05/23/2026
Pastor's Notes Sunday, May 24, 2026 Pentecost
Pentecost, along with Passover and the Feast of Booths, was one of the great pilgrim feasts of the Jewish calendar. Thus, despite the special ten-day preparation they had been undergoing, the Apostles, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the other disciples gathered in the upper room likely expected that this Pentecost would be like all the others they had experienced. Of course they were likely joyfully looking forward to celebrating the feast that year knowing that all the promises God had made to Israel had been fulfilled in the person of Jesus. For them the Feast of Weeks would mean more than simply recalling the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. They would be celebrating the salvation of the world.
What happened of course was their experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit coming upon them, transporting them to that time on Sinai when God manifested himself to His people in wind and fire. But, instead of God’s presence frightening them as it had their ancestors, it emboldened them. No longer could they go about their lives without proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Filled with the Spirit, they no longer felt any hesitation about going to the ends of the earth. They knew through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was indeed with them and would guide them always by His Spirit.
Of course, it was no accident that this conferral of the Spirit happened on Pentecost. As this was a pilgrim feast that all faithful Jews who could were required to attend there were in the words of Acts “Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene … travelers from Rome … Cretans and Arabs.” Importantly, this group was made up of not only ethnic Jews but also converts to Judaism and likely God-fearing Gentiles. This diverse group all understood what the Apostles were talking about even though they, themselves, spoke a variety of languages. The Spirit had given the disciples the gift of tongues to undo Babel. The whole human race could once again become one in Christ. The gifts of the Holy Spirit destroy the confusion created by human pride. All are now capable of hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Good News that tells how all can become God’s children and achieve eternal life.
As Saint Paul taught so well, the gifts of the Spirit come to build up the Church, the Body of Christ, so that it can be truly one. Therefore, the peace Christ conferred on His disciples in the upper room can only come about when things are right ordered. The Spirit enables us to maintain that order, that unity, which is imperative if we are truly to love one another as Jesus loved us. Therefore, today as we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, may we all reflect on how God in His mercy wants us to be one and celebrate that divine love which alone can bring us peace.
Father Tom
