Understanding our Faith

Easter – the Gift of the Spirit – Pentecost

Easter and Pentecost are not two separate feasts. Pentecost complements and completes Easter. 

The coming of the Holy Spirit into us is not a random gift from God but is specifically attached to the resurrection of the Lord, the Spirit being the gift of the Risen Christ.

St John’s Gospel tells us that in the evening of the day of the resurrection, the risen Lord comes among his disciples and breathes on them and says ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ (Jn 20:19-21).  This echoes the breathing of the Creator into Adam in the story of Creation by which Adam became a living being (Genesis 2:5-9).  As the risen Lord breathes on his disciples, he makes them newly-living beings sharing his risen life with them.

St Luke in the Acts of the Apostles tells us that at Pentecost the Spirit is poured out upon the original group of disciples in the form of tongues of fire and like a mighty wind.  The symbol of fire has several biblical references but very significant is the reference to the account of Moses’ experience of God in the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6).

And the word for wind in Hebrew is the same as that for breath – it is based in the experience of the movement of air in both breath and wind.

The celebration of Pentecost brings the Easter season to its completion.  In the liturgy it is helpful to find ways in which we can link Easter and Pentecost.  One of the ways we have in our churches, is to give a significant place to the Paschal Candle in the Pentecost liturgy.  We took light (fire) from the Paschal Candle by means of lit tapers as we did at the Easter Vigil, so creating a link between them.

By Fr Frank O’Loughlin