strength of the Holy Spirit. However, if you desire to change the world, this desire must be founded on prayers rather than our capability because the Holy Spirit can do infinitely more than all our machinations can ever achieve. Let us pray: “Come Holy Spirit”.
