It's the culmination of celebration before the sacrificial season of Lent.
I haven't really practiced any fasting or giving up anything for Lent since my Catholic days, which are now decades in my past. And some of you may have noticed that the title of this post went right from Lent to Pentecost and skipped over Easter. I did that on purpose. I'll try to explain why, but I'm not sure that it will make sense. Although I understand it in my head, I'm not sure that I can transfer that to words on a blog.
Here goes ...
It's roughly 90 days from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost Sunday -- 40 days of Lent, 50 days until Pentecost, plus those six Sundays that aren't counted during Lent -- just over three months.
Here's what I'm thinking. Pentecost is the day Christians recognize as the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is told in Acts 2.
The Bible says that the Apostles proclaimed the message that Jesus is risen and is the long awaited Messiah and that each person (though they came from many nations) heard them in their own language. We often emphasize this event as the giving of the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues (different languages or a spiritual language, depending on your beliefs).
But perhaps it is not so much a gift of tongues as it is a gift of understanding. Beginning at verse 14, it is only Peter that is speaking -- one voice, understood by all. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit allowed each person to understand his words, even though he may not have been speaking in their language.
For the next 90+ days -- through Lent and the seven weeks that follow -- I'm going to work to harness this gift of understanding. On Sunday, June 9 (Pentecost Sunday this year), I want it to be a celebration of understanding. My Lenten resolution is not to seek to be understood as much as it is to seek to understand.
John <><
Thank you dear
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