In yesterday’s first reading, we heard St. Peter addressing the Jewish people in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.
This moment takes place just after Pentecost—when the Holy Spirit descended upon the followers of Christ like wind and flame, setting their hearts ablaze with boldness and truth.
Peter’s words, filled with the fire of the Spirit, pierced the hearts of his listeners. They were cut to the core and cried out, “What are we to do?”
Peter’s response is timeless:
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”
— Acts 2:38–39
The promise is made to you and to your children.
This reminded me how easily we can fall into thinking of Scripture—especially the Old Testament—as the story of God and those people, the Israelites. And in a historical sense, that’s true. It is the story of God's covenant with His chosen people.
But Pentecost reveals something more: the promise isn’t confined by time or geography or ancestry. It reaches across continents and centuries, across bloodlines and borders. It’s a promise that extends to us—to those who are “far off,” as Peter says. That’s you. That’s me.
We are not spectators peeking into someone else's story. We are participants. We are the called. We are the children of the promise.
And just like those who heard Peter preach on that first Pentecost, we’re left with a question: What are we going to do about it?