The Church's Birthday

Acts 2.1-4

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting 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 utterance.

Reflection by Cardinal Basil Hume

The Christian feast of Pentecost associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is seen as the birthday of the church, when, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, the followers of Jesus began to go out and continue his mission.

We are badly in need of a new Pentecost, a change in each one of us, and a change in our society. When the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles a remarkable transformation took place in them. Where before they were empty, now they were filled with new zest for the gospel of Christ. Where before they were poor, now they were rich. Where before they were frail, now they were strong. We need to go with great humility and pray that our emptiness be filled, our poverty reversed, and that we be strengthened in our faith.

The Holy Spirit gave the apostles a greater understanding of their faith, and enabled them to commit themselves to do something about it, and the necessary courage to do so. Those are the gifts we need in our day, a deepening of our faith, the commitment to Christ and his gospel, and the courage to witness.