Day of Pentecost (Year B, RCL)

They both resist easy answers to the problem of suffering.

We practice our faith in the season of Lent so that we know what to do when things get harder. 

Struck down but not destroyed, perplexed but not forsaken

To know any truth about God, we must be drawn into the life of the Trinity. But how?

God called all of them good. Humans are rapidly destroying them.

Growing up, I never heard a word about God laughing, joking, or doing anything for fun.

What does it do to the body and spirit to be preyed upon constantly?

The Spirit affirms our differences, speaking in ways that each of us can understand—yet also drawing us together.

Divisions mark our society—and our churches. What could possibly bring us together?

I was counting on her discretion.

The synagogue at Dura, in present-day Syria, contained three murals recounting the history of Israel from the ancestral period through the exile and resettlement of the land.

Jesus has gone underground. That's the setting of our Gospel reading this Pentecost.

I've experienced Pentecost as sweet, serious, or neither.

Honestly, it seems like our flesh has a massive design flaw.

I mostly agree with Jeffrey Weiss about prayer. I think St. Paul would too.

The Gospel of John addresses a community facing trouble because of its faith in Jesus. Its original readers needed to hear a message of affirmation. No wonder Jesus says "I will not leave you orphaned" and promises the disciples peace.

Those who heard the disciples preach on Pentecost comprehended the message in their own language. But that was only the beginning.