What do we celebrate at Pentecost?
01.06.2018
THE DECISION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
As the Lord commanded them at the Ascension, the apostles remained in Jerusalem, awaiting the fulfillment of His promise, the mission of the Holy Ghost. "All of them," according to Acts, "remained united in prayer, together with the women, and with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren." (Acts 1, 14). They talked about Christ and His words at the Ascension, but they did not talk about it with anyone outside their circle, nor about the joy that reigned in their hearts. The fear had simply closed their mouths. And then something extraordinary happened. Once again, they were all gathered, when in the third hour (after our time measurement 9 o'clock in the evening) a kind of thunder broke in, the house in which the apostles were wiggled and they heard a strong wind, like a storm, over them. A pillar of fire descended from the sky, and tongues of fire appeared in the room above the heads of the apostles. This was the descent of the Holy Spirit into the hearts and minds of the apostles whom Christ had promised them before the ascension. By receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles are now fully renewed and reborn.
Suddenly the apostles sensed that they could talk. Yes, even more, they had to talk at once. Because so strong was the enthusiasm in their hearts. The fear was gone. They began to speak loudly about God and Jesus Christ, so loud that they were heard by all. A large number of pilgrims were in Jerusalem at that time, celebrating the feast of the Pentecost, and they were attracted by the loud talk and came to the house of the apostles. They stopped by the house and listened to the words. They wondered at the joyful words about Jesus. They heard the words in their own language, the locals and the strangers, the pilgrims who had come from far away.
Many wondered astonished where did that come from? Is that from God? Others ridiculed the situation: they are drunk on sweet wine! Now the apostles came out and began to talk about Jesus with such enthusiasm, conviction and certainty that now many from the different regions of the Roman Empire are being converted. Many begin to believe in Christ by miraculously hearing the sermons on Him, each in His own language, from the mouth of the apostle Peter speaking in the name of the other apostles: Jesus the Nazarene, who performed so many miracles. Jesus, whom you crucified and killed with the hands of the heathens ... God has raised Him again. He is the Lord. He is Christ! The church is founded! (Reading: Acts 2)
With the descent of the Holy Spirit into the apostles, the founding of the Church of Christ was accomplished, or the Kingdom of God established on earth by Jesus Christ. Now the apostles had received the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the sacred truth about Christ's saving sacrifice and resurrection. They baptized several thousand of Christ's disciples that day and thus laid the foundation for the organized church of Christ on earth. From that moment on, the church began to live to the fullest and grew with the acceptance of new souls. This growth of the church, externally and internally, in depth and breadth, is described in the Acts of the Apostles, beginning with the second chapter.
In memory of this important event, in honor of the Holy Trinity, the church celebrates the feast called Pentekoste (Greek) because it is celebrated 50 days after the Resurrection (Easter). The whole service on this Pentecost, which is very solemn and sublime, is the elaboration of the daily liturgical song in honor of the Holy Spirit: "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly spirit, we have found the true faith "We worship the indivisible Trinity." On that day, during the liturgy (service), the song is often sung "Carju Nebesnij ... The Kingdom of Heaven." In the Christian Church, this feast is called the descent of the Holy Spirit into the Apostles, the Day of the Holy Spirit, the Day of Trinity, Trinity, serb. Duhovi and the like. Pentecost is one of the Lord's oldest holidays. The holiday is marked by a special service and on that day, after the liturgy, the evening service is joined (so that the faithful can kneel to listen to the prayers) dedicated to the Holy Spirit and includes prayers on the day of the gift of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, to renew in us the grace of the Holy Spirit.
On this day it is custom that the churches and houses of the faithful are decorated with flowers and green plants, certainly following the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Since the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples just for the Jewish holiday of the Pentecost, the upper chamber on Zion was certainly adorned. On the feast day of the Holy Spirit, believers, while listening to prayers in the evening service, weave wreaths of flowers and grasses and take them home to share with their icons as a visible sign of their piety and faith. The green renews nature, the Holy Spirit renews our souls, as well as the whole being of man.
The holiday following the Pentecost is called "Pentecost Monday" because it is dedicated to the All Saint, Life-giving and Almighty Holy Spirit, one of the three beings of the Trinity, who is essentially the same as the Father and the Son and is worshiped as the Father and the son.
Mirko D. Kolundzic
Suddenly the apostles sensed that they could talk. Yes, even more, they had to talk at once. Because so strong was the enthusiasm in their hearts. The fear was gone. They began to speak loudly about God and Jesus Christ, so loud that they were heard by all. A large number of pilgrims were in Jerusalem at that time, celebrating the feast of the Pentecost, and they were attracted by the loud talk and came to the house of the apostles. They stopped by the house and listened to the words. They wondered at the joyful words about Jesus. They heard the words in their own language, the locals and the strangers, the pilgrims who had come from far away.
Many wondered astonished where did that come from? Is that from God? Others ridiculed the situation: they are drunk on sweet wine! Now the apostles came out and began to talk about Jesus with such enthusiasm, conviction and certainty that now many from the different regions of the Roman Empire are being converted. Many begin to believe in Christ by miraculously hearing the sermons on Him, each in His own language, from the mouth of the apostle Peter speaking in the name of the other apostles: Jesus the Nazarene, who performed so many miracles. Jesus, whom you crucified and killed with the hands of the heathens ... God has raised Him again. He is the Lord. He is Christ! The church is founded! (Reading: Acts 2)
With the descent of the Holy Spirit into the apostles, the founding of the Church of Christ was accomplished, or the Kingdom of God established on earth by Jesus Christ. Now the apostles had received the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the sacred truth about Christ's saving sacrifice and resurrection. They baptized several thousand of Christ's disciples that day and thus laid the foundation for the organized church of Christ on earth. From that moment on, the church began to live to the fullest and grew with the acceptance of new souls. This growth of the church, externally and internally, in depth and breadth, is described in the Acts of the Apostles, beginning with the second chapter.
In memory of this important event, in honor of the Holy Trinity, the church celebrates the feast called Pentekoste (Greek) because it is celebrated 50 days after the Resurrection (Easter). The whole service on this Pentecost, which is very solemn and sublime, is the elaboration of the daily liturgical song in honor of the Holy Spirit: "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly spirit, we have found the true faith "We worship the indivisible Trinity." On that day, during the liturgy (service), the song is often sung "Carju Nebesnij ... The Kingdom of Heaven." In the Christian Church, this feast is called the descent of the Holy Spirit into the Apostles, the Day of the Holy Spirit, the Day of Trinity, Trinity, serb. Duhovi and the like. Pentecost is one of the Lord's oldest holidays. The holiday is marked by a special service and on that day, after the liturgy, the evening service is joined (so that the faithful can kneel to listen to the prayers) dedicated to the Holy Spirit and includes prayers on the day of the gift of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, to renew in us the grace of the Holy Spirit.
On this day it is custom that the churches and houses of the faithful are decorated with flowers and green plants, certainly following the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Since the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples just for the Jewish holiday of the Pentecost, the upper chamber on Zion was certainly adorned. On the feast day of the Holy Spirit, believers, while listening to prayers in the evening service, weave wreaths of flowers and grasses and take them home to share with their icons as a visible sign of their piety and faith. The green renews nature, the Holy Spirit renews our souls, as well as the whole being of man.
The holiday following the Pentecost is called "Pentecost Monday" because it is dedicated to the All Saint, Life-giving and Almighty Holy Spirit, one of the three beings of the Trinity, who is essentially the same as the Father and the Son and is worshiped as the Father and the son.
Mirko D. Kolundzic