By Charly SHELTON

Christmas is celebrated as the day of the birth of Jesus. Easter is celebrated as the day he was reborn into heaven. And now, 50 days after Easter, Christians will celebrate the birthday of the Church. On May 20, Pentecost will be celebrated and, despite being one of the most important holy days of the year, it doesn’t spark an immediate nod of recognition for many, Christian or otherwise, the way Christmas or Easter does.

Pentecost comes from the Greek pentekoste, which means “50th,” as in the 50th day after Easter. The holiday celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus sent to His disciples to help them keep the faith while they continued His final mission – establishing the Church.

Before He died, Jesus teased out what was to come. In John 14:26, He said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

After Jesus died, He reappeared to the disciples, showing that He was alive and well in heaven. He told them to wait in Jerusalem and they would receive what they need. Fifty days after Jesus went missing from his tomb, the disciples were praying in an upstairs apartment in Jerusalem when a huge wind came out of nowhere. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. This was when the ministry started and the Church was born.

Like the appearance of the Holy Grail in Camelot, causing all the Knights of the Round Table to go off on their respective quests, so the appearance of the Holy Spirit sent all of the disciples off on their own missions to spread the word of the Lord.

May 20 this year is also Shavuot, the Jewish Festival of Weeks. In a similar fashion to Pentecost, where the gift of divine purpose is given, Shavuot celebrates the gift of the Torah, a gift of divine guidance. The Torah is comprised of the first five books of the Old Testament – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These Books of Moses set up the laws and history of God’s creation.

  Charly Shelton