Pentecost Sunday
June 7, 2025 Column Father De Celles
PENTECOST: VENI SANCTE SPIRITU! ThisSunday’s readings tell us that on the first Christian Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the early Christians with “a noise like a strong driving wind,” and appeared like “tongues as of fire.” After this they “began to speak in different tongues” so that the people gathered in Jerusalem “from every nation under heaven” could hear them “speaking in his own language.”
That same Holy Spirit descended on each of us in Baptism, and came again to strengthen (“confirm”—see below) His gifts in us in our Confirmations. By the baptismal indwelling of the Spirit we were united to the Divine life of Jesus Christ, and in Confirmation we were given the gifts to live the fullness of the faith amidst the great challenges of world. These gifts help us individually to get to heaven, by loving God and our neighbor, but they are also meant to help us proclaim the Gospel to all those around us, just as the first Christians did.
And the Holy Spirit does not merely come to individuals, He comes and dwells in the Church as One Body of Christ. Because of this no gift of the Holy Spirit is meant merely for personal enhancement separate from the Church, or contrary to the unity of the Church.
Let us pray to Christ and His Father, to renew in us the powerful presence of their Holy Spirit within each of us and within the whole Church. And let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to use His gifts to become the Christians we are called to be.
The Sacrament of Confirmation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us:
“1288 From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ’s will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism. …The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church.
“1289 Very early, the better to signify the gift of the Holy Spirit, an anointing with perfumed oil (chrism) was added to the laying on of hands. This anointing highlights the name ‘Christian,’ which means ‘anointed’ and derives from that of Christ himself whom God ‘anointed with the Holy Spirit.’….
“1293 In treating the rite of Confirmation, it is fitting to consider the sign of anointing and what it signifies and imprints: a spiritual seal.
“Anointing, in Biblical ….symbolism, is rich in meaning: oil is a sign of abundance and joy; it cleanses (anointing before and after a bath) and limbers (the anointing of athletes and wrestlers); oil is a sign of healing, since it is soothing to bruises and wounds; and it makes radiant with beauty, health, and strength.
“1294 Anointing with oil has all these meanings in the sacramental life. The pre-baptismal anointing with the oil of catechumens signifies cleansing and strengthening; the anointing of the sick expresses healing and comfort. The post-baptismal anointing with sacred chrism in Confirmation and ordination is the sign of consecration. By Confirmation Christians…share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off ‘the aroma of Christ.’
“1295 By this anointing the confirmand receives the ‘mark,’ the seal of the Holy Spirit. A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal authority, or ownership of an object. Hence soldiers were marked with their leader’s seal and slaves with their master’s. A seal authenticates a juridical act or document and occasionally makes it secret.
“1296 Christ himself declared that he was marked with his Father’s seal. Christians are also marked with a seal: ‘It is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has commissioned us; he has put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.’ This seal of the Holy Spirit marks our total belonging to Christ, our enrollment in his service for ever, as well as the promise of divine protection in the great eschatological trial.
“1300 …In the Latin rite, ‘the sacrament of Confirmation is conferred through the anointing with chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand, and through the words: …Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit….
“1302 It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.
“1303 From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace: it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, ‘Abba! Father!’; it unites us more firmly to Christ; it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us; it renders our bond with the Church more perfect; it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross: ‘Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God’s presence. ….’[St. Ambrose]
“1304 Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the ‘character,’ which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness….
“1306 Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation…’…for without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete…. “
CHARLOTTE NONSENSE. Many of you have asked me what I think about Bishop Michael Martin’s proposed restrictions on the tradition approaches to Mass, including the “Novus Ordo” Masses, in his Diocese of Charlotte, NC. All I can say is the leaked proposal indicates an ignorance of the laws and teaching of the Church, especially of Vatican II. If I were priest in Charlotte I’d ignore such restrictions because they are simply illegal and contrary to right reason. And I’d pray for my poorly formed bishop.
NEW CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL. Back in December I mentioned that I am involved in the foundation of a new independent Catholic High School, part of the Chesterton Schools Network of about 70 schools which follow a “Classical” curriculum. This new school, Chesterton Academy of Christ the King, has been moving forward rapidly and now plans to open in the Fall of 2026, hopefully leasing space at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Alexandria. Information sessions will be held throughout this summer. Visit Chesterton-ChristTheKing.org to learn more.
Also, please consider giving to its first fundraising campaign–the Founding Families Fundraising Campaign–to help offset the costs associated with these activities.
Oremus pro invicem. Fr. De Celles