Reflection for Pentecost
Acts 2:1-11
Sr. Jane O’Brien, St. Mary of the Woods, IN
The post-resurrection narratives are filled with tantalizing details. The shroud carefully folded on the tombstone, the fish sizzling on the grill as Jesus prepares breakfast, Mary of Magdala mistaking Jesus for the gardener, the gesture in breaking the bread that reveals the identity of the stranger as Jesus—all catch my imagination. In the Pentecost story, it is everyone hearing the story in their own language.
Too often our conversations, especially today, resemble more the Tower of Babel experience—talking at cross purposes, not really hearing or listening, but impatiently waiting for our turn to talk—effectively speaking different languages.
Speaking in a way that others can really understand us, and listening so that we can deeply understand—is a gift of God’s Holy Spirit as much as a product of our own conscious effort and good will. The Pentecost story reminds me that real communication, like speaking in tongues, is a kind of miracle, not to be taken for granted but celebrated and revered whenever it succeeds in happening. May the Spirit send us this much-needed gift!
