The feast of Pentecost is our oldest feast after Easter, which we celebrate this year on 19/05. The feast is also present in the Old Testament; seven weeks after Easter, the 'Feast of Weeks' was held, which later ages called 'pentekosté' (fiftieth) in ancient Greek. From this originates the Hungarian name of the feast.
Bishop Ferenc Palánki of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza will administer the Sacrament of Confirmation during Holy Mass in three parishes in connection with Pentecost. On Saturday, 18/05, from 18:00 in the Dominican Church of Saint Ladislaus in Debrecen; on 19/05, Pentecost Sunday, from 10:30 in Nyíregyháza, at the Co-Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary and on the same day from 15:00, combined with a church dedication, in Kisvárda, at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul.
A total of 46 young people will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation during these three festive Holy Masses.
In the Old Testament, the feast of Pentecost had two interpretations. Initially, it was the Feast of Weeks, a harvest festival during which the first fruits were offered to God, but later, and certainly by the time of Jesus, it had acquired a new meaning: it became the feast of the giving of the Law and the covenant made on Mount Sinai. The fact that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the very day when the Law received from God was celebrated indicates that it enriches the content of this previous feast: the Law is no longer written only on stone tablets, but also in the hearts of those who receive Him.
From the beginning, Christians observed the fiftieth day in connection with Easter. According to early Christian custom, Pentecost is the culmination of the Easter season, celebrated in both the East and the West. Some already understand Saint Paul the Apostle's remark – 'I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost' (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:8) – as referring to the Christian Pentecost. By the IV century, more and more mentions of the feast are made.
On the feast day of Pentecost, three important events occurred: the coming of the Holy Spirit, as the fruit and fulfilment of Christ's redemptive act; the foundation of the Church, and the beginning of worldwide missionary work. These events happened according to the promise of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
The story of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1-11). According to the description, after the Holy Spirit filled them, the apostles proclaimed the Gospel to everyone in their own language. Through the miracle of tongues, God demonstrates the unity that connects people speaking different languages through the profession of a common faith. Thus, at the first Pentecost, the Church was born, which is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
On the vigil and eve of Pentecost throughout the world, the faithful, keeping vigil and praying, ask for the coming of the Holy Spirit, among other things, with the words of an ancient hymn invoking the Holy Spirit:
Creator Spirit, descend upon us,
illuminate our souls, pure flame,
who creates, gives life to hearts,
bring them Your abundant grace!
Whom we call: Comforter,
whom the Creator gives to us,
You living fount, heavenly flame,
sacred anointing, descend upon us from heaven!
Good News Press Office/Diocese of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza