Sunday, May 28, 2017

May 28 - 7th Sunday of Easter

Seventh Sunday of Easter – May 28, 2014
I –All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer.
R –I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
II – If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you.
A – I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord. I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice.
G –Father, glorify your Son.

+ On Thursday we celebrated the glorification of the Son by the Father as Jesus ascended on a cloud and took his place in the beatific holiness, glory and majesty that radiates always from the Father – the Church calls this “sitting at the right hand of God!”  The “divine giant” had completely run His course here belowfinishing the work he was given to do. And now he experiences a glorious triumph: the fullness of joy at his Father’s side – forever.

The reason for the heights of his great joy was the depths of His great Passion and ignominious death on a cross. But he is exceedingly joyful now that we can share in the merits of his suffering, death and resurrection, thus promising that what happened to him will also happen to us. His death is our death; his resurrection is our coming to life! Therefore, Jesus is our HOPE extraordinaire!

Today in the gospel passage Jesus prays for the apostles he would send out on the feast of Pentecost (which we will celebrate next Sunday) that they may be armed with heavenly wisdom, the gift of revelation and every spiritual gift necessary to launch the Church he founded into the world, for the ages it would be needed to sanctify men and ready them for the fullness of joy and peace that awaits all who believe in His Divinity!

It would not be easy to be a part of the Church of Jesus, because the Church was conceived as the result of a death and resurrection dynamic which all members are required to participate in in order to reap the benefits thereof: but the benefits are even beyond our imagining, therefore all the work, all the suffering, all the misery that are a part of human life are worth it for the baptized and confirmed Catholic Christian.

After Jesus ascension, we read in the acts of the Apostles that the Eleven went to Jerusalem to the Upper Room and tried to remember all that Jesus ever said and did – including that truly awesome last supper that he ate with them. And they did what they were told to do; with Mary, Jesus’ Mother, they spent time in great silence and great prayer awaiting the coming of the promised Gift of the Spirit that Jesus and his Father would be sending soon!

Perhaps this is how we can spend this coming week, before we celebrate that great event and the inauguration of the Church as we know it – in more of a silent mode, opening our minds and hearts to any spiritual gift that God would give us to help us better live our own Christian lives, and to help others live theirs, even bringing his Name and his message to those who do not yet really know him!

And, we must always remember Jesus words just before he left us: I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice!

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