RELIGION, SPIRITUALITE

Peinture de Félix-Henri Giacomotti

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     La Pentecôte est des plus grandes fêtes chrétiennes !                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             La Pentecôte vient du grec ancien (πεντηκοστή (pentèkostè) : cinquantième (jour après Pâques) ; en grec moderne, on prononce (pénticosti). Cette fête chrétienne a des origines juives que le Christ va venir complètement accomplir.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Les origines juive de la Pentecôte :

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   A l’origine, la Pentecôte est une fête juive, comme Pâques. Une fête agricole devenue une fête religieuse. Elle porte le nom de shavou’ot ou fête des semaines car elle a lieu 7 semaines après Pâque. On l’appelle aussi la fête des prémices, Pâque étant la fête des semences.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Dans un second temps, la Pentecôte prendra un sens religieux. Elle rappelle l’événement historique du don de la Torah au Sinaï. Ainsi Shavou’ot (la Pentecôte juive)est la conclusion, la clôture de Pesah (Pâque juive). C’est en effet pour lui donner la Torah que Dieu a fait sortir Israël d’Egypte : la véritable liberté consiste à accepter de suivre la Loi de Dieu !

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         La Pentecôte après la résurrection : la Pentecôte chrétienne !

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Le Livre des Actes des apôtres (2,1-13) rapporte l’évènement qui s’est passé au Cénacle à Jérusalem, en l’an 30 ou 33 de notre ère, le jour de la fête juive de la Pentecôte, 50 jours après la résurrection du Christ. « Quand le jour de la Pentecôte fut arrivé, ils (les apôtres) se trouvèrent tous ensemble. Tout à coup survint du ciel un bruit comme celui d’un violent coup de vent. La maison où ils se tenaient en fut toute remplie ; alors leur apparurent comme des langues de feu qui se partageaient et il s’en posa sur chacun d’eux. Ils furent tous remplis d’Esprit Saint et se mirent à parler d’autres langues ».

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Ainsi, la Pentecôte chrétienne est la fête du don de l’Esprit Saint.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Que signifie cet événement ?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Le récit des Actes des Apôtres fait état « d’un grand bruit » venu du ciel, d’un « violent coup de vent » et de « langues de feu » et qui se posent sur chacun des apôtres. Le bruit, le vent et le feu symbolisent la présence de Dieu ; ils sont une manifestation de la puissance divine, C’est le renouvellement de la théophanie du Sinaï dont la Pentecôte juive est la commémoration.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Si le feu symbolise la présence divine, les langues de feu qui se divisent au-dessus des têtes des apôtres signifie la descente sur eux de l’Esprit de Dieu. Elles symbolisent le don fait à chacun d’eux pour le rendre apte à annoncer, avec une langue de feu, l’Évangile à tous les hommes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Enfin, le récit fait mention du don des langues que reçoivent les apôtres et les disciples pour leur permettre d’annoncer la Bonne Nouvelle de l’Évangile à tous les hommes, à toutes les nations. On peut y voir une réponse à l’épisode de la Tour de Babel. En effet, lors de la Tour de Babel, les hommes avaient été divisés dans leur volonté d’être plus grand que Dieu.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         A la Pentecôte, les peuples divisés se retrouvent unis lorsque l’Esprit Saint se manifeste. L’humanité est appelée à vivre cette unité, non pas sans Dieu mais en lui.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Continuité et nouveauté :

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        On peut résumer en disant que si la Pentecôte juive célèbre les origines du peuple hébreu comme peuple choisi dans l’Alliance au Sinaï, la Pentecôte que fêtent les chrétiens célèbre la naissance de l’Église, ce nouveau peuple de Dieu, aux dimensions universelles, qui a pris forme lorsque Jésus ressuscité « a reçu du Père l’Esprit Saint promis et il l’a répandu » (Ac 2,33) sur le groupe de ses apôtres et disciples qui ont cru en Lui et ont reçu la mission d’être ses témoins partout dans le monde.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Ainsi, il y a une continuité dans la nouveauté : rassembler le peuple de Dieu. Cette dernière notion devient simplement plus large avec la venue de l’Esprit promis par Jésus. Pentecôte est un nouvel événement fondateur d’une Alliance nouvelle et d’un peuple nouveau.