The First Christians

Today we're going to learn about the very first Christians and how the Church began! After Jesus rose from the dead and went to heaven, His disciples were waiting in Jerusalem, just like He told them to do. They were praying together with Mary, Jesus' mother, in a special room. There were about 120 people there, including the twelve apostles. Then something amazing happened on the day of Pentecost! Suddenly, there was a sound like a mighty wind filling the whole house. Then they saw what looked like little flames of fire sitting on each person's head - but it didn't hurt them at all! Can anyone guess what this fire represented? That's right - it was the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit filled all of them with power and love. Something wonderful happened next - they began speaking in different languages they had never learned before! People from many countries were visiting Jerusalem, and they could all understand what the disciples were saying about Jesus in their own languages. Can you imagine how surprised everyone was? Peter stood up and preached to the crowd about Jesus. He told them that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. About 3,000 people believed in Jesus that day and were baptized! This was the birth of our Church - the same Church we belong to today as Maronite Catholics. Our tradition traces back to these very first Christians and to Saint Maron, who followed their example of faith and prayer. The Holy Spirit that came to the first Christians is the same Spirit that lives in our hearts today, helping us love God and share His love with others.