Pentecost marked the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit. Fifty days after Easter, the apostles were gathered in prayer when suddenly, like a driving wind, the Spirit descended upon them. Tongues of fire appeared and rested on each one. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they began proclaiming the mighty works of God in languages understood by people from every nation. What began in an upper room burst out into the streets. The Church was born—not in silence, but in power, praise, and mission.

The first reading this weekend from the Acts of the Apostles presents the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the Church’s first witness unto death. As he was being stoned by an enraged crowd, Stephen—filled with the Holy Spirit—lifted his eyes to heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. In his final breath, he echoed Jesus’s own words from the cross: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Among those witnessing this was a young man named Saul—who would later become Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles. This moment marked not just Stephen’s death, but the beginning of a Church willing to love to the point of sacrifice.

A major controversy erupted in the early Church: must Gentile converts follow the Mosaic law, including circumcision, to be saved? Paul and Barnabas debated the issue and were sent to Jerusalem to seek clarity. What followed was the first great council of the Church—the apostles and elders gathering to listen, pray, discern, and decide together. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they sent a letter back to the Gentile churches, affirming freedom from the Mosaic law while asking for a few necessary practices for unity. The message was clear: this is not a human decision alone- “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us.”