The Feast of Pentecost is unique in our liturgical year as it is the only observance shared by Jews and Christians. Our commemoration of the coming of the Holy Spirit is the fulfilment of its Old Testament predecessor.
Without the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Christians lack that which animates them and gives them internal life and harmony… Without the Spirit, our Christian life unravels, lacking the love that brings everything together. Pope Francis.
The Feast of Pentecost is unique in our liturgical year in that it is the only observance shared by Jews and Christians. Our commemoration of the coming of the Holy Spirit is the fulfilment of its Old Testament predecessor.
Old Testament roots
The ‘Feast of Weeks’ marked the first wheat harvest of the year, usually in May or early June. It took place seven weeks from the feast of ‘First fruits, the barley harvest’. That was a ‘week of weeks’ hence the name. God commanded his people to present offerings of thanksgiving at the Temple in Jerusalem.
You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. Leviticus 23
Their offering also included seven-year-old lambs, a bull, two rams, a male goat, two male lambs and the bread of the harvest. This was in thanksgiving for the goodness and generosity of God and in recognition that everything good came from God. This also became the day which observed Moses receiving the Ten Commandments.
Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. Exodus 19:17-19.
The parallel between this and the events of Pentecost in the Upper Room begins to appear:
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:1-4
And so, wind, smoke and fire signify the presence of God.
Pentecost Foreshadowed
The prophet Joel lived 900 years before Christ. He wrote:
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. Joel 2:28
After Jesus’ resurrection when Jews were gathering in Jerusalem for the annual Feast of Weeks, this prophecy was fulfilled. When the disciples were filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues, onlookers accused them of being drunk. But Peter defended them, explaining that it was only nine in the morning, saying, ‘No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.’
The Early Church
May Christians referred to the entire Easter period as ‘Pentecost’ which means ‘50 days.’ Baptisms took place at Easter and Pentecost, and eventually Pentecost become the more popular time for initiation. It became known as ‘White Sunday’ (or Whitsunday) because of the white baptismal garments that were worn. Mary and the apostles prayed for nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost. This is considered the first ever Novena!
St Peter’s explanation of Joel’s prophecy, and his opening of the Scriptures, inspired 3,000 people to be baptised. This marked the start of the Church. The first Pope preached, and thousands of new Christians began to spread the Word of God far and wide. Early celebrations of the feast are well documented. In the 3rd century, Tertullian implies it was already a well-established feast and later, Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea called it ‘all-blessed and all-holy feast of feasts.’ He also records that the Emperor Constantine died on this feast in AD 337.
St John Chrysostom said, ‘Today we have arrived at the peak of all blessings, we have reached the capital of feasts, we have obtained the very fruit of our Lord’s promise.’ Over the centuries, Pentecost expanded into a whole week of celebration. Law courts did not sit, and physical work was prohibited. In 1094 the Council of Constance limited this period to three days and more recently Pope Pius X abolished the Monday as a Holyday of Obligation. But in many European countries, it is still a big public holiday.
Liturgical developments
Because Pentecost incorporated baptism, the liturgies surrounding it developed quickly. The Vigil of Pentecost involved the catechumens gathering for prayers and preparation, and the Baptismal water was blessed by the bishop. Often, a large candle was blessed (like the Easter candle) and a hymn was sung.
People refrained from fasting during the Pentecost season, and they prayed while standing, in honour of the Resurrection.
Veni Creator Spiritus is one of the earliest known hymns to the Holy Spirit, written in the 9th century by Archbishop Rabanus Maurus. The Pentecost Sequence (one of just two retained by Vatican II) is also known as the Golden Sequence because of its poetic beauty. Its source isn’t clear and it is attributed to both Pope Innocent III and Cardinal Stephen Langton.
Mediaeval customs
Pentecost grew with much spectacle and drama during the Middle Ages. In France, when the words ‘Come Holy Ghost’ were heard, trumpets sounded, imitating the wind of the Spirit. In Italy it became customary to let rose petals fall from the church ceiling, recalling the tongues of fire. (This still takes place today in the Pantheon and is the responsibility of the Roman Fire Brigade.) Elsewhere, choir boys would be responsible for imitating wind by creating sound effects with their voices and various instruments.
In Austria and Germany during the Middle Ages, many churches had a ‘Holy Ghost hole.’ Real doves or pigeons were released through the hole, or the figure of a dove would be lowered. (The same hole was also used to mark the Ascension, with a figure of Christ lifted through the ceiling.) Some churches even dropped burning straw into the church, but too many buildings and people caught fire and the custom died out. In many countries there were fairs, games and races, and people decorated their houses with beech branches and dining tables with a dove and rose petals.
Pentecost Feasting
There are several food customs that might inspire us to celebrate Whitsun in a new way this year. The traditional English meal was a roasted goose stuffed with sage and apples. In France, families went on a picnic with cold meat pies and galantine (white meat or fish poached and covered in aspic). German feasting included sauerkraut, partridge and bratwurst. In England and Germany, Pentecost beer was popular. The profits of its sale went towards repairing the church building and helping the poor of the parish.
A Prayer
Bless, O Lord, this creature, ale, which by Thy power has been produced from kernels of grain. May it be a healthful beverage to mankind, and grant that through the invoking of Thy holy name all who drink thereof may find it a help in body and protection in soul.
Pentecost today
The feast is still second only in importance to Easter and there is a wealth of music, traditional and modern, for us to use. It’s a wonderful opportunity to make links with our rich musical heritage and decorate our churches with spring flowers and greenery. Rather than limit our celebrations to the Sunday Eucharist, let’s take inspiration from our ancestors and extend the festivities into our church community and our homes. We have the opportunity to restore elements of traditional celebrating to help us remember and understand that this is a great feast.
For the disciples, Pentecost was a time of challenge and mission. They faced the daunting task of going out and proclaiming the Word. Pope Francis reminds us that the disciples didn’t sit and cogitate in the upper room. He says, ‘Neither does the Spirit want the memory of the Master to be cultivated in small groups locked in upper rooms where it is easy to “nest”.’ He challenges us to put aside our differences and remember that the Spirit unites the people of God and inspires us to do good.
By loving humbly, serving freely and joyfully, we will offer to the world the true image of God. The Spirit, the living memory of the Church, reminds us that we are born from a gift and that we grow by giving: not by holding on but by giving of ourselves.
Pastoral ideas
Review and proclaim your School or Parish Mission Statement, and act upon it.
Pray a Novena to the Holy Spirit.
Sing or prepare a choral reading of the Pentecost Sequence.
Celebrate the First Vespers of Pentecost with the Vigil Mass or separately.
Display Banners/artwork on the Gifts of the Spirit, flames or a dove.
Have a parish Pentecost picnic.
Bless and enjoy some Pentecost beer (age appropriate).
Pentecost Music
Holy Spirit Lord of Light. John O’Keefe. Feasts and Seasons. Veritas.
Veni Creator Spiritus. Plainsong.
Come down O Love Divine. (13th century).
Veni Sancte Spiritus. Christopher Walker.
Come Holy Spirit. John Bell.
