“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.” “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.” “People from every nation under heaven were staying in Jerusalem… and each one heard them speaking in their own language.”
We are hindered from being all in one place together. Supremacists fight each other and they divide us. They give Nazi salutes and support Nazi parties and ideas. They claim to be “The Chosen One.” They tell us, “I was saved by God to make America Great again,” and that “I run the country and the world.” Fans agree and proclaim supremacists as the “chosen,” “anointed,” “savior,” “the second coming,” and “the Christ for this age.” Supremacists and their supporters are building the Tower of Babel. Those who “wanted to make a name for themselves,” said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky.” In the end, they were “confused in their language, so that no one could understand the speech of another.” Supremacists would have us be confused in our mission, in our language. Chaos, disinformation, propaganda, and outright lies abound in this culture of Babel. It is given to us to create a new culture, a culture of Pentecost, a culture of the soul. Heraclitus, who lived six centuries before Jesus, would urge us to form culture in our oneness. He would encourage us to see the unity in our human experience. He wants us “listening to the essence of things.” It is the experience of Pentecost. We hear and we know that the essence of things is our communion. We are all in one place together. We speak one language, we understand one language, and it is not solely a language of words. We speak the language of our being. We learn that in the depth of our being, living from our soul, it is we who hold the world together. That is our witness. That is our mission. Supremacists may build a babbling tower now and then, but our living experience is Pentecost. We live the power of our Oneness.
At Pentecost, the people “received a Spirit of unity.” “Theirs were not multiple missions, but a single mission. They were no longer introverted and quarrelling with one another, but outgoing and radiant with joy.” (Pope Leo XIV)
Prayer: Spirit, help us breathe deeply from our soul.
Question: What are my experiences of being all in one place together?
June 08, 2025 Gospel John 14:15-26 Pentecost