A little further on we read, and fear came upon every soul. This ‘fear’ was not exactly fear. It was something else, something alien, something incomprehensible, something.. .something we cannot say what. It was awe, it was a sense of being filled, it was grace. It was being filled with divine grace. At Pentecost the people suddenly found themselves in such a state of assimilation to God that they were overcome with confusion. So when the divine grace overshadowed them it made them all mad — in a good sense — it enthused them, filled them with God. This has made a great impression on me. It was what I sometimes call a ‘state’. It was enthusiasm. A state of spiritual madness.

And breaking bread in their various homes, they shared food in great joy and simplicity of heart, praising God and having goodwill towards all the people. And every day the Lord added to the Church those who were being saved.  The ‘breaking of bread’ was Holy Communion. And the number of those who were being saved increased continually, since people saw all the Christians in a state of ‘great joy and simplicity of heart’ and ‘praising God’. The ‘great joy and simplicity of heart’ is like the fear came upon every soul . It is an enthusiasm and again a madness.

– Wounded by Love