By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic
Tongues of flame appear almost to guide the Holy Spirit to believers in the Pentecost window at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Fort Lauderdale.
The Holy Spirit descends and fills the disciples in the third of the Glorious Mysteries, in this carving at the Church of the Little Flower, Coral Gables.
The Holy Spirit dispenses tongues of flame in a faceted glass window at St. John the Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale.
Disciples cluster around Mary in the Pentecost window at Gesu Church, Miami.
Tongues of fire almost resemble drops of blood in the Pentecost window at St. James Church, North Miami.
In place of the usual rose window, St. Sebastian Church in Fort Lauderdale has this vivid cameo of Pentecost.
Rays of sunlight stream from the Holy Spirit in this window at Our Lady of Lourdes in Miami. Easter lilies around the border link Pentecost with the resurrection of Jesus.
Mary and the apostles gather for the first Pentecost in this window at St. Helen Church in Lauderdale Lakes.
The Holy Spirit as a dove dispenses tongues of flame in the Pentecost window at St. Gabriel. Pompano Beach
A dove and a cross blend in the Pentecost window at St. Edward Church, Pembroke Pines.
The Holy Spirit brings tongues of fire to Mary and the disciples in the Pentecost window at Our Lady of Divine Providence, Miami.
In this faceted glass window at St. Henry Church, Pompano Beach, a disciple raises his hands as the tongues of flame fall.
Two disciples prayerfully watch the Holy Spirit dispense tongues of flame at St. Rose of Lima Church, Miami Shores.
Photography: Jim Davis
Pentecost Sunday, remembering the day that the Holy Spirit of God descended on the first believers, will be celebrated on June 4 this year. According to the New Testament, the apostles of Jesus saw the Spirit in the shape of ‘‘tongues of fire,'' giving them power to preach and evangelize.
Taking its name from its timing, 50 days after Easter Sunday, Pentecost is often called the ‘‘Birthday of the Church.” It’s the Christian equivalent of Shavuot, the Jewish festival that follows Passover by seven weeks. Just as Shavuot celebrates the giving of the holy law, Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Spirit.
The dramatic event is narrated in the book of Acts:
“And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.”
Several churches around the Archdiocese of Miami recall the moment with vivid windows of Mary and the disciples receiving the spiritual gift, or even focus on the Spirit and the flames themselves.
Not only Catholics, but Lutherans and Episcopalians celebrate the day with bright red vestments and church trappings, symbolizing the flame of the Spirit.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers a list of resources for the observance. They include prayers, hymns, a responsorial psalm and scriptural readings.
