By Odogwu Emeka Odogwu
Christians last Sunday Celebrated the Pentecost Sunday to Commemorate Descent Of The Holy Spirit Upon The Apostles.
Pentecost Sunday is in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles.
The Pentecost has been described as one of the most important feast days of the year that concludes the Easter season and celebrates the beginning of the Church.
The Pentecost always occurs 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus and 10 days after his Ascension into Heaven.
According to Biblical narratives, Mary and the Apostles prayed together continuously for nine days after the Ascension, leading up to Pentecost. .
The name of the day itself is derived from the Greek word “pentecoste,” meaning 50th.
In the Christian Tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room.
A “strong, driving” wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other. It was such a strange phenomenon that some people thought the Christians were just drunk — but Peter pointed out that it was only the morning, and said the phenomenon was caused by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit also gave the Apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfill the great commission — to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations.
It fulfills the New Testament promise from Christ (Luke 24:46-49) that the Apostles would be “clothed with power” before they would be sent out to spread the Gospel.
It should be noted that it was after Pentecost that Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, preached his first homily to Jews and other non-believers, in which he opened the scriptures of the Old Testament, showing how the prophet Joel prophesied events and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
He also told the people that the Jesus they crucified, is the Lord and was raised from the dead, which cut them to the heart.
When they asked what they should do, Peter exhorted them to repent of their sins and to be baptized. According to the account in Acts, about 3,000 people were baptized following Peter’s Sermon, Giving rise to the Church.
