Pentecost is here and Easter season ends. The name tells us that it is the fiftieth day (pentekoste in the Greek) of Easter, the last day of the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The nine days from Ascension Day to the Eve of Pentecost are the original novena--nine days of prayer. Before He ascended, Jesus ordered the disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. After His Ascension, they returned to the upper room in Jerusalem where they devoted themselves to prayer.
Like Ascension Day, Pentecost is its own major event in the history of
our salvation since it is the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is the day
on which the Church is filled and empowered by the Spirit and, as we
read in Acts, begins to grow and bear Fruit, proclaiming the Gospel of
the One who died and rose again.
Fr. Thomas Keating tells us that: "The Fruits of the Spirit are indications of God's presence at work in us in varying degrees and forms. Through the Fruits, the Spirit is becoming a reality in our lives. By manifesting the fruits in daily life we bear witness to the resurrection of Christ in a most profound manner. It is not so much preaching or teaching, but our rootedness in the Spirit that communicates Christ's life to the people around us--to our family, friends, and those with whom we work. If we are rooted in the Spirit, these fruits inevitably begin to appear."
So then, how will we choose to live out our vocation as Pentecostal stewards of God's Holy Spirit? Will we seek a full, deep relationship with the Divinity that compels us to move beyond both Church and home to the world beyond? Will we use these Fruits so richly bestowed to ensure that the world He died for is blessed through us?
Be Pentecostal, it is how we are empowered to live the Gospel.
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