The coming of the Holy Spirit (or Hokekaloust in
Armenian) is celebrated by the Armenian Church, as in all Christian churches,
50 days after Easter. As we celebrate
that "birthday" of the Church, we also celebrate our own
Pentecost. For just as the Holy Spirit
came to the Apostles on Pentecost, so too does the Holy Spirit come to each one
of us on our personal Pentecost at the time of our chrismation or confirmation.
*****
Imagine the predicament of the Disciples of Christ at the time of his Ascension. They were still filled with the excitement of
His resurrection and of the 40 days they had spent with Him afterwards.
Then came the Ascension, when he was taken up into heaven
and suddenly the person who had been their life for the past few years, the
person for whom they had given up everything, was physically gone from their
midst. They could no longer touch him or
speak to him or ask him for guidance.
Christ had instructed them in vague terms just before the
Ascension to "not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father
promised." He said, "John
baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy
Spirit" (Acts 1:4-5). And so the
disciples, probably not knowing what else to do, gathered together in the place
where they felt the closest to Jesus and each other: the Upper Room where they
gathered for the Last Supper.
There, they elected Matthias to replace Judas, once again
bringing their number to 12. And they
waited for what would come. No doubt
they were experiencing confusion, sadness, and fear.
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all
together in one place. Suddenly a sound
like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house
where they were sitting. They saw what
seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of
them. All of them were filled with the
Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:1-4).
On that day, the Jewish feast of Pentecost, Peter
delivered an inspiring sermon (Acts 2:14-40) and 3,000 men and women were
baptized becoming the first "church" in Jerusalem (Acts
2:41-42). The Apostles began to heal, to
preach with a new confidence, and begin their separate -- but equally important
-- missions throughout the world.
Personal Pentecost
The coming of the Holy Spirit (or Hokekaloust in
Armenian) is celebrated by the Armenian Church, as in all Christian churches,
50 days after Easter. As we celebrate
that "birthday" of the Church, we also celebrate our own
Pentecost. For just as the Holy Spirit
came to the Apostles on Pentecost, so too does the Holy Spirit come to each one
of us on our personal Pentecost at the time of our chrismation or confirmation.
On the day of our baptism, when we are anointed with oil,
we receive the sacrament of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit dwells in the Church, so too does the
Holy Spirit dwell in each one of us. It
is a personal gift to be experienced individually. And if we are open to that gift, it can
transform us and inspire us as it did the Apostles and the 3,000 men and women
baptized on that Pentecost so long ago.
The Holy Spirit unites us to Christ and enables us to
live a Christ-centered existence, in which the fruits of the Spirit -- love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control -- can grow and thrive (Galatians 5:22).
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