A Pentecost Sunday Thought to Start the Week Off Right
Today we celebrate Pentecost, one of the greatest of all celebrations in the liturgical year. It was on this day, 50 days after the Resurrection, that the Church was "born." The Holy Spirit descended upon Our Lord's disciples in the upper room, enlightening their minds, enkindling their spirits. His Passion, Death, and Resurrection finally made sense to them, as did His charge to spread the Good News to the rest of the world.
Acts 2: 1-6 dramatically describes the scene:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
And so with this birth, the fledgling Church blossomed. The road ahead wouldn't be smooth. But in the end, the Good News did spread by the efforts, and often by the blood, of those early Christians.
While we can try to decipher these extraordinary events with our reason, to really understand Pentecost requires us to employ a supernatural sensibility. Indeed, as Catholics, we need that sense of the supernatural to understand everything. If we limit ourselves to only what our senses reveal, we cannot see creation as God intended us to see it.
If we wish to see the world as God created it, we need to see with supernatural eyes.
As an example of seeing with supernatural eyes, and to add to joy of our celebration of this glorious Pentecost Sunday, we share some examples of how our ancestors saw creation with supernatural eyes. Here, the essential nature illuminates some aspect of Our Blessed Mother's life and character. These come from that wonderful little book, Mary and the Christian Life, by Catholic author Amy Welborn that we've mentioned recently.
Roses: The pre-Christian association of roses with love and beauty was rather effortlessly adopted by Christians, who graced art and architecture with this representation of God’s love for us and our love for God. Mary, in particular, was thought of in terms of roses, and often depicted holding roses. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Beatrice, Dante’s guide through paradise, says to him: “Why are you so enamored of my face that you do not turn your gaze to the beautiful garden which blossoms under the radiance of Christ? There is the Rose in which the Divine word became flesh: here are the lilies whose perfume guides you in the right ways.”11 White roses traditionally represent Mary’s purity; red, her sorrows; and gold, her glory in heaven.
Lilies: Artists often depicted Mary holding a white lily in annunciation scenes. A legend says that lilies filled Mary’s tomb after she was assumed into heaven. In the eighth century, the English Church historian the venerable Bede wrote that the white petals of the lily represented the purity of Mary’s body, and the golden antlers, the goodness of her soul.
Rosemary: Rosemary is a fragrant, needle-shaped herb that grows on bushes. A popular legend says that the plant received its scent as a reward from God after it provided a place for Mary to spread Jesus’ newly washed clothes on the journey to Egypt.
Violets: These small, delicate flowers symbolize Mary’s humility. Legend describes them blossoming as Mary responds to the angel’s good news with her fiat.
Marigolds or “Mary’s gold” represent her domesticity and simplicity. In the popular imagination, marigolds adorned her clothing.
Strawberries: Often used by artists in borders of paintings of Mary or under her feet, strawberries symbolize the “fruitful Virgin,” as well as the glory of the souls in heaven.
While the Holy Spirit descended upon Our Lord's disciples in dramatic fashion on that first Pentecost, His Presence remains with all of us throughout our lives. On this Pentecost Sunday, we ask Him for the grace to see the world as God created it, with supernatural eyes.
With best wishes for a blessed and happy Pentecost Sunday, we leave you with this oldest and most beautiful Gregorian chant dedicated to the Holy Spirit. As our ancestors have for centuries, we raise our voices to honor the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Acts 2: 1-6 dramatically describes the scene:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
And so with this birth, the fledgling Church blossomed. The road ahead wouldn't be smooth. But in the end, the Good News did spread by the efforts, and often by the blood, of those early Christians.
While we can try to decipher these extraordinary events with our reason, to really understand Pentecost requires us to employ a supernatural sensibility. Indeed, as Catholics, we need that sense of the supernatural to understand everything. If we limit ourselves to only what our senses reveal, we cannot see creation as God intended us to see it.
If we wish to see the world as God created it, we need to see with supernatural eyes.
As an example of seeing with supernatural eyes, and to add to joy of our celebration of this glorious Pentecost Sunday, we share some examples of how our ancestors saw creation with supernatural eyes. Here, the essential nature illuminates some aspect of Our Blessed Mother's life and character. These come from that wonderful little book, Mary and the Christian Life, by Catholic author Amy Welborn that we've mentioned recently.
Roses: The pre-Christian association of roses with love and beauty was rather effortlessly adopted by Christians, who graced art and architecture with this representation of God’s love for us and our love for God. Mary, in particular, was thought of in terms of roses, and often depicted holding roses. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Beatrice, Dante’s guide through paradise, says to him: “Why are you so enamored of my face that you do not turn your gaze to the beautiful garden which blossoms under the radiance of Christ? There is the Rose in which the Divine word became flesh: here are the lilies whose perfume guides you in the right ways.”11 White roses traditionally represent Mary’s purity; red, her sorrows; and gold, her glory in heaven.
Lilies: Artists often depicted Mary holding a white lily in annunciation scenes. A legend says that lilies filled Mary’s tomb after she was assumed into heaven. In the eighth century, the English Church historian the venerable Bede wrote that the white petals of the lily represented the purity of Mary’s body, and the golden antlers, the goodness of her soul.
Rosemary: Rosemary is a fragrant, needle-shaped herb that grows on bushes. A popular legend says that the plant received its scent as a reward from God after it provided a place for Mary to spread Jesus’ newly washed clothes on the journey to Egypt.
Violets: These small, delicate flowers symbolize Mary’s humility. Legend describes them blossoming as Mary responds to the angel’s good news with her fiat.
Marigolds or “Mary’s gold” represent her domesticity and simplicity. In the popular imagination, marigolds adorned her clothing.
Strawberries: Often used by artists in borders of paintings of Mary or under her feet, strawberries symbolize the “fruitful Virgin,” as well as the glory of the souls in heaven.
While the Holy Spirit descended upon Our Lord's disciples in dramatic fashion on that first Pentecost, His Presence remains with all of us throughout our lives. On this Pentecost Sunday, we ask Him for the grace to see the world as God created it, with supernatural eyes.
With best wishes for a blessed and happy Pentecost Sunday, we leave you with this oldest and most beautiful Gregorian chant dedicated to the Holy Spirit. As our ancestors have for centuries, we raise our voices to honor the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
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