I think the emphasize of Pentecost should not be the birthday of the Church. Rather, the emphasize should be the Grand Finale of Easter!

God has always been forming a people peculiarly his own (1 Peter 2:9). He has been forming a Church, establishing it upon Peter (Matthew 16:18). All this comes to fulfillment at Pentecost. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this day is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises, the Grand Finale of the Paschal Mystery! Today’s liturgy describe this finale:

For bringing your Paschal Mystery to completion, you bestowed the Holy Spirit today on those you made your adopted children by uniting them to your Only Begotten Son …

Pentecost is the Greek word for fifty. It is fifty days after Passover. The disciples gathered for the Jewish Feast of Shavout. Shavout is also known as the Festival of Weeks since it commemorates seven weeks since Passover. It is also known Sukkot, the Festival of Tabernacles. It also celebrates the Festival of Harvest, the Festival of Ingathering, and the Day of First fruits. This day commemorated the giving of the Torah, the first fruits of the land, and the Book of Ruth.

On this day, Jews celebrate the event at Sinai when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The Jews recommit themselves to these commandments and all the observances of God on this day. They are to receive God’s Torah in all seasons of life.

Whenever a Jew saw the emergence of one of the seven spices of the land he tied a string around it. He was to offer God the bikkurim or the first fruits of the land. There were seven spices offered: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives, or dates.

Today, also commemorated the Book of Ruth and how Ruth, a Gentile woman, entered the Jewish faith uttering to Naomi, “My God will be your God” (Ruth 1:16-17).

All these important ideas are transposed in the Christian key on Pentecost. The disciples receive the fulfillment of the Torah and will be empowered to utter Christ risen from the dead as they receive the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit gives them the first fruits of this new community. We know this today as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, all will be welcomed into this community of faith. In this Church of many nations and tongues we utter, “Your God will be my God.”

Today we celebrate the God who keeps his promises, the God who has given us everything in his crucified and glorious Son! This is the God who has poured out his Spirit upon us … the oil of gladness in the Sacrament of Confirmation. We read in the Jerusalem Catecheses:

The oil of gladness with which Christ was anointed was a spiritual oil; it was in fact the Holy Spirit himself, who is called the oil of gladness because he is the source of spiritual joy. But we too have been anointed with oil, and by this anointing we have entered into fellowship with Christ and have received a share in his life. Beware of thinking that this holy oil is simply ordinary oil and nothing else. After the invocation of the Spirit it is no longer ordinary oil but the gift of Christ, and by the presence of his divinity it becomes the instrument through which we receive the Holy Spirit. While symbolically, on our foreheads and senses, our bodies are anointed with this oil that we see, our souls are sanctified by the holy and life-giving Spirit.

As we celebrate this day, remember your Baptism and Confirmation. You have been chosen by Christ. Remember you have been given all the gifts to live as an authentic disciple of Christ and that all people are welcome to walk with Christ, transformed in his love and in the joy of Easter.

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!