A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

When Pentecost day came around they all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting. Something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

Now there were devout people living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear his or her own language spoken.  They were amazed and astonished.  “Surely all of these people speaking are Galileans!  How does it happen that each of us hears their words in our native tongue? Parthians, Medes and Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts

of Libya around Cyrene, as well as visitors from Rome – all Jews, or

converts to Judaism – Cretans and Arabs, too; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.”

The Word of God recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.