Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Pentecost, The Beginning of the End

Pentecost, The Beginning of the End

Last updated on: May 12, 2016 at 5:57 am by Henry Karlson

Pentecost, The Beginning of the End 2016-05-12T05:57:22-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Icon of Pentecost
By Anonymous [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

On Pentecost, the promise of Jesus to send the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. Jesus gave to us, his followers, the fruit of the new covenant. In and with the Spirt of Truth, the Spirit of Life, all things are made new. And so, with the coming of the Holy Spirit, it was the dawn of a new age.

It was also the beginning of the end. The eschaton is immanent in Christ. As the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, it is the Spirit of the Eschaton. The Holy Spirit brings us the experience the kingdom God, the eschatological kingdom, as it unites with Christ. That is, through the Spirit which dwells in us, we partake of the eschaton. This is why the gift of the Holy Spirit is said to be imparted during the last days (cf. Acts 2:17). In and through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Eschaton, the last days finds itself in the world, and it continues to be in the world through us. In Pentecost, therefore, we mysteriously experience the return of Jesus, who in heaven is also now with us, as St. Catherine of Siena transcribed in her Dialogue:

He said he would return and he did return. For the Holy Spirit did not come alone, but with power from me the Father and with the wisdom of the Son and with his own mercy. So you see, he returned, not in the flesh, but in his power, to firm up the road of his teaching. [1]

This is why the eschatological expectation of Jesus and the Apostles, contrary to many critics, was not in error. It was fulfilled. They expected the reign of God to be made manifest, and so it was. The kingdom of God had come in and with Jesus. The eschaton was with Jesus. Because the Spirit is perfectly united with the Divine Logos, the Spirit brings forth the return of the Logos, allowing the followers of Christ to experience the kingdom of God in their lives.

Those who find the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, find it directs them away from temporal things. This is a manifestation of the Spirit being the Spirit of the Eschaton. It dwells in the world, vivifies it, rendering it good and holy, making it ready for its place in the kingdom of heaven. It comes from its eternity and dwells with us in time, as St. Hildegard declared: “The fiery Holy Spirit, who is fiery life and true enkindling and equal life, exists in eternity, and through Spirit all forms, which were fashioned through the Son of God, are moved invisibly.”[2] The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of life, fills all things as the treasury of blessings so that those in time can find the Spirit’s graces bringing them into eternity.

This is why those who open themselves up to the Holy Spirit, those who find it coming to them and dwelling with them, find themselves no longer attached to the world in its temporal glory. Instead, they find themselves glorifying in the kingdom of heaven, rejoicing in the grace the eschatological Spirit imparts to the world. They will be sad for the harm they see happening to the world through sin, but their hearts will be lifted up with great joy thanks to the eschatological kingdom of God which they will see is all around them. This is why they will be able to find the hope given to them by the Spirit is able to counter any of their temporal hardships. Or, as St. Anthony of Padua preached, “To mourn is to be without light; whoever lacks the light of worldly glory, the Holy Spirit will fill with the consolation of his grace.”[3] The consolation is the consolation of the eschaton as it has been brought to us in the incarnation of the Logos and shared with us by the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost rendered upon the body of Christ, the church, the gift of the Spirit, the grace of the eschaton. It was revealed in an most extraordinary fashion: “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” (Acts 2:3-4 RSV). The Holy Spirit is experienced as the purifying fire of love, the fire of the eschaton which extinguishes sin, as St. Anthony of Padua explained: “Then grace of the Holy Spirit is called a ‘river of fire’; a river, because it extinguishes the thirst for temporal things and washes away the stains of sin; fiery, because it inflames to love and illuminates to knowledge.”[4] Furthermore, St. Anthony indicated that the Holy Spirit came in the form of tongues of fire to represent the bold new way the Apostles would go forth to proclaim the Gospel: “ So today it is said to appear upon the Apostles in tongues of fire, because it made them to speak and to burn. They burned with love of God, they enlightened their neighbour with a word.”[5]

It was not just for a select few, but for all, the Holy Spirit has been given. Using the Latin translation of the Acts of the Apostles, the Venerable Bede indicated how Pentecost revealed the universal work of the Spirit: “The word effusion shows the lavishness of the gift, for the grace of the Holy Spirit was not to be granted, as formerly, only to individual prophets and priests, but to everyone in every place, regardless of sex, state of life, or position.”[6] This is not to say everyone has the same gift of the Spirit. We are one in the body of Christ, and we find there are many gifts, as there are many parts of the body, but all of them are from the one and same Spirit, of the one and same glory, and bring us to the one and same eschatological kingdom of God. Furthermore, St. Anthony indicated that the Holy Spirit came in the form of tongues of fire to represent the bold new way the Apostles would go forth to proclaim the Gospel:The Spirit moves us to be more than individuals cut off from each other, but rather, helps us to be one. Thus, Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote: “He had to give us his Spirit. He had to break through the limits set by creation between I and Thou, between man and man, and infuse something of his own ‘I’ into our own ‘I’.” [7]

Christ told us that the Spirit will be given to us in accordance to the way we follow him in love:

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him (Jn. 14:15-21 RSV).

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love, and we dwell in Christ through the Spirit of love. Moreover, the Spirit unites Christians together and makes them one as the Father and Son is one (cf. Jn. 17:21). It is in a unity of love (caritas, charity) that we discern the Spirit, and so, to no surprise, we find it is upon such a unity that the Holy Spirit was received at Pentecost, as St. John Chrysostom noted: “Observe, how when one is continuing in prayer, when one is in charity, then it is that the Spirit draws near.”[8] We are to follow Christ in love so we can be united with him by such love, but following him in love makes us love others, love our neighbor, and therefore unite with them with that love. This is why it is by love we will be shown to by Christ’s disciples, for it is in love we have the Spirit, and with such love, we find the Spirit comes to us, purifies us, and grants us not just a share of the eschaton, but the everlasting glory of the eschaton, a glory which never ends.

[1] St. Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue. trans. Suzanne Noffke, O.P. (New York: Paulist Press, 1980), 70.

[2] St. Hildegard of Bingen, Solutions to Thirty-Eight Questions. trans. Beverly Mayne Kienzle, Jenny C. Bledsoe and Stephen H. Behnke (Collegeville, MN: Cistercian Publications, 2014), 69-70.

[3] St. Anthony of Padua, Sermons for Sundays and Festivals. Volume IV. trans. Paul Spilsbury (Padua: Edizioni Messaggero Padova, 2010), 264.

[4] St. Anthony of Padua, Sermons for Sundays and Festivals. Volume IV, 269.

[5] St. Anthony of Padua, Sermons for Sundays and Festivals. Volume IV, 269.

[6] Venerable Bede, Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. trans. Lawrence T. Martin (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1989), 32.

[7] Hans Urs von Balthasar, You Crown the Year With Your Goodness. trans. Graham Harrison (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1989), 137.

[8] St. John Chrysostom, A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles in NPNF1(11): 26.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook:

A Little Bit of Nothing

Theological Reflection

Previous Post

May 10, 2016

Love All, Pray For All, and Hope For All, Because Grace Is Available To All

Next Post

May 13, 2016 Marian Reflections VI: The Status of Mary and Joseph's Marriage (Part 1)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz