By Jenny Koch
Connecting Liturgy and Life
Editor’s note: For 2026, the weekly “Connecting Faith and Life” column has been renamed “Connecting Liturgy and Life.” The column consists of reflections on Part Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which focuses on the Liturgy and the Sacraments.
cf. CCC 1306-1321
One year, my daughter asked me to describe what happened at Pentecost. Without blinking an eye, I began making the shape of a fireball on top of my head. I tried my best, making a wavy action above my head, to explain the descent of the Holy Spirit. “It was like fire!” I told her. To which she responded with a weird, confused look. Then I mentioned how Jesus breathed on them. “Remember that? He breathed on them!” More confused looks. As I sat in the pew, looking at the flame images on the beautiful church decorations, waiting for the choir to sing (also wearing red for the occasion), it struck me that this conversation was impossible. It’s not just impossible to explain Pentecost to an eight-year-old; it is indeed a mystery that leaves us pondering even as adults.
One image I didn’t use to describe the Holy Spirit that day was power. In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke describes the following scene:
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8).
The word for power is important. The Greek word used here is dunamis — the same word used for both “dynamic” and “dynamite”! In other places in Scripture, we hear power used with the Greek word exousia. This word is closer to authority. We have power and authority as baptized Christians. Here, though, at the moment of Pentecost, this word dunamis is used for the first time. The power of the Holy Spirit? It is DYNAMITE power!
The Sacrament of Confirmation, closely linked to Pentecost, has been celebrated at various ages and stages in our Catholic history. In our own Diocese, we are experiencing a transition of age groups being confirmed. The end of this process will result in a standard age of confirmation around 5th grade. While this may seem much younger than what was practiced before, it is also a welcome change for many.
The Catechism is clear that Confirmation “perfects Baptismal grace” (1316) and “every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament.” (1306). While it is often called the “sacrament of Christian maturity,” St. Thomas also reminds us that “Age of body does not determine age of soul” (1308).
This dynamite power changes us. When we celebrate the newly confirmed, let us remember how closely linked Confirmation is to Pentecost. Formation for Confirmation is meant to “awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community” (1308). This Church, when it preaches the Gospel, is dynamite, not dull. The Gospel does not tickle ears; it changes hearts. The early Apostles were hiding in a room, full of fear. Pentecost changed all of this. We can also hide in our upper rooms, afraid to share our faith or perhaps afraid to “rock the boat” when religion becomes a hot topic in our families. We too can “hide” from the duty we have as Confirmed Catholics to speak the truth and witness to others. The solution? Keep the dynamite close to you. Know of its power. Don’t underestimate the dunamis of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps the easiest way is to remember to pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.
O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful
by the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise
and ever rejoice in his consolation.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the Holy Spirit continue to bless you daily with signs of life and the Resurrection. While I may never be able to fully explain in detail what happened on that day of Pentecost, especially to my young children, I know of this DYNAMITE power, and I pray the same for you.