Pentecost: what is the meaning of this religious holiday

After Easter and Christmas, Pentecost is one of the most important holidays of the year for Christians because they celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit, which took place according to Bible, on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Jesus.

Etymologically, the word Pentecosted It comes from latin Pentecost and Greek Pentekosté, which means “fiftieth”. The term refers precisely to the 50 days from Easter to this celebration. And since it is the name of a sacred festival, it must be written with an initial capital letter.

For Christians, It is the commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, which marks the birth of church.

For the Catholic liturgy, Pentecost is the fourth main feast of the year and, depending on the calendar, it can be celebrated between May 10 and June 13.

The celebration of Pentecost is recounted in the New Testament, in the book of Acts of the apostles when he details when the apostles of Jesus received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, after the Lord’s ascension to heaven.

“When the day of Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there was a roar from the sky, like a strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw languages ​​appear, like flames, which divided, settling on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit allowed them to be manifested, ”says the Bible in Acts of the Apostles.

According to Catholicism, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity. In other words, to have a God, there are three different people in Him: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pentecost also represents the fulfillment of the promise of Christ at the end of the Gospel of Saint Luke: “He said to them: ‘It was all written: the sufferings of the Messiah and his resurrection from the dead on the third day. Then repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be proclaimed in his name, starting with Jerusalem, then going to all the nations, inviting them to be converted. You are witnesses to it. Now I am going to send you what my Father promised. So stay in the city until you are clothed with the power that comes from above.

Under the name of Shavuot, the Jews celebrate this feast 50 days after the Passover of the Lamb to commemorate the meeting between God and Moses on Mount Sinai, and the delivery of the law to the people of Israel, which symbolizes the birth of Judaism.

This event, as detailed in the book of the Exodus in the Old Testament, this happened 50 days after the Hebrew people left their captivity in Egypt.

In addition, the celebration is associated with the Harvest festival, which took place seven weeks after the Passover, during which God was thanked for the fruit of the harvest.

THE NATION