Pentecost Sunday, June 11, 2006

Before our Lord Jesus ascended into Heaven on the 40th Day after His Resurrection from the dead, He commanded His Apostles not to depart from Jerusalem until they would receive power from Above. Only 10 days after His Ascension the Apostles still were secluded for fear of their lives in the Upper Room. Suddenly they were shaken, having heard a very deafening sound coming from Above. It was like the

rush of a gusty wind, and it filled the house in which they were living.            It is then, that they each saw on the heads of the other Apostles what appeared to be tongues of fire. Precisely this was the great moment, that they were filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in various languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

This description of the descent of the Holy Spirit is given at the beginning of the 2nd Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. This coming of the Holy Spirit, as promised by the Lord, is the first great Miracle in the history of the Church.

In essence, we could say, that it constituted the beginning, or the Birthday of the Christian Church.

This day, coincided with a major Jewish Holiday. Jews from all over the then known world gathered to celebrate the Feast of the first fruits of Spring. Jerusalem was filled with Pilgrims from all the then known world. The Apostles mingled amongst the great crowds and sought the opportunity to speak to the multitudes in the language they understood, because those pilgrim Jews, living in far off lands, had more or less lost the use of their mother tongue. At a given moment St. Peter took the opportunity to address the multitudes.

He began by describing the well known prophecies of the coming of the Messiah, Who when He did come, was put to death by the Leaders of Judaism. But then after 3 days He was resurrected. The listeners were so engrossed and so moved by the power of St. Peter's preaching, that they came forward asking what they should do.

St. Peter said, "believe in the Lord Jesus and be baptized, in order to be saved." History records, that on that day 3000 Jews were baptized to form the first Christian Congregation.

I once came across a story, which I never forgot. A young lad used to accompany his father on his small sailboat. One day he asked: "Father, how is the wind made?" The Father replied: "really I do not know, but surely I do know, that the boat really starts to move the moment I hoist the sail!"

Pentecost is a Greek word meaning "the 50th Day." Of course we mean the 50th Day after the Lord's Resurrection. On the day of the Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended, as was mentioned, like a sound of a mighty and forceful wind. The Apostles didn't venture to question, even for a moment the miracle of the coming of that tremendous life's surge!

They immediately hoisted the spiritual sail, and were pushed forward. Very rapidly they proceeded to transform the world, through the message of salvation. The Apostles experienced the great Miracle, which took place in the Upper Room. It fired them up. From the one moment to the next, a transforming power had entered their lives, and they would never be the same again.

This happening occurred 2000 years ago, and the experience in the life of the Church down through the Ages has proven, that this transforming power continues to take place, wherever men and women have faith, strong enough to hoist the spiritual sail!

There is no doubt that in some Icon in Church, or a religious book we may have seen the picture of a ship on the high seas.

It is most fitting, that the symbol of the Church, since Her inception has been a ship, plowing through the sea of life, with the sail unfurled, and driven by the mighty power of the force of the Holy Spirit, Who is the overseer of the Church. This ship carries the faithful safely to the Port of Salvation.

Perhaps some know, that the main part of the Church where the congregation stands, is known as the "Nave." Nave is the Greek word "Naus" or "Naos," meaning a ship.

I would think that all of us, at one time or another, must have been inspired by some incident. Perhaps by a spoken word; --- a soft refrain;--- perhaps through some thunderous majesty of nature; or even a crisis we felt, which we thought we could not overcome -- but finally did; --- perhaps a silent thought, that gripped us thoroughly; --- perhaps some act of adoration; or some confrontation, in which our total conviction was called to respond; and then, something mysterious happening out of nowhere, seemed to have appeared and possessed us.

It fired us up; --- it strengthened us; ---- it lifted us and pushed us forward; --- it calmed us; --- it helped us; --- it healed us; --- it restrained us, and finally it truly restored us. It was sensed deeply, as an internal power from the innermost depths of our heart. Thinking on any of these moving experiences, we marveled at the strength of our spiritual stamina. We didn't think we would overcome the test or trial!

I believe that any of these experiences were nothing less, than the blessing and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because we believed, that from our own power we could never have sustained sufficiently. It was God speaking to us, and guided us, to see our way through.

The power of God was the force, which created the Church. That is the force, which creates new lives, or renews them. That is the strength, that transforms people into Saints.

The supreme work of the Holy Spirit is to sanctify people; to cleanse them; --- to renew them; --- to make them over into the likeness of Christ!

St. Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Holy Spirit as follows: he says, "the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."