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Holy Pentecost
In the Church’s annual liturgical
cycle, Pentecost is “the last and great day.” It is the celebration
by the Church of the coming of the Holy Spirit as the end – the achievement and fulfillment – of the entire history
of salvation. For the same reason, however, it is also the celebration of
the beginning of the Church as the presence among us of the Holy Spirit, of
the new life in Christ, of grace, knowledge, adoption to God and holiness.
Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles provides an account of the events of Pentecost. The
Gospel reading today tells of the debates of the Jewish leaders concerning the person of Jesus.
Only the first three verses have a direct bearing on the Holy Spirit.
The liturgical peculiarity of Pentecost is the very special Vespers of the day itself.
Usually, this Service follows immediately the Divine Liturgy as its own fulfillment.
During Vespers, we are invited to kneel. This is our first kneeling since Pascha, signifying that after the fifty
days of Paschal joy and fulness, of experiencing the Kingdom of God, the Church now is about to begin her pilgrimage through
time and history.
Pentecost Sunday is often
called “Trinity Day”, and the Monday of Pentecost may be called “Spirit Day.”
The Trinity Icon is venerated on the Sunday, and the Icon of the Descent of the Spirit upon the Apostles is given prominence
on the Monday. Please see the related article in “Father Quotes.”
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The readings below are Sunday, May 28, 2023.
Today's Epistle reading [Acts 2.1-11]:
When the day of Pentecost had come,
they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven
like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem
Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude
came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians
and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and
the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them
telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."
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The Gospel reading for today [John 7.37-52, 8.12]:
On the last day of the feast, the
great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink.
He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ "Now
this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given,
because Jesus was not yet glorified.
When they heard these words, some
of the people said, "This is really the prophet.” Others said,
"This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come
from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from
David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there
was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.
The officers then went back to
the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?”
The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!” The
Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? Have any of
the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who
do not know the law, are accursed." Nicodemus,
who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him
a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, "Are you from
Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee.” Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows
me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
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