Happy
Birthday “One, Holy, Apostolic & Catholic Church”
On
May 15, 2005, Armenians joined millions of Christians around the world
celebrating the Feast of Pentecost. We read about this feast in chapter 2 of the
Book of Acts. The feast commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit of God on
the early Christians. It is called Pentecost because the event took place
on the fiftieth day following the resurrection of our Lord. On that day, the
apostles and early followers of Christ, “were all together in one place. And
suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it
filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire,
appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit
gave them ability.” It was following this event that the apostles were given
the “ability” to comprehend the teachings of the Lord and interpret the
events of His ministry and miracles as the fulfillment of the Old Testament
prophecies and revelations. The descent of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon the
apostles many gifts and talents, which they utilized to preach the gospel. The
apostles were given the ability to speak in different languages, which allowed
them to go out and take the message of the gospel to nations around the world,
including Armenia. They were given the strength and courage to go out and
witness to the Lord and the divine love expressed through His ministry and
crucifixion. Pentecost, therefore, changed Christianity from a private house
gathering of a few confused Jewish believers in Christ to a world renewing
faith. It is because of this event that the feast of Pentecost is considered the
Birthday of the universal Church.
As we celebrate this
feast and rejoice in the anniversary of this divine institution, we cannot but
think of our individual “pentecosts” through our baptisms. We, like the
apostles, were also given the honor and blessing to be the recipients of the
Holy Spirit through our baptisms. In his first letter to the Corinthians, St.
Paul says, “To each is given the manifestation
of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the
utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the
same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by
the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to
another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of
tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are inspired by one
and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills”
(12:7-11). The apostle reminds us that we have all received at least a few of
these gifts, and that we are to use them “for the common good.”
Reflecting upon the
feast of Pentecost and how the apostles utilized the gifts of the Holy Spirit
bestowed upon them, I wonder what are we doing with the various gifts that we
received from God on the day of our baptism? Do we play an active role in the
ministry of our church? Are we contributing with our time, talents and treasure
to support the programs and activities that strengthen the mission and ministry
of our parish? For two millennia millions of Christians strengthened with the
power and gifts of the Holy Spirit maintained and strengthened the Church.
Today, as we celebrate her anniversary, let us make sure that like the apostle
we also utilize the gifts of the
Holy Spirit bestowed upon us for the glory of God and the spread of His
life-giving gospel. Happy Birthday One Holy and Apostolic Church!
Fr.
Vahan Hovhanessian