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Pentecost

Click on video above: "Pentecost in 2 Minutes"

by Steve Werlin

The term Pentecost comes from the Greek term meaning “fiftieth,” in reference to the fiftieth day after the start of the Passover festival in early spring. In Hebrew, Pentecost is known as Shavuot, or the Festival of Weeks. Shavuot is a biblically mandated festival marking the conclusion of the springtime grain harvest. For this reason, it is also referred to as the Festival of the Harvest (Exod 23:16) and the Day of the First Fruits (Num 28:26).

In the first century C.E., Shavuot, along with Passover (Pesach) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth), was primarily an agricultural festival, culminating in a pilgrimage to the Jerusalem temple. Loaves of bread would be made from the harvested wheat and offered at the temple. In early rabbinic texts, Shavuot took a backseat to Passover and Succoth. It is unclear how much of the Jewish population would have attended the festivities in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, since frequent travel would have been difficult, especially for those in the more remote areas of Galilee, the Golan, and the Diaspora. The writings of Flavius Josephus suggest that Shavuot was the least well-attended of the three pilgrimage festivals. Nevertheless, according to Josephus, the mass gathering in Jerusalem during Shavuot in 4 B.C.E. occasioned a riot against the local Roman procurator, resulting in considerable loss of life (Jewish Antiquities 17.221-268; Jewish War 2.42-44).

There is evidence, however, suggesting that for some Jews during the Second Temple period Shavuot was the most important and holiest of the three pilgrimage festivals. In the book of Jubilees, Shavuot is celebrated as the annual renewal of the covenant between God, on the one hand, and Noah, the patriarchs, and Moses on the other. Shavuot may have had special significance for the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well.

The theme of an annually renewed covenant carried over into early Christian interpretations, associated with Acts 2:1-11. Over the centuries, Christians have celebrated Pentecost fifty days after Easter, to commemorate the receiving of the Holy Spirit by followers of Jesus.

Among Jews, rabbinic traditions have associated the holiday with the revelation on Mount Sinai and the giving of the Torah by God to Moses. Today, the holiday is known alternatively as hag matan torateinu, the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah. Jewish tradition has also associated the holiday with the birth and death of King David. 

Painting: Holy Spirit Come

He Qi (born circa 1950) is a Chinese-born artist now living in Minnesota. Coming of age during the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, He Qi was sent as a teenager to a communal farm to erase the effects of his parent’s intellectualism. He Qi’s Christian faith was forced underground during this time. To hone his artistic skills, he openly painted portraits of Chairman Mao while secretly painting images of the Madonna at night. In this work, three followers of Jesus are seen on the day of Pentecost as they are suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit. The trident-shaped flames rising from their heads symbolize a spiritual encounter with God. He Qi uses vibrant color blocks and geometric shapes to create a compelling composition. The artist is certainly influenced by the avant-garde cubism art movement pioneered by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. To learn more about He Qi, visit his website.

What "Jesuit" is all about...

Jesuit 101: Imaginative Prayer in Action

by Eric Immel, SJ

The sand-colored rocks along the Atlantic shoreline at Eastern Point Jesuit Retreat House stand twenty feet tall over frigid waters, simultaneously sharp and rounded with a slight shimmer in sunlight. At points, the rocks fold into each other and make what I can only describe as nature’s recliner, the perfect place to sit in silence, listen to waves, and imagine Portugal somewhere across the seemingly infinite horizon of ocean.

The day was cold, but still warm for January. Strong wind lingered from the prior day’s nor’easter. Waves crashed violently into the rocks, sending sprays of diamond-like droplets into the air. White clouds piled high in front of an azure sky. I lounged in an unbreakable La-Z-Boy, cast my eyes upward and breathed deeply. I offered a prayer of preparation, and opened my Bible to Mark 5:21-43. After I read the passage slowly, noticing the narrative, I closed my eyes. Where to? READ MORE

Hearts, Eyes and Prayers toward Ukraine

An Event For Us All To Get Behind!

From the St. Ignatius Gabriel Project

The St. Ignatius Gabriel Project needs your help! We're seeking volunteers to work directly with Angel Moms (especially Spanish speakers) and more baby supplies,.  Most critical items include gently used newborn to size 18 month baby clothes, Pack and Play play yards, bedding and baby bags for travel. Newborn diapers are also needed. Small donations can be left in the box in the Narthex.

For more information and for pick up of larger items, email Cassie at [email protected].

Environmental Justice Meeting

June 1 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

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Concert for the Children of Ukraine

June 5 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

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Dear members and friends of St. Ignatius Parish,

You are invited to join Embracing God’s Gifts, our parish’s LGBTQ+ ministry, and walk in this year‘s annual Baltimore pride parade. We would love to have family members and allies of LGBTQ+ individuals to join us once again. As in past years, we will assemble in Charles Village in the early afternoon on Saturday, June 25th to walk in solidarity with other welcoming faith communities in the greater Baltimore area. In this collective effort, we strive to remind the LGBTQ+ community that there are many faith congregations who welcome, affirm, and celebrate them.

Please contact Gordon Creamer at [email protected] for more details and to register.

POOR BOX

This week's collection: "Families in Crisis"

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In the Media

Cardinal Cupich: The Second Amendment did not come down from Sinai

On May 24, a gunman stormed into an elementary school in Uvalde, Tex., and slaughtered at least 19 children and two teachers. The shooter allegedly shot his grandmother before driving to the school. The 18-year-old suspect was killed by police.

The parents of the school were told: “Please do not pick up students at this time. Students need to be accounted for before they are released to your care.” Imagine being a parent with a child in that school. Imagine having to bury them.

Such was the extent of the damage done to these children’s bodies by the killer’s weapons that parents faced a delay in identifying the victims. READ ARTICLE

Catholic leaders react to Texas school massacre: ‘Don’t tell me that guns aren’t the problem.’

Catholic leaders are reacting with anger and calls to restrict guns following the latest mass shooting that left at least 19 children and two teachers dead.

“It’s time to say, ‘Enough!’ to the indiscriminate trafficking of guns,” Pope Francis said Wednesday after offering prayers to the victims of the Uvalde, Tex., shooting. “Let’s all work to ensure that such tragedies never happen again.”

Several bishops in Texas released statements, calling for prayers and, in one instance, expressing frustration at attempts to deflect attention away from guns.

“Don’t tell me that guns aren’t the problem, people are,” Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Tex., tweeted. “I’m sick of hearing it.”  READ MORE