The giving of Mosaic law on Mount Sinai, after the Israelite people were redeemed from the slavery of the Pharaoh in ancient Egypt, was also celebrated on this day. As a token of gratefulness for the harvest, the people offered to God a portion of the harvest. This festival continued for seven weeks, and on the fiftieth day it turned into special festivities.

As the first Christians were Jews, they were gathered together in Jerusalem while celebrating this old religious festival with praise and prayers. At that time the Holy Spirit came upon them, as a result of which they experienced a seminal transformation in their lives. They became a new kind of community of people.

That is how the Church came into being, and the disciples spread around with the Gospel and preached the same boldly, with the power of the same spirit. The spirit changed the life-style of the Apostolic community altogether, into a community of sharing with and caring for others.

The Holy Spirit is God's inherent power, and it is God himself in the unfathomable mystery of the Holy Trinity: the one God revealing himself in three persons meaningfully relating to man. God recreates, renews and sustains his creation, which suffers under the bondage of evil since the fall, in the power of his spirit.

All his revelations, his work, are done in his spirit. The miraculous birth of Jesus, and all his miracles, were carried with and through the power of the spirit. God is spirit -- so testified John, the writer of the fourth Gospel.

The Church, as a sign of the kingdom of God, which was initiated at the coming of Jesus into this world, and the work that he did was to be carried on by it by the power of the holy spirit. On the temporal plane this work is transformation of relationships manifested by peace and harmony, and right relationship with one another and, above all, with God.

According to Christian teaching, the Holy Spirit is a person, not only a power. The Holy Spirit heals and reconciles, and renews our lives and relationships: our relationship with God, with fellow beings, with the rest of creation, and also with our inner selves.

Unfortunately, the spiritually unique experience and life of the early disciples of Christ did not last long. It faded away in general as a result of the institutional Church's life becoming entangled with worldly power and politics during the later centuries.

But if we look at the history of Christianity down through the ages there have been great people who did great works with the power of the Holy Spirit. When there has been wrong, it has been because of the lack of willingness to depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I must add here that leading a spiritual life does not mean that we should stop all our material businesses. What we need to do is to live a life that is true, just and peace-loving, a life which is lived in right relationship with God and all his creations. This is not easy in our world.

We pray that God, the Holy Spirit, will grant us the power and quickening of the healing and renewal in our personal lives and also in the lives of others, for the cause of peace and progress of mankind.

Like any other festival, Pentecost comes with the challenge of renewal in our lives and attitudes, and our commitment to love God and all Godly values, serve others and work for peace.

We should internalize the inalienable significance of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, there is no authentic faith and trust in a God who revealed himself, redeemed mankind from the bondage of sin and also regenerated creation in the power of his holy spirit.

Today, much of religion anywhere is mere ritual without reality, lip-service without life, and celebration without commitment. The ideal is missed and lost. May the blessings of Pentecost encourage and empower us all to make a difference.

Reverend Martin Adhikary is a freelance contributor to The Daily Star.