In Contemplation of Pentecost

 

Another Sunday is dawning, the Sunday before Pentecost. Pentecost occurs 49 days after Easter (or is it 50, as the Greek root word expresses?). It commemorates the Holy Spirit descending upon the Apostles and Mary (and I’d say others) who were crowded in that upper room in Jerusalem where this event occurred. This supernatural happening is symbolized by the dove and tongues of fire coming upon the devout in a mighty wind.

Of course that’s next week’s celebration. On this Sunday, one week before, we might contemplate what may have been going on in the minds of those who would gather together in expectation of this mystery.

The Holy Spirit is the third entity of our Trinitarian God. We pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit to come into us—for example to assist us in our speech when we express ourselves, similar to the Apostles who instantly began speaking in tongues on this first occasion.

For a human sinner to “walk in grace,” however, is much more than being delighted when words of wisdom come out of one’s mouth. Of course that is a beautiful thing in and of itself. But I’d venture to say that this is only one benefit that accrues from the nuances of grace coming into and upon you.

The concept of the grace of God conjures up thoughts that are mighty, pure, free from the taint and contamination of contrivance, pretension, and affectation. Grace shines as the power of truth, goodness, beauty! And one who is in the possession of sacred grace walks in holiness and, I suppose, as near to perfection as is possible in this world.

All ye who worship the Good Lord seek to emulate the actions and words of Jesus (Yeshua) the Christ, as He is exemplified in the Gospels. The historical Jesus was and is the idyllic role model for human beings, and asking for the gift of grace via the Holy Spirit is to humbly desire to “walk in his sandals”—to ask for the gift of being supernaturally assisted directly by God in our daily lives; to live lives that are real, lives of deep faith, hope and charity.

Pentecost celebrates the birth of the nascent church, of inspirational leaders who take the Word of God to others through the sacrality of their words and actions as inspired by the grace of the Holy Spirit that lives in them and through them.

We look with pleasure upon this event as the fulfillment of Scripture and the enduring promise of being able still to utilize God’s powerful grace to ennoble our humanity. Yes, the Holy Spirit is like a living consciousness we can tap into if worthy and willing to serve our Creator in a more profound way. By so doing we extend grace to others. Yes, Pentecost epitomizes what it means to be Christ-like, to aspire to a moral life in harmony with Divine Will.

It’s truly…a beautiful thing.