"ILAM CHRISTUS ASTRA ASCENDE. RAT." — This is the hymn of Matins on the feast of Pentecost, of Ambrosian origin.
The descent of the Holy Spirit in tongues of fire upon the Apostles gathered in prayer with the Blessed Virgin Mary is narrated at length by St. Luke in Acts 2. The poet draws inspiration from this narrative, highlighting the descent of the Spirit and the action of St. Peter, who, first among all, speaks a language hitherto unknown to the humble fishermen of Galilee, each of whom hears him in his own tongue.
BIBL.: G. G. Belli, Gli inni del Breviario tradotti, Rome 1856, pp. 178-179; V. Terreno, Gli inni dell'Ufficio divino, Mondovì 1932, pp. 142-143; A. Mirra, Gli inni del Breviario romanzo, Naples 1947, pp. 125-126.