This morning’s Gospel reading is John 20:19–23:

 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.” As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Happy birthday, Christianity? Indeed! Today is Pentecost, the celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit among the apostles and the launch of their efforts to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ: "Go out and make disciples of all nations." 

On this day, the first reading may speak more directly to the point. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles opens with a description of Pentecost, in which the Spirit descends on the apostles and allows them to preach in all languages and to perform miracles. The timing of this gift was deliberate and meaningful, as the Israelites celebrated Shavuot fifty days after Passover (Leviticus 23:16) -- and still do to this day. The celebration brought many to Jerusalem from foreign lands, giving the apostles a perfect opportunity to proclaim the Gospel in a way that word would spread immediately.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.” 

This clearly was no accident. Jesus taught that the salvation of the world would come through the Jews, and this is where the mission started. From this start would proceed the missionary Church, especially with the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle, but also with most of the other original apostles. They would travel to foreign lands, speaking their languages and offering them a first glimpse at the path to salvation. Most of them would die for the conversion of their brothers and sisters, but all remained true to their mission -- an act of true love, both for God and for others.

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus prepares them for this mission between His Resurrection and Ascension. He breathes on them to prepare the disciples for the Holy Spirit and gives them His authority on Earth to judge in the matter of sin. Jesus does this equally to all of the disciples in the locked room, arming them with His authority as they go out into the world and all of the dangers inherent in that effort.

 Today we celebrate Pentecost by highlighting all of the languages in which the Gospel has been proclaimed, in one way or another. At my earlier parish, lectors would proclaim the first two readings in different languages; in my current parish, we read the intentions in various languages. (I have been blessed to use Irish in both parishes on occasion.) 

The miracle of tongues described in Acts 1:1-11 today is certainly worth celebrating for its own value. But what does it mean? 

Consider this in the fullness of God's plan of salvation. In the beginning, pun intended, we have Genesis and our origin story. At one time, we lived within the Trinitarian love of the Lord, but we rebelled and wanted to be our own masters. God allowed this but never withdrew His love from us. Despite numerous affronts to Him, the Lord patiently waited for us to return to Him. Eventually, the Lord blessed Abraham to be the father of nations, and from Abraham eventually came the Israelites.

After 400 years of slavery, the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt to become a nation of priests and prophets. After they rebelled under Moses, the Lord caused them to wander 40 years before finding the Promised Land. Their mission was to serve as the home of the Lord, where all nations would come to receive the Law and to find the path to salvation and eternal life. But the Israelites repeatedly rebelled against that mission, preferring to contend among the nations for worldly authority, and fell into corruption and idolatry. Eventually, the kingdoms of Israel and Judea split, and then fell.

But the love of the Lord never wavered. Rather than have the nations come to Jerusalem, the Lord reversed the plan and sent Jerusalem out to the nations. Jesus came to re-establish the Law in the manner intended and to sacrifice Himself for our sins to remove all barriers to our salvation, except that of our own rebellious wills. This is the Great Commission, and the reason why Christ founded a church to pursue it -- and promised that the gates of Hell could never prevail against it (Matthew 16:17-19). 

Jesus prepared the Church for its birth in our Gospel reading today, and our reading from the beginning of Acts describes its birth on Pentecost. The gift of tongues is a demonstration of the reversal of the plan for salvation, in which the nations no longer come to Jerusalem but the church comes to the nations. The apostles speak in the languages of the other nations not just to facilitate the transmission of the Gospel but to demonstrate brotherhood and solidarity with those of the other nations. It provides clear evidence of love, the agape self-sacrificing love of the Trinity.

It demonstrates the love the Lord has for us, too. By speaking in the languages of the nations and bringing the Gospel to us wherever we are, the Lord tells us that He loves us, as nations and as individuals. Literally, He speaks our language. And He speaks our language in order to invite each and every one of us to return to Him, in love and forgiveness, so that we may return to the status for which each of us is born: to become His adopted sons and daughters in the Kingdom.

Two thousand years later, the Church still remains on its mission, imperfect and fallible though it may be at times. The Gospel still comes to all in their languages, offering the same love and hope as it did at its birth on the streets of Jerusalem. The gates of Hell have not prevailed against it, despite all of the wickedness in the world. That itself is a clear sign of the Lord's love for us, and it lights our way back home.

 Lá breithe sona duit! 

Previous reflections on these readings:

• Pentecost and the language of love: Sunday reflection
• Veni, Sancte Spiritus -- and our reconnection: Sunday reflection
• Sunday reflection: John 20:19–23

The front page image is "Pentecost" by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308-11. On display at the Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana del Duomo. Via Wikimedia Commons.

“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here.