Scripture Reflections for The Feast of Pentecost: May 31, 2009

The readings for this Holy Feast speak to us of the confused languages of Babel being united in the one language of human understanding. They speak of all the different gifts and “ministries” given to the Church—as many gifts and ministries as there are members—and all these gifts being united in the one work of the Christ. And today’s readings speak of the energy for healing—whether it’s healing the divisions of language, or healing the divisions of practices—and that is the energy of FORGIVENESS. It is at the heart of Who God is, and who, we, created in His image must be. We like to speak of the “gift of tongues” as a Pentecostal gift, but the greatest Pentecostal gift is the gift of the ability to forgive. Let us pray for the Spirit to come to us with this power of forgiveness. We need it; our world needs it, desperately.