Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Monday, May 30, 2022
Sunday, May 29, 2022
SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD, May 29, 2022
(Acts 1,1-11; Ephesians 1,17-23; Luke 24:46-53)
The Solemnity of the Ascension was always celebrated on the
Thursday of the sixth week of Easter. But in the 1960s Rome allowed for a
change of day. Instead of Thursday, it could be held the following Sunday. Of
course, the pope knew that St. Luke specifies the fortieth day. But he was probably
thinking of the workers who couldn't make it to Mass during the week. He wanted
them to participate in this great feast.
Along with the Resurrection and Pentecost, the Ascension
reveals God's plan for human salvation. It recognizes how the Risen One has ascended
to the highest place in heaven as the second reading says. There with his glorified
body he has established a physical place as our ultimate destination. There,
too, Christ asks the Father to send the Spirit to enable us to reach our goal.
Fortified with the Spirit we can bear witness to Jesus in this often hostile
world. Both the reading from the Acts of the Apostles and the gospel attest to
this mission.
In the first reading the disciples continue to gaze upwards
after Jesus’ ascension. The scene represents one of at least four ways to live
the Christian life. In this way we continue looking at the sky, that is, doing
nothing more than waiting for the return of the Lord. We don't care about
mission he left us. We are happy to join in the mass on Sunday and in the
gossip on Monday. As if we were wearing raincoats to protect our spirit, we do
not allow the gospel to penetrate our daily lives.
Another way to live faith is to do the opposite. Instead of
being idle, we are overly ambitious. We want to see quick changes. We may focus
on remodeling the church sanctuary. Or maybe we want to start a food bank for
the poor. It all sounds good, but if we don't orient ourselves with prayer, our
efforts may be in vain. Prayer not only asks for the Lord's help but also
discerns his will. For this reason the disciples in the reading do not go out preaching
immediately. No, they pray first so that they receive the Holy Spirit.
The third way to live the faith is not anticipated in the
readings. However, it is prominent in today's world. For those who follow this
way the disciples do not look at Jesus ascending to heaven. To them the
Ascension has become just a myth to explain the whereabouts of the body of
Jesus. They also do not believe in the resurrection from the dead and in the
Holy Spirit. There are many today who call themselves "Catholic" but
do not accept the tenets of the faith. They claim religion as a storeroom of
customs to mark the stages of life. They
come to church to celebrate one’s birth, childhood, coming of age, marriage and
death.
Saint Luke wants the fourth way for Theophilus, and the
angels recommend it for the disciples. Hopefully, it is also what drives us
forward! In this way to live Christian life we prepare ourselves with prayer
for the mission of proclaiming the gospel. We also retreat to determine what
the needs are and what we can do. Then we out our plan in action. Recently the
Knights of Columbus have given a striking example. With the invasion of the
Ukraine, the knights joined with the rest of the world to pray for peace with
justice. They then collected resources to establish “Mercy Centers” on the
Polish-Ukrainian border. There they have welcomed the refugees from the war.
They provide them not only shelter from hostility but also food and clothing to
survive.
We have described four ways to live the Christian life. There are others as there are many roads in a city. But all do not take us to the same place. We want to take those who place us next to Jesus. In one way or another these paths pass through prayer and mission. If our ultimate destination is where Jesus is, our path is prayer and mission.
Friday, May 27, 2022
Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Someone you love is diagnosed with an inoperable brain
tumor. She will be dead most probably
within a year, perhaps a little more.
There is no long-term prognosis.
You begin the excruciating ordeal of saying, “Good-bye.” This is the situation of the disciples which the
Lord addresses in today’s gospel.
Jesus anticipates the pain his disciples will feel. He compares it to the labor a woman endures when she gives birth. Its sharpness will take their breath away. Its duration will stick in their memory like a knife in wood. But seeing Jesus in the resurrection will be like hearing the cries of new life. Immediately pain’s grip will be released, and exultation will overwhelm lingering discomfort. The disciples’ desires will then be purified so that their every wish may be granted. Understanding of all that has gone on, capacity to share their ecstasy with others, wisdom to never doubt again will be theirs.
We naturally do not want to suffer. But we accept pain and even embrace it at times as necessary to reach heightened awareness. Indeed, suffering may bring us a whole new kind of life. We should see the pain of death as taking us closer to the Lord. It should make us ever reliant on Him. In death’s completion, we will see His goodness face to face. This joy will far surpass any wonder of this world.
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, priest
(Acts
18:1-8; John 16:16-20)
In today’s
gospel Jesus anticipates the joy of the resurrection. He tells his disciples that they will rejoice
when he is raised from the dead. Their joy,
however, will come only after great sorrow.
They will experience terrible distressed at his death. Nevertheless, their joy will surpass their
suffering. As will be heard in tomorrow’s
gospel, it will be like the mother’s joy after giving birth.
Today the
Church celebrates an apostle of joy.
Philip Neri radiated the joy of salvation in Jesus Christ. He instinctively knew that a joyful spirit is
more Christian than a melancholy one. His
joy attracted many people to himself as well as the Church. Living in Rome, he was consulted by popes,
cardinals, rulers, and ordinary people.
We must
admit that sometimes it is difficult to feel joy. We may be afflicted by grave problems
personally or collectively. Who could
blame us for feeling sad about the senseless murder of innocent people in
Buffalo recently? Nevertheless, we must
recognize that Christ has conquered sin and death. Whatever sorrow we feel at a given moment
should turn into a more durable joy.
Jesus’ resurrection is more than a passing triumph. It is final victory.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Memorial
of Saint Bede the Venerable, priest and doctor of the Church
(Acts
17:15.22-18:1; John 16:12-15)
Today the
Church remembers three saints although it does not require the celebration of
any. St. Bede the Venerable, the most
well-known, was an eighth century Englishman.
He is famous for having compiled a history of the Church in
England. The work contains critical
scholarship of the early Church and of Roman England. St. Gregory VII reformed the Church reformer as
papal assistant and as pope. He is
famous for having excommunicated Henry IV, the Holy Roman Empire, for meddling
in Church affairs. St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi lived in sixteenth century
Florence. She was a Carmelite mystic admired
for her penitential spirit.
In today’s
gospel Jesus tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will guide them to all
truth. He comes in various ways like the
Scriptures and the sacraments. He is also
evidenced in the lives of people like today’s celebrated saints. There he reassures us of the Church’s
holiness despite waves of corruption.
The Spirit makes clear that lives dedicated to God are not miserable and
much less lived in vain.
We should
remember our vocation is to be saints like Bede, Gregory, and Mary Magdalene d’
Pazzi. We may not be scholars like St.
Bede, but we can be thoughtful. We may
not be reformers like Gregory, but we can promote Christian values in daily
actions. We may not be mystics like Mary
Magdalene d’ Pazzi, but we can pray fervently every day.