When is Pentecost 2017? What it Means to Christians
The Lenten season is drawing near its end, marking Christ's victory over sin and death as he welcomes his followers to the Kingdom of God. And while Easter Sunday is one of the biggest celebrations, something beyond it is also worth waiting for.
June 4, 2017 will be marking yet another Christian holiday known as the Pentecost. While it is a common term tossed around often when speaking about religiosity, its meaning is sometimes lost in translation due to its many interpretations.
The very definition of Pentecost lies on where one reads about it. There is the understanding in terms of old context, and there is also the realization of its essence after Jesus Christ came, and is something that's being believed and commemorated to this day.
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In the Old Testament, Pentecost is also described as the "feast of weeks" and was greatly understood at that time. In essence, it was somehow more of a harvest festival, thanking the Supreme Being for the bounty. Its description reads, "Offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles."
In the New Testament, however, it becomes even clearer what the celebration is for. It marks the miraculous day when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus' apostles, inspiring them to spread the good news, converting people to Christianity.
In terms of its observance, the Pentecost is primarily seen as a happy festival. Church ministers don robes with red, symbolizing the flames in which the Holy Spirit came, giving strength to the early Christians to share Christ's teachings. It's the celebration of the birth of the Church.
While the practices may vary, the reason for celebrating it remains the same.
