Wind And Fire
PENTECOST SUNDAY
WHEN the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them: and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Pentecost, Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli, 1685
In 1685, the Italian Baroque painter, Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli, was commissioned to decorate the ceiling of the Chapel of San Giovanni Battista, to commemorate its patron saints John the Baptist (in whose honor the Church was named) and St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, where this parish stands to this day. This commission produced one of Mazzucchelli's most famous works, entitled Pentecost (which adorns the cover of this morning' morning's service bulletin). It' is a remarkable rendering of the miraculous event recorded in today's Epistle taken from the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles when the promised Holy Spirit descended from heaven as recorded by St. Luke.
What quickly grabs the attention is the unique perspective of the work, which is from the ground below, looking upwards as if the viewer himself has been thrust to the ground by the power and wonder of this Divine miracle unfolding from the heavens. We are encircled by Mary (at the bottom) and the Apostles, who form a kind of crown along the edge of the painting. But the focal point is the luminous vortex expanding at the center of the scene, from which a divine light irradiates. The light of heaven has broken open the dark sky, and from God's dwelling, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, attended by angels, is coming with immense power and tongues of fire. The artistry is exquisite, beautiful, and obviously from the hand of a master. But, more than this, it truly does begin to capture the magnitude and mystery of what that first Pentecost must have been like.
This is the day on which our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled his promise. The promise he had made to the Apostles some ten days earlier at his ascension when he told them to return to Jerusalem and wait: to wait for the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit with whom they would be baptized (Acts 1:2). But this promise was not new, for, in former days, the Lord had revealed to the prophet Joel that a time would come when He would pour out his spirit "upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke" (Joel 2:28-30).
Through his prophet, God was telling Israel that "afterward," in the last days, he would commence an outpouring of the Spirit in a way he had never done before, a grander dispensation of divine grace and richness of blessing. This was a promise to reveal Himself in such a manner as He had never done before. And Joel understood that the fulfillment of this promise would occur one day in the distant future, in "the last" or "the end of days."
On that future day, God would pour his Spirit upon all flesh, like rain upon the earth, for the flesh of men is made to receive the Divine Spirit, as the earth is fitted to receive the rain. This future outpouring would be an expansive gift of God without limitation of sex, age, or condition. Not given to any particular individuals or even one specific nation or people, but all were to share in this divine gift.
To Joel, YHWH said, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." You see, the expansive gift of the Spirit would result in prophesying, evidenced by dreams and visions. The Hebrew word for prophesy means to call or to announce, not merely to predict future events, but to generally announce the revelations of God.
In other words, the whole people were to be the vehicle by which God was proclaimed throughout the cosmos. Announcing and proclaiming the Lord of heaven and earth, a witness conjoined, in a sort of secondary way, with other modes of divine manifestations like "dreams" and "visions." All flesh, men and women, would partake of this Spirit, even those who would seem unfit— "old men and children."
The people of Israel rightly understood this to be a foretelling of the Day of the Lord, a great and future judgment to come at the end of the age. A day of wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke, the great and terrible day of the LORD, from which only they who call on the name of Lord would be saved. However, what they didn't know, is how God would set this in motion; that the promise would be inaugurated by the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. And St. Peter immediately connects the promise of Joel to the Pentecost event.
The Holy Spirit rushes into the house like a mighty wind with tongues of fire, and they begin speaking in foreign languages. The crowd is amazed! Galileans are speaking, but those who have come to Jerusalem from all over the empire to observe Shavuot, the Feast of First Fruits, miraculously hear them speaking in their native tongue and understand: Parthians, and Medes, Elamites and many others! What happens is so incredible that they accuse the Apostles and other disciples of being drunk!
To which Peter stands and says, "these people are not drunk, as you suppose since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams (Acts 2:15-17)." St. Peter declared that the prophecy given to Joel began to be fulfilled on Pentecost.
The Feast of Pentecost is the day God poured his Spirit down upon all flesh, a gift first received by the Apostles. They were baptized by the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised. The Spirit came from heaven like a mighty rushing wind and fire, two vital images recorded by Luke to designate the Holy Spirit: the image of the storm and the image of fire.
To the ancients, the storm was perceived as a sign of divine power, the strength of the gods, before whom man felt subjugated and terrified. The True God, the Holy Spirit, comes as a mighty wind, and He comes with power and life. Scripture reveals the Holy Spirit as the force that shaped creation, forging what was void and formless into something alive and beautiful. It was God's Spirit breathed into man, who rushed over and into the work of making image-bearers on the sixth day. He is the power that raised Christ from the dead. The Holy Spirit is a mighty wind that comes with creative and regenerative power.
If the storm signifies power, then fire symbolizes the transforming nature of the Holy Spirit's actions. Elijah is said to have been a prophet whose words burned like a torch, he prayed fire down from heaven upon the altar on Mount Carmel, pre-figuring the fire of the Holy Spirit, Who transforms everything He touches. The Spirit is a refining and a consuming fire that purifies. As the Holy Spirit purifies us in the waters of baptism, the Apostles were purified so to speak, a new people regenerated and made clean by the Holy Spirit. A pure vessel in service to God.
And why? To prophesy. To announce the good news of the Gospel, to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and King, redeemer, savior, and the only way to everlasting life. You see the power of the Spirit is given to the Church for the empowerment of its mission. The mission of revealing Jesus Christ to a fallen world, to reconcile sinners back to their Father, to give life to dry bones. Pentecost is the reversing of Babel, where one people with one voice declare "the wonderful works of God" to every tongue, tribe, and nation.
The indwelling Holy Spirit brings the presence of Christ and His mission into the life of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The third person of the Trinity brings each of us into communion with the Father through faith in His Son and prepares us to go out with his grace to reconcile the world through the proclamation of the Gospel.
The gathering of Christ's body each and every Lord's Day is not only our collective worship, but it is also our collective proclamation. It is in the offering of the Holy Communion that we prophesy with one voice and with one accord. For St. Paul says that "as often as [we] eat this bread and drink this cup, [we] proclaim the Lord's death until he comes": the Divine death by which we now live, the good news, mysteriously and powerfully manifested in the Eucharist by the power of the Holy Spirit. By Divine appointment, communion is given to draw the world back into communion with God. Beloved, remember the words of our Lord, who said that if he be lifted up from the earth, he will draw all men unto himself.
Before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus told the disciples "not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father" (cf. Acts 1: 4-5). He asked them to stay together to prepare themselves to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They gathered in prayer with Mary in the Upper Room, awaiting the promise. St. Luke tells us that "they were all together in the upper room." They were gathered, unified, with one accord. Unity was the condition laid down by Jesus in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and this is a profound truth for us today.
Friends, disharmony, and discord frustrate the Spirit; in fact, it grieves Him. The power and life-giving Spirit moves freely and bears much fruit amidst a people at peace with one another, brothers and sisters who gladly give themselves in love. But this unity is first established on loving Christ, "If ye love me, keep my commandments I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever."
You see, loving God and loving one another is our priestly duty. Love keeps the offerings of the new Temple, the Church, pure and acceptable to God. Unity, harmony, peace, all necessary for our Gospel proclamation to go forth as a powerful storm and transforming fire. Friends, love opens the door for the Spirit to reside in the Church. Hear the words of our Lord who said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
Mazzuchelli’s beautiful depiction of Pentecost reminds us that we are not only recipients of the promised Holy Spirit but also the Apostolic fellowship, with Mary and all the Saints. And have been called to continue the Apostolic mission imparted by our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One people, with one accord, with the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray,
O GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Savior, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen+
