In Sacred Scripture ...

Acts 2:1-11
When the time for Pentecost was fullled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it lled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of re, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all lled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, "Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."

In Jewish culture ...

The feast of the Law of Moses originally known as the feast of Weeks or the feast of Harvest . Later, among Greek-speaking Jews, the feast came to be called Pentecost. The Greek pentkost means ftieth and refers to the timing of the festival, which took place fty days after the spring celebration of Passover. Pentecost became a Christian feast when the Holy Spirit rushed down on the apostles seven weeks after Jesus celebrated his nal Passover. In the Old Testament, the feast of Weeks (Pentecost) is one of three major feasts listed in Exodus where it is known as the harvest festival), along with the festival of Unleavened Bread and the festival of Ingathering at the end of the year . In Leviticus, the feast is calculated to occur seven weeks from the day of the presentation of the rst sheaf of the barley harvest during the Passover celebration. In Numbers and Deuteronomy, it is known as the feast of Weeks. Tobit and 2 Maccabees, as well as Josephus, refer to it to as the festival or feast of Pentecost. Catholic Bible Dictionary (p. 693). Kindle Edition.

In Art ...

1305 A.D.

1308 A.D.

1600 A.D.

1705 A.D.

1732 A.D.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church ...

731, 732, 767, 1076, 1287, 2623

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. In this age of the Church Christ now lives and acts in and with his Church, in a new way appropriate to this new age. He acts through the sacraments in what the common Tradition of the East and the West calls the sacramental economy; this is the communication (or dispensation) of the fruits of Christs Paschal mystery in the celebration of the Churchs sacramental liturgy.

Discussion Questions

Why did God wait until Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), a Jewish harvest festival, to give the Holy Spirit. How far have these pilgrims come? What attracts them to the disciples? How does being lled with the Spirit relate to bearing witness to Jesus? Would you respond more like those in verse 12 or in verse 13? When have you experienced an empowering from God to witness about Christ?