Gospel Reflections for June 8 2025: PENTECOST

Gospel for June 8 2025 – John 7:37-39

Gospel Reflections for June 8 2025

Words that unite…

Not long after Jesus ascends into Heaven, which we celebrated last week, about 120 men and women disciples of Jesus are hiding in a room for fear of the crowd outside. The people who killed Jesus are still out there …and looking for them! Jesus was now gone. How could they go on?

Then the Holy Spirit arrives as a powerful wind and fire. Look what happens next.

They burst out of hiding and head right for that hostile crowd! They boldly spoke to everyone with confidence and courage that completely changed the crowd from hostile …to conversion! They could not have done this on their own. It was the power of the Holy Spirit that led them right to the people who had earlier frightened them.

Amazingly, even though they speak their own Aramaic language, people in the crowd from different countries can understand them perfectly. This miracle has an ancient origin.

Shortly after the time of Adam and Eve, people once again sinned with great pride and arrogantly tried to build a tall tower that would challenge God’s power (Genesis 11:1-9). This is the famous story of the Tower of Babel. Suddenly, the people find they can no longer understand each other and so their arrogant project collapses. Their different languages divided them from each other.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the disciples speak the language of love, and everyone understands their words! People from different countries understood the power and meaning of their message. Their words of love, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and miraculously translated, united them to the crowd, and everyone in the crowd to each other. That is what words of love do. Thousands were baptized that day!

Everyone at the time of Jesus would have recognized this miracle of language at Pentecost as the correction to the pride of the builders of the Tower of Babel.

Parish programs, like SpringFest, and especially our building projects, like our new parish hall, should always have the same goal, which is always about showing the love of God.

Our goal for our new Parish Hall is that it will be a place for all kinds of people to experience the love of God in many different activities. From exciting school sports to meaningful sacrament receptions, to concerts, classes, and memorable banquets, we hope our new Parish Hall will help people feel the love of God in every event!

God Bless!

Fr. Dave