By Msgr. Joseph Prior • Posted June 6, 2025

(See the readings for Pentecost Sunday)

Fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, ten days after He ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit was poured forth on the apostles and disciples, and the Church was born. The Acts of the Apostles describes the event with vivid imagery. The dynamic events point to a communion that is alive and on mission through a power not of its own, but of the Holy Spirit dwelling in and among the faithful.

The apostles and disciples were in Jerusalem, observing the Jewish feast of Pentecost. That celebration, fifty days after Passover, recalls and celebrates the giving of the law/Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. The gift of the law represented the covenant between God and His people. The covenant bound them together as a people. Observance of the law was an outward sign that the person was a member of this “people,” and shared in the covenant.

The union represented by the law was about to be taken to a whole new level. Saint Luke recounts the moment: “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.”

The outpouring of the Spirit came suddenly. During His public ministry, Jesus referred to the Spirit. He prepared the disciples for the coming of the Paraclete, but He did not say when or where this would happen. How wonderful that it happened on the feast of Pentecost. The suddenness of the coming is one of those factors that point us toward the divine. God is the primary actor here. He is the one who pours forth the Spirit.

His graciousness is seen in the act of giving. The apostles and disciples receive this gift and become the Church. In other words, the Church did not establish itself and then have God bless it with the Spirit; rather, God sends the Spirit, and through it the Church was created.

The coming of the Spirit was accompanied by dramatic natural signs: a great sound, a rushing noise. A driving wind filled the entire house. Once again, these point to divine activity at work.

On the one hand, we can think of many examples of great theophanies in the Scriptures which convey divine presence — for example, the thunder and lightning on Sinai when Moses received the law (Exodus 19:16-19). On the other hand, we might also think of the more subdued but nonetheless powerful manifestations of the divine presence — Elijah’s encounter with God on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:9-12), God’s creative word carried on His voice (Genesis 1), or more pointedly, His breathing life into man (Genesis 2:7).

The wind rushing among the disciples is as new and abundant life being poured forth by the Spirit.

In John’s account, the outpouring occurs during the first resurrection appearance. The disciples are gathered inside, full of fear after what has happened to Jesus. He enters the room, though the door is locked. After greeting them with “Peace be with you,” He breathes on them and says: “‘As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ [And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,] ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’”

The tongues of fire come next. This fire is not one that destroys but one that gives light and energy; it enlivens the disciples for mission. The “tongues” point to what happens as the proclamation begins.

Jews from all nations were gathered in Jerusalem for the feast. Their various languages placed an obstacle to communion. The obstacle is removed as the apostles, while speaking, can be understood in multiple languages. It is the Spirit speaking through the apostles who invite all to hear the good news of salvation.

The healing accomplished through the Paschal Mystery unites all who accept it into a communion of love and life. The breakdown in humanity was symbolized long ago in the Tower of Babel account of Genesis 11:1-9. In that story, man was trying to build a tower to the heavens so that they could grab for themselves a share in divine life. Various languages were imposed as an obstacle to their misguided efforts, forestalling their futile attempts.

Now, at Pentecost, God in His graciousness gives humanity what it most deeply desires — a share in eternal life and union with its creator.

Saint Paul will later reflect on the gift of the Spirit. In the second reading, he speaks of the many gifts coming from the one Spirit (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:1ff). These gifts are given so that the Church may proclaim Christ and the life He offers to all.

The Spirit empowers the Church to proclaim and to fulfill the missionary command of Christ to go out to all nations and baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (cf. Matthew 28:16-20).

Pentecost celebrates the birth of the Church through the gift of the Holy Spirit. One Spirit provides each member of the Church gifts for the good of all. The gifts enable us to live the life of love as Jesus has shown us and taught us. That love propels us forward on this journey as missionary disciples who bring the good news to those we encounter, so that all might know and be invited to share in the eternal life Christ has won for us.

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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He writes a weekly spirituality column for CatholicPhilly. Read past reflections here.