Introduction
The word vigil comes from the Latin vigilia, meaning “a keeping watch.” In the Church, a vigil is a time of prayerful anticipation of the feast it anticipates, often marked by extended readings and reflection. Just as we keep vigil before Christmas and Easter, the Pentecost Vigil invites us to wait with expectant hearts for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The term Pentecost comes from the Greek word pentēkostē, meaning “fiftieth,” referring to the fiftieth day after Easter. On this day, the Church celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, as described in the Acts of the Apostles. This moment not only fulfilled Jesus’ promise but also marks the birth of the Church: a moment of transformation, mission, and unity.
1st Reading – Genesis 11:1-9
The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.
While the people were migrating in the east,
they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
They said to one another,
“Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.”
They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the sky,
and so make a name for ourselves;
otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth.”
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower
that the people had built.
Then the LORD said: “If now, while they are one people,
all speaking the same language,
they have started to do this,
nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
Let us then go down there and confuse their language,
so that one will not understand what another says.”
Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth,
and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel,
because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world.
It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.
Our first reading sets up the dramatic reversal that Pentecost brings: where human pride once led to confusion and division, the Holy Spirit now brings understanding, unity, and the birth of the universal Church.
The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words. While men were migrating in the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
This episode takes place generations after the great flood. In Genesis 9:1, God had blessed Noah and his sons, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.”
Rather than dispersing as commanded, humanity chooses to settle and consolidate power in Shinar (southern Mesopotamia), a region associated with the descendants of Ham, one of Noah’s sons (Genesis 10:10).
They said to one another, “Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.” They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Lacking natural stone, they use bricks and bitumen — a pitch-like substance common in Mesopotamia — showing their ingenuity and determination.
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves;
This is not a neutral act of urban planning; it is an act of pride and self-glorification. Their goal is to “make a name” for themselves, echoing the original sin in Eden: the desire to “be like God but without God” (CCC 398).
The phrase “with its top in the sky” reflects a desire to mimic the ziggurat temples of Babylon, built to symbolize reaching the divine realm.
otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth.”
The people explicitly reject God’s command to fill the earth (Genesis 9:1), choosing security and control over trust and obedience.
The tremendous effort of building a tower with homemade bricks shows how determined they were to rebel.
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men had built.
The irony here is striking: Though the people sought to reach heaven, God must “come down” to inspect their work. It underscores how far human ambition falls short of divine majesty.
Then the LORD said: “If now, while they are one people, all speaking the same language, they have started to do this, nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
God acknowledges the danger of unchecked human pride and unity divorced from him. Though unity is good, when it is used in defiance of God, it leads to destructive ends.
Let us then go down and there confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says.” Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth, and they stopped building the city.
In his justice and mercy, God frustrates their plans, not as punishment in proportion to their pride, but as redirection.
By confusing their language and scattering them, God thwarts their self-serving ambition and gently nudges them back toward his original command to humanity to fill the earth (Genesis 1:28).
That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world.
The name Babel (Hebrew balal, meaning “to confuse”) plays on the Babylonian reputation for grandeur. The author subtly mocks the city’s supposed greatness.
It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.
Even in judgment, God offers mercy. Humanity’s dispersion prevents greater sin and sets the stage for future redemption.
At Pentecost, this scattering is reversed. Through the Holy Spirit, people of many nations hear the Gospel in their own tongues (Acts 2:1-11, the first reading for tomorrow, Pentecost Sunday).
Whereas Babel represented human pride and division, Pentecost embodies divine grace and unity in Christ.
2nd Reading – Romans 8:22-27
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God’s will.
Our second reading deeply connects with the central themes of Pentecost: the work of the Holy Spirit, the renewal of creation, and the hopeful yearning for redemption.
Brothers and sisters: We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
Paul begins by acknowledging the deep suffering and disorder that afflict the natural world.
Creation itself, subject to the effects of sin, longs for liberation and renewal. This groaning is not meaningless; it is likened to labor pains, which anticipate new life.
and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
This suffering dwells within us, too. Even though as Christians we are marked by the “firstfruits of the Spirit” (the initial graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit), we groan inwardly as we await our full adoption as children of God.
The term “firstfruits” evokes Old Testament offerings (cf. Leviticus 23:15-21): a consecrated portion that points to the whole. The Spirit’s presence with us now is both a foretaste and a pledge of the glory to come (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:22).
For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
Salvation begins now but is not yet complete. We are saved in hope, a theological virtue that directs us to trust in God’s promises.
Hope requires waiting, often in darkness. True Christian hope rests not on what is visible or immediate, but on God’s fidelity. Thus, we endure.
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;
“Our weakness” is not merely physical but encompasses the fragility of our fallen human condition.
for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groaning.
We often do not know how to pray rightly, nor what to ask for. But we are not left alone.
The Holy Spirit, dwelling within the hearts of believers, intercedes for us — mysteriously and wordlessly — perfectly attuned to the Father’s will. This is not separate from our own prayer, but the Spirit praying within us (cf. Galatians 4:6), making up for our limitations.
And the one who searches hearts
This is an Old Testament phrase for God (cf. Psalm 139:1; 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Kings 8:39), who possesses complete knowledge and understanding of the human heart, surpassing external appearances..
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
God fully understands the Spirit’s intercession. There is perfect unity between the Spirit’s groanings and the divine will.
As Ambrosiaster observed: If God knows the hearts of all, how much more will he understand the Spirit, who shares his own divine nature?
because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.
Notably, Paul calls these weak, groaning believers holy ones — a reminder that holiness is not the absence of struggle, but is often found within it.
Gospel – John 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the feast,
Jesus stood up and exclaimed,
“Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.
As Scripture says:
Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.“
He said this in reference to the Spirit
that those who came to believe in him were to receive.
There was, of course, no Spirit yet,
because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Our gospel reading powerfully anticipates the coming of the Holy Spirit, the central theme of Pentecost.
Set in Jerusalem about six months before Jesus’ death, the scene unfolds during the eight-day Feast of Tabernacles. Each day, the high priest poured water from the pool of Siloam onto the temple altar, recalling the water from the rock in the desert (Exodus 17:1-7) and symbolizing a plea for rain and harvest.
As this ritual took place, Isaiah 12:3 was proclaimed, pointing to the Savior and the heavenly gifts he would bring. Ezekiel 47 was also read, which speaks of torrents of water pouring out of the temple: a powerful image of God’s life-giving presence and overflowing blessings.
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed,
Jesus waits until the climactic moment of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the crowds are gathered and most attentive, to make a bold and public proclamation.
The fact that John describes Jesus as exclaiming this message suggests urgency, conviction, and deep longing for the people to hear and respond.
“Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.
Jesus offers an open invitation to all who are spiritually thirsty. This echoes Isaiah’s call: “All you who are thirsty, come to the water!” (Isaiah 55:1).
The only condition is thirst: an awareness of one’s need.
Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.’”
Belief in Christ leads to an interior transformation so profound that the believer becomes a source of life for others.
This is likely an allusion to passages such as Ezekiel 36:25-27 and 47:1-12, which speak of cleansing waters and the Spirit renewing hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.
He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive.
John clarifies that Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit, who would be poured out upon believers after Jesus’ glorification. The “rivers of living water” is the Spirit, who renews, sanctifies, and empowers.
There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Codex Vaticanus and early Latin, Syriac, and Coptic versions of the gospel state “no Spirit yet given.”
This does not mean the Holy Spirit was absent before. The Spirit was active throughout salvation history:
- The Holy Spirit overshadowed the Blessed Virgin at the Annunciation (Luke 1:35),
- Inspired Zechariah’s prophetic song (Luke 1:67),
- Led Simeon to recognize the Messiah (Luke 2:25-27),
- Spoke through the prophets (2 Peter 1:21).
What is new after Jesus’ glorification (that is, his death, resurrection, and ascension) is the fullness of the Spirit’s presence among the faithful: not just upon select individuals, but poured out on all who believe (Acts 2:17).
The sending of the Spirit at Pentecost is an outpouring of such a kind that had never occurred before.
Tonight, at the vigil, we are on the verge of this glorious event. We wait with anticipation.
Connections and Themes
Pentecost. Tonight, we stand on the threshold of fulfillment. Jesus has promised the Holy Spirit — living water that will flow from within, a power not of this world, a presence that transforms. Tonight, the Church waits in longing.
The readings draw us into this anticipation: from the scattering at Babel to the groaning of creation in Romans, from thirsting souls to the promise of rivers of living water in John. Each passage stirs a deeper hunger for the Spirit, building toward the moment when God’s breath will fill the Church anew.
Pentecost is not just the remembrance of a past event; it is the expectant cry of every heart ready to be set ablaze. We wait, not in stillness, but in readiness. The Spirit is coming.
Not by human striving. In our first reading, we see humanity attempting to reach God on their own terms by building a tower — a symbol of prideful self-reliance that ultimately leads to confusion and division. In stark contrast, our gospel reading presents Jesus offering the Holy Spirit as a gift to those who are simply thirsty: a divine life not earned, but freely given. In our second reading, Paul deepens this message, reminding us that even in our weakness and inability to pray as we ought, the Spirit intercedes for us. Pentecost reveals a profound truth: we do not ascend to God by our own strength; rather, he descends to us in love. The life of the Spirit is not the reward for human effort, but the gracious gift poured out upon those who believe.
Rivers of living water. Jesus’ promise in our gospel reading is not that the Spirit will simply descend upon us, as in the Old Covenant, but that rivers of living water will flow from within us. This marks a profound shift: the Holy Spirit is no longer external, resting on prophets or kings for a time, but internal, flowing from the hearts of the faithful. In the New Covenant, we become temples of the Holy Spirit, and his grace overflows from within us into the world.
Sunday Readings 