“If I do not go,” Jesus told his apostles, “the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go away, then I will send him to you” (John 16:7). “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for the gift my Father promised, the gift of which I told you. John baptized with water, but in a few days’ time you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).
These were the Lord’s parting words to his disciples, the promise that united them as they made their way back to the city to wait in joyful, expectant faith for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Not that the Spirit would only begin to work among men after Jesus had returned to the Father; he had been at work in the world since the dawn of creation. God’s people were not to experience a hitherto unknown indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but those who already belonged to him would know a more abundant outpouring, an increase rather than a first reception of his gifts.
Pentecost is the culmination of the work of our salvation, that mighty plan of God’s mercy which originated long ago when the Lord first began to form a people for himself. How many mysterious signs can be discovered in this feast which link the old dispensation with the new, teaching us that the law of Moses was the herald of the grace of Christ, in which it was to find its fulfillment! Fifty days after the sacrifice of the lamb marking the deliverance of the Hebrews from the Egyptians, the law was given to the people of Israel on Sinai; and fifty days from the resurrection of Christ after his immolation as the true Lamb of God, the Holy Spirit came down upon the new Israel, the people who put their faith in Jesus.
The same Holy Spirit was the author of both Old and New Testaments; the foundations of the Gospel were laid with the establishment of the old covenant. What a wealth of meaning can be found, therefore, in the opening words of the second chapter of Acts, “When the days of Pentecost were fulfilled!”
The perennial message of the Gospel is that the Lord has saved his people. He has conquered sin and death, and given us new life as God’s adopted sons. And because we are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying “Abba, Father!” (Galatians 4:6). Now where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). We are no longer slaves, but free people. It belongs to the dignity of free people to play some part in their own salvation; our task is to elude the enemy’s clutches by constantly turning in repentance to our Redeemer and proclaiming that Jesus is Lord of our whole lives.
For as the Apostles’ story testifies: “while the days of Pentecost were fulfilled and all the disciples were together in the same place, there occurred suddenly from heaven a sound as of a violent wind coming, and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance” – Acts 2:1-4.
Oh! How swift are the words of wisdom, and where God is the Master, how quickly is what is taught, learned. No interpretation is required for understanding, no practice for using, no time for studying, but the Spirit of Truth blowing where He wills, the languages peculiar to each nation become common property in the mouth of the Church.
And therefore from that day the trumpet of the Gospel preaching has sounded loud: from that day the showers of gracious gifts, the rivers of blessings, have watered every desert and all the dry land, since to renew the face of the earth the Spirit of God moved over the waters, and to drive away the old darkness flashes of new light shone forth, when by the blaze of those busy tongues was kindled the Lord’s bright Word and fervent eloquence, in which to arouse the understanding, and to consume sin there lay both a capacity of enlightenment and a power of burning.
This homily by Leo the Great (400-461 AD) is excerpted from Sermon 75: On Pentecost. [source:https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360375.htm]
Top image credit: Photo of sunlight passing between trees by © Anton Darius on Uplash.com. Free to use under the Unsplash License.
Leo the Great was born into a Roman aristocratic family in the 5th century AD. His response to the call of the Lord transformed him into one of the greatest church leaders of Christian history. He was one of the first to be given the title “the Great.” Details pertaining to Leo’s place of birth are not known, but it is believed his ancestors come from Tuscany.
Leo became a very well-known deacon of the Church by 431 AD, serving the church under the Pope Celestine I. Leo was widely respected for his love for the Lord, intelligence and persuasive nature. He was also gifted in bringing reconciliation between disputing groups of Christians.
That is why he was often sent out to settle disputes, both secular and theological. Following Celestine, the next bishop of Rome was Pope Sixtus III. Sixtus III passed away while Leo was visiting Gaul at the request of Emperor Valentinian III. His task was to bring peace between one of Gaul’s chief military commanders and the chief magistrate.
Leo was then unanimously elected as the bishop of Rome to succeed Sixtus III in 440. His swift election reflected the respect he had garnered among the people from his service to the Lord and the affection the faithful had this pastoral and wise servant of the Lord. Along with his dynamic faith and outstanding theological wisdom, Leo I was also courageous. He led Rome’s defense against Attila the Hun’s barbarian invasion on Italy in 452, by taking on the role of peacemaker.
Leo focused heavily on the pastoral care of his people. He inspired and helped to foster charitable work in areas of Rome affected heavily by famine, refugees and poverty. To him, being a Christian was not only about embracing the fullness of the Gospel theologically but living it out in a world filled with hurt, suffering and needs. Leo I was renowned for his profoundly spiritual sermons. With his words, Leo could reach the everyday needs and interests of his people. It was his reputation as an “instrument of the call to holiness, well-versed in Scripture and ecclesiastical awareness” that helped him become one of the greatest church leaders in the history of the Church. (bio source)