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Holy Pentecost
On this day, the
tenth day after the Ascension of the Lord and the fiftieth day after Pascha, at the third hour of the day from the rising
of the sun, there suddenly came a sound from Heaven, as when a mighty wind blows, and it filled the whole house where the
Apostles were gathered. Immediately after the sound, there appeared tongues
of fire that divided and rested upon the head of each one. Filled with the
Spirit, all those present began speaking not in their native tongue, but in other tongues and dialects, as the Holy Spirit
directed them. Those present in Jerusalem from various nations for the Jewish
feast of Shavuot (marking the fiftieth day after Passover), hearing the mighty wind, gathered around the house and heard the
apostles preach in their own tongues.
Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles is an account of the events of Pentecost, and the Gospel reading
tells of the debates among the Jews concerning the person of Jesus (only the first three verses have a direct bearing on the
Holy Spirit).
The liturgical particularity of Pentecost is a very special Vespers of the day itself.
Usually, this service follows immediately the Divine Liturgy, “added” to it as its own fulfillment. We are invited to kneel – our first kneeling since Pascha – and this
signifies that after these fifty days of Paschal joy and fullness, the Church now is
about to begin her pilgrimage through time and history. All of this
is revealed in the three prayers which the priest reads as we all kneel and listen to them.
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The readings below are Sunday, June 8, 2025
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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Today's Gospel reading: [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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