Editorial

Pentecost: As it was in the beginning ...

Michael Gilchrist

Contents - Jun 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Pentecost: As it was in the beginning ... - Michael Gilchrist Abortion: 'Pro-choice' issue emerges in US presidential campaign - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World Marriage: Statistics highlight the precarious state of marriage and family - AD2000 REPORT Theology of the Body: Why the silence on the Church's moral teachings? - Audrey Dillon Society: Why Chesterton is needed now more than ever - Dale Ahlquist Education: Chavagnes en Paillers: a Catholic college with a Catholic culture - Paul Russell The importance of beauty in the Liturgy - Christopher Pearson Poetry: The power and beauty of religious poetry - Star-Life, Identikit, Ministers - Bruce Dawe Poetry: The power and beauty of religious poetry - Cast fear behind thee, I am come! - Marion and Delia Craig Letters: New Liturgy document (letter) - John Schmid Letters: Disrespect (letter) - John Casamento Letters: Behaviour at Mass (letter) - Michael Ryan Letters: Options (letter) - Maryse Usher Letter: Signs of hope (letter) - Daniel Attard Letters: Priestly vocations (letter) - Monsignor Robert Egar Letters: The Passion - Suffering (letter) - Dr Arnold Jago Letters: The Passion - Not overdone (letter) - Monique Onezime Letters: The Passion - No ordinary man (letter) - Jony Joordens Letters: Faith and reason (letter) - John Kelly Letters: Gospel Dating - The Jesus Papyrus (letter) - Paul R. Smith Letters: Media Standards Australia (letter) - Denise Den-Bakker Letters: Name changes? (letter) - Frank Mobbs Letters: US Survey (letter) - Errol P. Duke Letters: Catholic books (letter) - Frank Carleton Events: Window Shopping for Non-Catholics - Fr Paul Newton Books: The Free Press, by Hilaire Belloc - John Ballantyne (reviewer) Books: The Outline Of Sanity, by G.K. Chesterton - Peter Westmore (reviewer) Books: Catharine With An 'A', by Edna Keir - Joan Graham (reviewer) Books: Looking Again at the Question of the Liturgy, Reform of the Reform? - Paul Russell (reviewer) Books: More new titles for 2004 from AD Books Reflection: The Holy Spirit: like a bed for the weary traveller - Fr Leo Duck

Among the more significant passages from the New Testament is the one that commences chapter two of the Acts of the Apostles: "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit ..." (Acts 2:1-4).

The Acts reference to Pentecost is in fact to the Jewish harvest festival observed on the fiftieth day from the second day of Passover - the expression Pentecost meaning fiftieth day.

Here, the Old Law connects with the New, with the Christian Feast of Pentecost commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit 50 days after Easter, just as Our Lord had promised. Through the Holy Spirit, the Church which Jesus founded was filled with his own divine life. In a sense, it was the birthday of the Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains (1076): "The Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit ushers in a new era in the 'dispensation of the mystery' - the age of the Church, during which Christ manifests, makes present, and communicates his work of salvation through the liturgy of his Church, 'until he comes'."

The account in Acts highlights a number of key and enduring facets of the Church. There is the inspirational power of the Holy Spirit: men who were not long ago cowardly and doubting now speak out fearlessly and put their lives on the line. Peter, as Christ's appointed vicar, plays the central role: "Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ."

Then there is the Church's universality: "Are not all those who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?" And, not least, one notes the presence of "Mary the mother of Jesus" at this pivotal event of Pentecost.

• Michael Gilchrist, Editor (E-mail: mtg@netconnect.com.au; website: www.ad2000.com.au)

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 5 (June 2004), p. 2