Ordinary Time Cycle A

The Ascension of The Lord Cycle C

05/21/2022

May 29, 2022

We all know the story of the Ascension.

This, once again, gives us the opportunity to reflect on how we use this event in each of our own lives. How do we apply this event to ourselves?

What meaning does it have for us, today?

Before ascending, Jesus talks to his followers, assuring them that all that has happened to Him, his suffering, his death, his resurrection, has been a part of God's plan of salvation for all.

They are told by Him. shortly before he ascends out of their sight into heaven, that they are to be witnesses to all the things they have experienced.

Jesus promises to send from the Father, the Promise, the Holy Spirit.

That same promise is made to each of us, so that we too, can daily receive the Spirit and become witnesses of the mercy and love of God.

We too, will have to have struggles, disappointments, hardships. But like Jesus, these are all a part of the plan to get us to eternal life.

He writes this letter to the Ephesian converts so that they can have a deeper understanding and insight into the great mercy and love of God.

This letter is also for each of us, individually, so that we come to see, again, how deeply God loves us.

Paul prays that the converted Ephesians may come to be even more enlightened.
That same prayer is for each of us, so that our hearts and our eyes can be enlightened to be able to really understand the great love and mercy that God has for us, time after time.

If we stop and think about it, we really, at times as individuals, and at times as the human race, do not deserve to be given eternal life.

Humanity makes tremendous mistakes, and yet, we are promised the opportunity to have eternal life because of the great love and mercy of God who sent his son to suffer and die for us and all of humanity.

Do we realize that death here on the earth should be the end for each of us, but, in God's great love and mercy for the human race, He has given us the opportunity of one day, at the end of our earthly life, to follow the Ascension of Jesus and to live with God, eternally in great peace.

The only thing that could stop us from receiving or entering into eternal life is ourselves. God has prepared everything, so that we can enter eternal life.

Do we recognize the great gift that God gives us every single day?

We have the opportunity to convert, to ask for forgiveness, to reconcile, and to once again draw closer to eternal life.

We have this opportunity day after day.

In the first reading, the disciples are reminded of all that Jesus had done and how that can now lead each of us to eternal life. In a sense, that same event is repeated for us as we listen to the reading. Every single time we reviewed these readings, we once again are able to be a part of that event of the Ascension of Jesus. We see His great love and mercy time after time.

The disciples, watching the Ascension, are asked, why are they just standing there and just looking up?

What about us today???

That same question is asked of us everyday.

We know what Jesus has called us to, to love, to forgive even to the enemy, but sometimes we just stand there looking up wondering when God will solve the difficulty, the problem, or the situation.

Each of us knows that through our baptism we have been called to act, to make God present and not to just stand there, looking up. We are to make Christ known in the world for all people, friend and foe alike.

Let us ask for the courage to do that, so we too may enter; may one day follow Jesus into His Ascension, into our own eternal life.

Alleluia!

Christ is Risen

Alleluia Christ is truly Risen

Alleluia

.

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Sixth Sunday of Easter Cycle C

05/18/2022

May 26, 2022

Cycle C

Review the Readings

Listen to the Readings

We spend a lot of time during our lives waiting, waiting for..

More money

a new home

a new career

a new car

a better job, etc.

But perhaps all of the above really just indicates we are really just waiting for an inner peace, joy, happiness that will last; which only God can give.

We know that the disciples of Jesus and the apostles at times where waiting to find out if He was the promised one, the Messiah.

The Gospel reading continues with Jesus speaking to the apostles at the Last Supper. He tells them that he will be leaving soon and instead of being saddened by this they should rejoice. It is by his resurrection that they will be justified.

Jesus knows the struggles that they will go through after his death crucifixion and resurrection. And they're waiting to see if all they had heard was true.

Jesus at the Last Supper tells them that He will send them the Spirit.

That same Spirit comes for us everyday.

Are we willing to pray for the Spirit?

Are we willing to wait for the Spirit?

Are we listening for the soft and gentle voice of the Spirit?

Or do we think we know better, or that the ideas of the world know better?

Or we want an answer right now!

The first reading certainly shows us that the Holy Spirit is working.

This reading is about to the first Council at Jerusalem. We need to remember that the first Christians were mostly from the Jewish religion and so those Christians came into the Church with all their Jewish traditions. And as pagans, Gentiles, came into the Church, the question was- should they have to follow the Jewish traditions?

The apostles and the elders were called to the First Council of Jerusalem, to pray for the Holy Spirit, and to make a decision on what should be done.

It's important to remember that those in attendance were mostly those who were of Jewish traditions; they had grown up in Jewish traditions. How would it be possible for pagans coming into Christianity not to followed the Jewish traditions?

Yet we know that the Council decided, that Gentiles coming into the church, did not have to follow the custom of circumcision; that was a big step for the Church.

It certainly showed that Jesus did send the Spirit and He continues to do so even to this day.

At times, we can be like the Jews with our old traditions, and we can find it difficult when there is a suggestion for a change from the old ways.

Are we willing to wait for the Spirit to come and speak to us? That Spirit that wants to show us the journey to eternal peace, a way which the world does not understand at all.

For the past five or six Sundays, we have listen to readings from the Book of Revelation by St. John.

It has given us a description of what each of us is waiting for, eternal life-heaven.True, the language can be confusing, but it does paint a picture of a new world with the Lord. Each of the readings has given us an abstract description of heaven.

We all know that it's impossible to describe our heaven that is waiting for us, but Revelations does give us a picture of a place of holiness and peace. It is something that each of us should be waiting and striving for in our daily lives.

The question we may want to ask ourselves this week is....... Are we journeying and waiting for eternal life, or are we journeying and waiting for the material pleasures of the world today.

What are we waiting for?

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Fifth Sunday of Easter Cycle C

05/12/2022

May 15, 2022

Review the Readings

Listen to the Readings

In this reading Paul is on his first missionary journey that lasted about 2 1/2 years. Paul, with his travel companion Barnabas, had such love for the people and situations they found as they traveled that they were willing to endure it all. Apart from the sea journey, Paul traveled on foot some 600 miles over mountains and difficult terrain. Both endured many difficult situations.

They were so strong in their experience of Jesus Christ that they were willing to put others first so that the people would hear the word of God.

We can find ourselves in a similar situation when we are called to put others first so that they can experience the love of God through us as did Paul and Barnabas.

Are we willing to go out of our way for the other; even for the difficult one?

Do our actions give reason for others to think that God does exists?

St John saw a new heaven and a new earth, the future place where all will be happiness and peace.

We are given a brief view of heaven, a place where we will be free from everything that makes our earthly life difficult.

We should not worry so much as what heaven is like, but does our life reflect the fact that we love God and show it in our daily lives by our words and actions so we will one day experience this new place where all will be made new.

In this reading, which is part of Jesus last discourse to his apostles at the Last Supper, He spells it out....

That's a challenge for each of us as we look at our own lives and see if we love the other as Christ loved us.

We may even discover we only do that when it is convenient, or when we have the time, or when we are in the mood.

That could be the time to pray for our own conversion so that the next time we deal with a difficult person or a difficult situation we can go out of our way for that person.

We have the power to make the love of God present in the world today.

Use that power...

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Fourth Sunday of Easter Cycle C

05/03/2022

May 8, 2022 Cycle C

Review the Readings

Listen to the Readings

Good Shephard Sunday

In the Gospel that we hear today, Jesus is in the temple area talking on the feast of the dedication, the annual commemoration of the restoration of the Temple made by the Maccabees in 165BC.

Perhaps today and the week ahead is a good time to reflect on His words ...

Will we hear His voice in the days ahead???

Or to reflect on...

What voice do we hear when things don't go our way?

In the first reading, St. Paul, along with Barnabas, are on their first missionary trip.
They are rejected by some of the Jews and St. Paul says it's time to turn to the Gentiles, the pagans, the non Jews, who will hear the voice of God.

St. Paul never gives up proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ, mercy and love to all, even to the enemy, and to the ones who do not believe.

St. Paul received his Mission from Jesus Christ when he was knocked off his horse and experienced quite a conversion.

Each of us were called to conversion by Christ at our baptism. We, like Paul and Barnabas, are to make Christ present for others, so that they too can hear the voice of the Lord and follow.

Saint Paul was able to hear the voice of the Lord and to follow, not just when times were easy and good, but also in times that were very difficult and frustrating.

When things are going well for us, how easy it is to follow the Lord or to not even to think about the Lord.

But to hear the voice of the Lord and to follow Him when things are difficult and frustrating seems almost impossible.

But we certainly have the example of St. Paul and other saints who have given witness in times that were easy and times that were a real struggle with doubt and fear. They have shown us that following Christ in good times and bad is the way to eternal life.

In the second reading, we get a picture of what heaven is like, filled with people who have struggled, have been martyred, and are now in heaven, are rejoicing around the lamb, Christ, the one who sacrificed himself, so that all of us have the opportunity to inherit eternal life. Following Christ will mean for each of us times of struggle and difficulty.

This coming week we will all have many opportunities to follow Christ, and to hear his voice.

The question is when times are difficult or stressful will we hear his voice?

Will we follow him even in those times that are difficult; the times we are called to pick up the cross and follow him?

Will we hear his voice?

And if we fail at times, then we have learned even more about ourselves and our own spiritual weaknesses. That is the time, not to give up, but once again to turn to the Lord for forgiveness and to then continue the journey that the Lord has called us to take.