Pentecost happens 50 days after Easter and is a celebration of:
  • The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ disciples 2000 years ago, empowering them to fulfill the mission to “go, make disciples of all nations”
  • The birthday of the Church – Once they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples did go forth and they did fulfill the mission. The evidence is clear, more than 2000 years later, we are the Catholic Church – the Body of Christ
  • The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all of us – it’s not just a one-time historical event that took place, but an ongoing, always renewing gift to all the baptized, bearing the fruits of joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galations 5:22-23).

At the liturgies of Pentecost, red is a predominant color. It’s not the red of Good Friday or Palm Sunday signifying the blood of Jesus poured out. On Pentecost, it’s the red of fire, as in the first reading that day from the Acts of the Apostles:
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,  which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
 
And these tongues were not mere gibberish. Jews from all parts of the world were present in Jerusalem at the time and each of them heard the apostles in their own language speaking of the mighty acts of God. And so the mission of the Church began – and continues.

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