Pentecost Sunday is the birthday of the Church, the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles as wind and fire — not to frighten them, but to make them new. This reflection draws on St. Leo the Great's Pentecost sermon and St. Fulgentius of Ruspe to explore what it means that the Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world, and yet comes with particular intimacy to instruct each heart, kindle love, and make lasting what God has worked in us. The Collect, the Sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus, and Our Lord's own promise of peace in the Gospel all point to a Spirit who is not a distant power but a dwelling guest.

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