Christ’s Passover is Our Passover

Pentecost Sunday, traditionally associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit, is in fact, the celebration of the Church’s birthday. The word literally means 50th day or 50 days after Easter Sunday. Jews also celebrate the completion of Passover on Pentecost. This is an important day in the life of the Church on which Jesus’ Apostles, after receiving the Holy Spirit in the image of “divided tongues … of fire”, begin their earthly ministry of evangelization - to “make disciples of all nations” (Acts 2:3; Mt 28:19). Christ’s Passover - his suffering, death, and resurrection - is “fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given, and communicated as a divine person: of his fullness, Christ, the Lord, pours out the Spirit in abundance” (CCC 731).

In the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that the Holy Spirit refuses to come quietly, rather, it announces itself with a “rush of violent wind” that fills the entire house and “divided tongues, as of fire” resting on each of the Apostles (Acts 2:3). Imagine: The wind must have blown over everyone and everything in the house; turning all furniture and household items upside down and inside out, and throwing everyone and everything into an absolute mess! However, it is from the depth of such absolute chaos that new life may arise.

The Son of God chooses to fulfill his mission by submitting to the earthly authorities of the High Priest Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate. Blown by the violent wind of injustice, the world is turned topsy-turvy where falsehoods are seen as truth. Though he is battered by such “violent wind” of false accusations and torture, he stands up tall and strong like a “a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice” (Is 42:3). Three days after Jesus’ death, God raises up His “suffering servant” from the depth of hell and “allot[s] him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death” (Is 53:12). God, the author of life, has created a new order out of utter chaos.

The Psalmist recognizes that God is the source of life and without God, everything will “die and return to their dust” (Ps 104:29). He implores God to send forth the Spirit and renew the face of the earth” (Ps 104:30). The Apostles, like the “dry bones” in Ezekiel’s writing, come alive and begin speaking in different languages about the great deeds of God: “O dry bones, [...] I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord’” (Ezek 37:4-6). Not only does the breath of the Holy Spirit revive and refresh the spirits of the Apostles by casting their fears aside, it also empowers them to speak boldly with conviction in order to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19).

Indeed, the Apostles’ lives have been turned upside down and inside out when Christ appears in their midst and “breathed on them”. This “violent wind” definitely kick-starts an amazing journey by first disarming whatever presumptions they might have held and challenging each one of them to be the hands and feet of Christ. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles’ fear is dispelled and replaced with faith and joy. Indeed, the fire of the Holy Spirit sets the Apostles’ hearts on fire.

Therefore, Christ’s Passover is our Passover, too. The breath of God gives life to “dry bones” and raises up Christ from the dead. It also unravels and renews our spirit; coaxing us to shed our hard shell of fear, distrust, conceit, and deceit. Just as the Holy Spirit empowers the Apostles on the Day of the Pentecost, it also empowers us to believe and recognize that each of us is endowed with unique gifts; we “though many, are one body” in Christ through baptism. Like the Apostles, let us come out from hiding and speak boldly to make disciples of all nations!