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The Easter Cycle
At the Offertory we sing Psalm 67, which sings of the victory of Christ and His Church. We
join in this victorious procession, decked out in the royal livery of Christ (through baptism and
confirmation). Having conquered evil within ourselves and in our surroundings, we proceed
like glorious victors to the “temple which is in Jerusalem,” that is, to the altar. We pray that God
may confirm and perfect in us what we received at Easter through baptism, and that it may be
renewed and strengthened by the Holy Ghost (Secreta). In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass the
wonderful things related in the Epistle are re-enacted in us. As we offer our sacrifice, we turn
from self-love and offer our own souls to God. Thus we make room for the entry of the Holy
Ghost. We receive Holy Communion and thus receive a new and more perfect incorporation
in Christ. We will become more perfectly united to the body of Christ than ever before if we
live by the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Ghost. This thought is presented to us in the Communion
chant, for if we devoutly receive Holy Communion, we shall be “filled with the Holy Ghost.”
Meditation
Seven times seven days, a complete jubilee octave, have passed since Easter. Now the Holy
Ghost, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the eternal expression of the mutual love of the
Father and the Son, comes to us. He comes with the sound of a mighty wind, appearing to the
apostles in the form of tongues of fire which rest upon each of them. Made bold by this baptism
of fire, they go forth into the world and proclaim by word and deed, even by the sacrificing of
their lives, that Christ the crucified One is truly risen.
The first Pentecost. The historical event of Pentecost is related in the Epistle. The apostles and
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, are gathered together in one place. About the third hour (about
nine o’clock) they hear a mighty rush of wind as if a storm were approaching. Then tongues of
fire appear above the heads of each of them. They are all filled with the Holy Ghost and begin
to speak in various tongues, according as the Holy Ghost inspired them. Outside the house a
great crowd of people has gathered, who cannot imagine what has happened. Then they hear
the disciples and the apostles speaking in various languages, and each one, in the language in
which he was born, hears of the wonderful things which God has done. A new Pentecost! In
ancient times God confirmed His covenant with Israel to the accompaniment of thunder and
lightning. But the law He gave was the law of fear, the law of severity, the law of servitude. This
is a new Pentecost, a Pentecost that fills the hearts of men with love, freedom, and holy joy. The
Holy Ghost appears with a mighty wind, penetrating and filling the hearts of the disciples. They
are freed from their former timidity and hesitancy. The Holy Ghost enlightens men, guides their
thoughts, provides for their needs, controls their desires, inspires their affections, adjusts their
motives, and elevates them to the kingdom of the spirit. He teaches them a new manner of life.
He gives them courage, strength of character, stability, inexhaustible patience, a readiness for
sacrifice, a will to suffer for the sake of Christ. They are indeed a new creation.
Our Pentecost. In the mind of the liturgy, Pentecost is not merely the commemoration of
a past event; the wonders related in the Epistle are repeated today in us. We also gather in one
place during the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and unite in prayer, awaiting the
coming of the Holy Ghost. For this reason we pray at the end of the Epistle: “Come, Holy Ghost,
fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.” When the glorified Savior
appears in our midst at the Consecration of the Mass, He will bring the Holy Ghost with Him.
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