Have you been wondering about Easter and Pentecost? Most have. Well, Easter is the Catholic Christian observance of the resurrection of Jesus, and Pentecost is the birthday of the Church Catholic. Both holidays are important, but, it is a horrible idea to start at this point, because the tale begins before this. Roughly age 30, Jesus began his public ministry, instructing and exhorting in the country of Galilee. His message was about giving love to God and neighbors. His message was way out, and he claimed not only was he the Anointed One, but he was also God’s Only Begotten Son. These claims did not make him popular with the spiritual leaders and secular leaders at the time period. When the Lord entered Jerusalem, the people welcomed him like a king, but by the close of the week, he was crucified, and died on the cross, an occurrence commemorated on Good Friday. We aren’t quite to Whitsunday yet, but be patient!
However, the tale did not end there. The Bible (specifically the 4 gospels) teaches that Jesus rose form the dead after 3 days, on Easter Sunday. The resurrection that occurred on the first Easter was bodily, that is the Lord rose from the dead in his identical body; it was not a spiritual body. Even though it was in the body, his resurrection was much more than a simple resusitation, and Jesus’ resurrected body had powers and traits that our bodies do not have. Mary Magdalene was the 1st witness to this miraculous event, and she told the apostles, that in turn told the whole known world about it. Because the resurrection obviously proved Jesus was God’s Son, and proved right his teachings, the resurrection became the capstone of Christian doctrine.
Thus, Easter is one of the earliest and most significant Christian holidays. It was called the “queen of feasts” and is observed based on the lunar calendar. It changes each year because of this. In the Church, the color is white, and shouts of “alleluia” are heard throughout the time period. The season commences on Saturday night with the venerable Easter Vigil, in which new converts are welcomed into Church and are baptized and/or Confirmed. The vigil frequently lasts for manhy hours, and in the early Church lasted from dusk until the morning. Secular traditions include Easter eggs, Easter baskets, and the Easter bunny. A lot of of these traditions are similar to the fact that Easter falls in the springtime, as rabbits and eggs are signs of fertility and renewal.
Jesus went up to his Father 40 days after Easter, and the Apostles were perplexed and saddened. For the next 9 days they prayed fervently, and on the fiftieth day after Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Ghost came down upon the apostles. The Bible said tongues of fire landed upon them, and their speeches were heard by all people present in each person’s native tongue. The Apostles were so infused with the Holy Spirit on this initial Pentecost that scoffers believed the apostles were crocked. It was on this date that the Church started. All of this is outlined in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.
The Church Catholic commemorates Pentecost 50 days after Easter. The church color is red, a symbol of the flames that rested upon the Apostles. The twin themes of the Holy Spirit and the Church are celebrated, because of the original theme of the feast. It was one of the classic periods of baptism in the Church, and is often called Whitsunday in many English-speaking churches.
The essayist suggests learning more about Easter and Pentecost as a way to deepen your faith.