In many parishes, liturgies at Pentecost feature the beauty of
languages with readings rendered in different vernacular.
Lectors at my parish have proclaimed the Word of God in
Spanish, French, Swahili, Ghanaian, Bengali, Portuguese, and
more.
While well-intentioned, this emphasis can eclipse the
foundational revelation.
Pentecost is not, first and foremost, prime time for polyglots.
It is the experience of the apostles as they inhaled and
exhaled the breath of God. Their proclamation enveloped all
in a spirit of love, belonging, and oneness. What the people
heard and understood was not just some breaking news of
the day, a good chat, or rules for success. What they heard
was the “mighty acts of God”—magnificent creation that
included themselves, covenant love that is never broken, forgiveness,
redemption, and ultimately reunion with God.
Taking in this message, the people could not be the same
again. They were empowered by an unspeakable joy that
chased fears into the shadows; hope that gave disappointments,
faults, and failures no purchase; and love for and
from the other that healed misunderstanding, hurts, and
differences.
As God breathed into the nostrils of the first human
(Genesis 2:7), we all have the facility for this language: Jews,
Christians, believers, nonbelievers, articulate, or tongue-tied.
Language theory indicates that this facility develops into
mastery only through conversation and interaction with others.
The language acquired subsequently shapes how we
understand our world.
Pentecost speaks in our native tongue, which flourishes
with use and practice with others. And before we exercise
the muscles of our mouth, let us first inhale and then exhale:
the breath of God.

Carolyn Woo

Carolyn Woo served as CEO/president of Catholic Relief Services
and dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of
Notre Dame. She is author of Rising: Learning from Women’s
Leadership in Catholic Ministries.