Pentecost

What it is

Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles (Acts 2), fifty days after EasterGlossaryThe feast of the Resurrection and its fifty-day season—Christ risen, through the octave to Pentecost.. It closes Eastertide and sends the Church into her mission. Red vestments; the Sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus; traditionally a great octaveGlossaryAn eight-day liturgical celebration of a great feast, prolonging its joy and mystery through the following week.. After Pentecost, Ordinary TimeGlossaryThe green seasons of the liturgical year outside Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter—ordered growth in the mystery of Christ. resumes with a new urgency: the Spirit has been given.

What it is not

Pentecost is not a vague celebration of "community spirit." It is not optional decoration after Easter. It is not the same as Confirmation as a private milestone—though Confirmation seals what Pentecost reveals: the Spirit for witness, not for mood.

How a Catholic encounters it

Hear the MassGlossaryThe Church's central act of worship—the Sacrifice of Calvary made present, and the sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood. of Pentecost. Pray Veni Creator Spiritus. Ask for the seven gifts by name. If you were confirmed years ago and treated it as graduation, repent of that and live the seal. Then re-enter Ordinary Time as a man who has received fire, not only a calendar change.