Conflicting babble

On Pentecost Sunday, many congregations have been employing the interesting gimmick of using multiple readers for today’s first reading (Acts 2:1-11) – each simultaneously reading in a different language.

Although generally well-intentioned, the result is confusing noise and is often unpleasant.

But that confusion is not the confusion described by the witnesses to the original Pentecost event.

“They were confused
because each one heard them
speaking in his own language.”

Moreover, the people heard the Apostles and the others clearly speaking “of the mighty acts of God.”

That great outpouring of the Holy Spirit may indeed have been marked by the “Gift of Tongues” – as members of the early Church spoke in the tongues of men and of angels – but what made the strongest impression on the people who witnessed that great event was the Gift of Interpretation of Tongues – as the Holy Spirit touched the hearts of those bystanders and enabled them to hear the good news of Jesus Christ each in the language closest to their hearts.

Today, the world is full of noise and confusing, conflicting babble.

Sad to say, confusing and conflicting voices can be heard even within the Church.

Today and every day, we need to pray that we may always clearly hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us, as our Lord Himself says in one of the options for today’s Gospel (John 14:15-16, 23b-26), teaching us everything and reminding us of all that He told us.