Scripture Reflection - May 24, 2026

Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2: 1-11 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7, 12-13      John 20: 19-23

Today’s feast of Pentecost illustrates what it’s like to be a disciple after Easter. As Barbara Brown Taylor, author and preacher, often suggests in her reflections, we are called, yes, we are invited to work together, to overcome our fears, and to share our gifts in proclaiming Jesus’ message to all.

On the morning of Pentecost, the disciples weren’t out on the streets; they were behind closed doors, waiting in the stillness of the "Upper Room." Then, the atmosphere changed. In Acts 2, God uses two of the most uncontainable elements in nature—wind and fire—to show us exactly what our mission looks like.

First, there is the rushing mighty wind. In Hebrew and Greek, the word for "wind" is the same as "spirit" and "breath." This wasn’t a gentle breeze to make them comfortable; it was a gale-force wind that blew the doors open. Wind represents movement. It reminds us that the Gospel is not a treasure to be hoarded in a quiet room, but a force meant to move outward. Like the wind, we are called to go where we are sent, even when it’s unpredictable or uncomfortable.

Then, the tongues of fire appeared. Fire does two things: it purifies and it illuminates. The fire rested on each of them. This tells us that the call to preach God’s word isn’t reserved for a select few; the spark of the Holy Spirit is given to every one of us. This fire represents passion. It is the "burning in our bones" that makes it impossible to stay silent about what Jesus has done.

The miracle of Pentecost culminates in language. People from every nation—Parthians, Medes, residents of Mesopotamia—heard the wonders of God in their own native tongues. This is our ultimate call.

The Holy Spirit didn’t give the disciples a secret language to hide behind; He gave them the ability to meet people exactly where they were. We are called to "go forth" not just geographically, but relationally—translating the love of Jesus into the "languages" of our neighbors’ needs, hurts, and hopes. This is our Pentecost call today.

The poet Bruce Sanguin reminds us of this Pentecost call in his poem “Flaming Love”:

O Holy One,

we gather to redisdcover fire—

kindled by an ember that flew from the great radiance,

Love’s bright beginning

in time and space—

flaming forth now in us.

The doors are open. The wind is at our backs. The fire is within us. Let us go forth and speak truth to power.

Happy Pentecost! Happy Birthday of the Church!

Sr. Mary Ann Collins, OP