Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. — Psalm 104 (cf. 30)

Mass Readings: Acts 2:1-11/1 Corinthians 12:3b-7,12-13 or Romans 8:8-17/John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16,23b-26 

Babel Redeemed 

On the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, Jews (and some Gentile converts) had gathered at Jerusalem from various parts of the Roman Empire to worship God. Hebrew was the language of the Jews, Latin the official language of the Empire, and Greek the lingua franca (commonly-used language). Yet, when the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to preach and praise God, it wasn’t in Hebrew, Latin or Greek, but in the native languages of each of the people groups gathered in the city that day. 

At Babel the peoples were divided by different languages (Gn 11:9). Now, in the unity forged by the Spirit, not merely despite, but through different languages, cultures, gifts and personalities, all would worship the one Father “in Spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23). Pentecost was thus the reversal and redemption of Babel. 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, teach me and help me to strive for unity in and through diversity.