The day that will mark the birthday of the church has come, but no one knows what to expect. It will not begin with a gentle breeze but with a violent wind. What happens next will transform the lives of the apostles and send them where they would not have chosen to go. Tongues of fire settle on their heads and redirect their powers of speech so that all who hear them understand. The crowd responds not with belief but with bewilderment. How can these Galileans address people from many lands and be understood? Their words of power can change lives. Should the people bow in awe or sneer?

Let us imagine ourselves in that crowd of people torn between devotion and disbelief. What would it be like to hear for the first time of Jesus Christ, who died, is risen, and will come again? Would we accept this awesome revelation or demand logical answers to our incredulous questions? Would our response to the coming of the Holy Spirit be doubtful or full of delight?

This event reminds us of how great the leap of faith really is. The revelation we are inclined to take for granted ought to evoke both fear and trembling. Faith is a gift that defied understanding on the part of these first Christians and that still takes us beyond what our eyes can see or our ears hear. The message conveyed at Pentecost penetrated the barriers erected by doubt, and from that moment that message changed the world.