The Fiftieth Day

I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.
John 8:12

Today, fifty days after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha and ten days after the Feast of the Ascension of Christ, we celebrate the Feast of Holy Pentecost, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.

We also celebrate the establishment of the Church on this day, which saw the preaching of the Apostles and the baptism of thousands who believed in the message of salvation through Our Lord Jesus Christ. This Feast is the culmination of the revelation of the Holy Trinity.

For the Christian East, the descent of the Holy Spirit is also understood as a reversal of the events at the Tower of Babel. There, mankind was divided by the confusion of tongues; but here, mankind is united by the gift of tongues.

When the most High came down and confused the tongues,
He divided the nations;
But when he distributed the tongues of fire
He called all to unity.
Therefore, with one voice, we glorify the Most Holy Spirit!

Kontakion, Tone 8

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, I remember a Greek-Australian friend, Kosma, a theologian who has since been tonsured a monk, mention that the Anna Vissi song, "Eisai" was a favourite of the secretary to the Greek Archbishop of Sydney. Something about the lyrics being about the Holy Spirit.

Take a look at this performance from the Closing Ceremony of the 2004 Olympics and see if you agree!

Lyrics

Chorus:
Ise, sto ema, stis fleves, sta kitara mou,
Ise, ston aera, pou anapneo, sti monaksia mou

You are in my blood , in my veins, in my cells,
You are in the air that I breathe, in my loneliness.

Ise i mera mou, ise i nihta mou,
Ise to lioma mou, ke ta ksenihtia mou,
Ise o paradisos stis paresthisis mou,
Ise to karma mou, ki oles i esthisis mou.

You are my day, you are my night,
You are my intoxication, and my late nights,
You are paradise in my hallucinations,
You are my karma, and all my sensations.

Chorus:
Ise, sto ema, stis fleves, sta kitara mou,
Ise, ston aera, pou anapneo, sti monaksia mou.

You are in my blood , in my veins, in my cells,
You are in the air that I breathe, in my loneliness.

Esi, ti zoi mou orizis,
Esi, to mialo mou trelenis,
Esi, se ola iparhis,
Esi, ki as min ise edo.

You determine my life,
You confuse my mind,
You exist in everything,
You, even if you're not here.