Pentecost (Whitsunday)

Our Lord Jesus Christ, being seated on the right hand of God, sent, as He had promised, the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, who, after His Ascension, continued in prayer at Jerusalem, in company with the Blessed Virgin, awaiting the fulfillment of His promise. Let us pray in like manner with the Church: "Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love."

Happy Mothers' Dayto our dear mothers! This morning after a beautiful Pentecost Divine Liturgy, one of the Byzantine priests, Fr Tomas, came over for brunch with his wife and their two daughters. They are from Slovakia and had never had pancakes before! So we had a good American style meal with pancakes, bacon, hard boiled eggs, and fruit salad. And, very cool I thought, we had twelve kinds of fruit to symbolize the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost: Pineapples, Bananas, Apples, Cantalope Melon, Honeydew Melon, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Mango, Raspberries, Blackberries, Johannisberries, and Blueberries.

The ever informative Fish Eaters remind us that for Israel Pentecost was a feast commemorating the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, which occured on the 50th day after their liberation from Egypt. Interesting to note that St. Peter's preaching brought about three thousand people to the waters of Baptism (Acts 2:41), whereas when Moses came down from Mount Sinai to confront the Israelites' idolatry, the sons of Levi, at the Lord's command, went throught the camp with the sword "and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men" (Ex. 32:28). Interesting, nicht wehr?