12.5.6 Pentecost

On Pentecost we commemorate the day on which the Holy Spirit was poured out. We also speak of Pentecost as the day when the Holy Spirit was revealed and as the "birthday of the church of Christ". The sending of the Holy Spirit–fifty days after Jesus' resurrection–had been promised by the Son of God to His Apostles in His farewell discourses. A large number of believing men and women had contact with the Apostles in Jerusalem. The miracle of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is recorded in Acts 2: 1 et seq. The Apostles and the believers gathered with them were filled with the Holy Spirit.

After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Apostle Peter, the rock appointed by Jesus Christ, preached a powerful sermon which centred on the crucified and risen Christ, who had ascended into heaven. Thereupon some 3,000 people were added to the church. Thus Pentecost is also a model for sermons inspired by the Spirit and for the growth of the church through the activity of the Apostles. Moreover, Pentecost is a feast of joy over the Holy Spirit's presence and activity in the church.