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Archive for the category “Faith”

01 Aug 2025

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The readings for 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time are a warning for us not to become too attached to worldly goods and temporary pleasures. Detachment from the things of this world and enriching our spiritual lives is really what  need to be doing. In the first Reading – The preacher declares everything meaningless. Working hard only to leave the results to someone else is futile. Life is full of pain and worry, and this is also meaningless. Psalm 90  offers a prayerful response to the fleeting nature of life. The psalmist does not despair but turns to God, asking for wisdom, compassion, and blessing. In the Second Reading  Paul urges the Church to set their hearts on what is above. The letter to the Colossians emphasizes the full sufficiency of Christ. This reading reminds us that our life in Christ is a new reality.

Earthly attachments and sinful habits are part of the old self, which must be left behind. Paul calls the community to live out their baptismal identity in practical ways. This reading shifts the focus from earthly gain to spiritual renewal of oneself and the community. The gospel is the story of the rich man who foolishly stored up his wealth for a future that he thought would be in his own hands instead the future was in the hands  of God.  Luke  tells us the man is foolish for his planning and for believing that he was immune to life’s tragedies. The lesson of this Sundays parable is obvious and it is perhaps as difficult to put into practice.  To be in this world and not of it, to collect the necessary goods of this world by honest labor and yet remain detached from them, to possess but not be possessed by the worldly riches we may have, this is an ideal to which our weak human nature responds very reluctantly. However some Christians, do respond to the challenge. They earn and use the goods of this world for the good and wellbeing of everyone, while at the same time they keep God’s laws and earn spiritual wealth putting their riches into their spiritual bank. Some renounce the right to possess the things of this world, by entering religious life taking on the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Thus they free themselves to devote their whole time and energy to the service of God and neighbor trough living the spiritual life.

Many people own the world’s goods in order to provide for themselves and their families, but, while so doing they never let their temporal possessions come between them and their spiritual life. To do this is not easy, but God’s grace is always available to help the willing heart.  The message of the Jesus is one of hope, and compassion, it is not the achievement of great influence or wealth, it is not the power over others that prove our greatness in gods eyes.  What proves our greatness is the humble service freely given to those who need the help and friendship we offer them . The last sentence of the parable is stark and clear: Do not store up treasure for yourself, but seek to be rich in the sight of God. That means that we “Seek the Kingdom of God. As Christians we know that the values of this world do not last and that they cannot bring true fulfillment. A successful life in God’s eyes is not about storing up material treasure for ourselves  but about being a source of spiritual treasure for others. In this Holy Year of Hope, we are called to renew our trust in God’s wisdom and embrace the path of spiritual generosity. That means that we use our time, talents, and resources to benefit others, knowing that in doing so, we enrich our own lives with real meaning and joy. `

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25 Jul 2025

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

As we continue our journey during the year of Hope we pray for peace in the war torn places in the world. our readings for this Sunday encourage us to pray and ask God for good things and he always answers but not in the ways we might want. In the First Reading God tells Abraham He will check on Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin. Abraham asks God to spare the city if innocent people are found and ten innocent people are found, and God dopes not destroy the city. In the second reading  we are told that In baptism, we were buried and raised with Christ. The reading goes on to say that God forgave our sins, cancelled our debt, and made us alive with Christ by nailing our sins to the Cross.

 In  this Sundays Gospel  one of the disciples, having seen Jesus at prayer, asks him to teach them how to pray. In response to this request Jesus teaches them how to pray in the words of the our Father. He also encourages them to be unwearied in their prayer because the Father who loves them will hear their pleas. My experience of praying to god for something is that we often get the thing that we pray for not when we think we need it but when god knows that we really need it.  The greatest example of prayer that has been passed down to us through the generations is the Mass. Each time we gather as a community of believers to take part in the Mass we reaffirm our belief that God is made incarnate in Jesus his Son. We also bring all our intentions with us and we leave them for god to answer in his own time. Persistence in prayer is a worthwhile exercise because the God we believe in is not some sulky, withdrawn figure who is unmoved by what he hears and sees remember that our God is with us who knows us and gives us what is good. The message of Jesus in the our Father is that our God is one who cares for us as well as concerned about us and those who are close to us.

The most important part of our human life is what we become through faith in the will of God the Father. When things don’t go the way they should, we benefit from our prayers. Think of Jesus in the Garden of Olives. He prayed what was coming his way would not happen. He also added he would abide by God’s will when he said Abba, Father let it be done as you not I would have it. If we continue to look for the will of God we will grow, despite the good and  bad things that come our way we will know that God is for us our  refuge and our strength in all things. As we reflect on the readings this Sunday we are invited to engage in prayer with boldness and trust. Like Abraham, we are encouraged to pray constantly for others, persistently asking God for what is good and just, even if we do not understand why things happen the way they do especially in our world today.  Like the disciples in the Gospel, we are taught to pray with confidence, knowing that our Father will give us what we need for us to live as faithful hope filled children of God.

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19 Jul 2025

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The readings for this Sunday have a focus on hospitality. What are some ways we can provide hospitality for others? Do we only care for their physical needs or do we also take the time to listen to them as St benedict says with the ear of our hearts?  In the First Reading  The Lord appeared to Abraham, who welcomed three visitors with hospitality. One of them promised that Sarah would have a son within a year. In Second Reading  Saint Paul tells the Colossians I suffer for you to share Christ’s afflictions and reveal the mystery of Christ in you, our hope of glory.In our Gospel reading this Sunday we hear all about Martha and Mary. On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus led his entourage into the village to call at  the home of Martha. As the good host, she served them but, her sister, Mary, sat listening to Jesus.

Martha tried to shame Mary into helping with the work but Jesus would have none of it. Instead, he praised Mary’s choice when he said leave her alone for she has chosen the better part.  Martha loved Jesus as much as Mary did, and it is clear that he treasured them both. Her mistake was in not trying to find out how Jesus wanted to be entertained, while visiting her house. Her sister senses that when Jesus comes on a visit the last thing he wants is to have people fussing over how to feed him. So, while Martha makes the greater housekeeping effort, Mary understands better what is expected of her by him. Her contemplative intuition grasps instinctively the real reason for Jesus’ visit.  He is there not to receive but to give, not to be served but to serve. He has something he needs to say and the one thing necessary is to listen to his voice. There is a whole theology of contemplation in this gospel reading, on how to receive the Lord’s visit. It starts off from the basis that, no matter who our visitors may be, there is always something to be learned, something from them. When Jesus comes to us he wants to talk to us in the quiet of the evening or the freshness of the morning, in the quietness of  our hearts and he wants to share with us the Word that brings salvation. He comes to us in the quiet moments not because he needs us but because we need him.

We too can be “distracted with all the serving;” we also “worry and fret about so many things.” As a result of all the worry and wonder we may, like Martha, miss the better part, for all of us the one thing that is necessary, is to listen to the Word of God with the ear of our hearts in the quiet moments of life. let us not be afraid of being like Mary and be attentive to what Jesus is telling each of us today. Let us listen again to what god is saying to us in the quiet and still moments of our lives and we will be surprised by what we hear for we will know that we  have chosen the better part like Mary in the Gospel.

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12 Jul 2025

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday we celebrate the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time. In our First Reading  Moses told the people that God’s commandments are not beyond their reach; they are close and in their hearts, ready to be followed with all their heart and soul. In the Second Reading Christ shows us God, created everything, holds everything together, leads the church, and reconciles all things through his death on the cross. In our Gospel reading Jesus is asked the question ‘who is my neighbor” and this is a good question to ask ourselves in the current situation of Immigration with the resulting opportunities and problems that arise . 

When I was a youngster your neighbors were the people that lived next door to you or those who lived in your street or road they were the families you would go to when you ran out of milk or sugar to borrow some or to share the news about the people and happenings in the area. Sadly this is not the case today as we live in a world where you might not know your neighbour or who they are.  The Gospel story tells us about the Good Samaritan it is a story that all of us are familiar with.  It was the Samaritan who stopped with the man who was lying on the side of the road it was the Samaritan who was moved with compassion to help him. The Priest and the Levite walked on and passed by on the other side of the road because they felt that it was beneath their dignity to help the man when they should have been doing exactly that. Our Gospel story tells us what we should be doing in 2025 to show our love for our neighbors. First, it tells us that we must be willing to help even if others brought trouble on themselves for whatever reason. Second, our concern to help others must be practical. And lastly, our love for others must be as wide and as inclusive as God’s all encompassing love for us.  

We remember that God excludes no one from his love and care. At all times we must be ready to do good to others just as God is good to us we must be good to others. Jesus not only taught God’s way of love, he also showed how far God was willing to go to share in our suffering and to restore our wholeness in life and happiness. Jesus overcame sin, suffering, and death through his victory on the cross on Good Friday. True compassion not only identifies and empathizes with the one who is in pain, it also takes that pain on in order to bring freedom and restoration.  Our world is moving towards ways of doing things that hurt more and more people time after time instead of restoring them. We are in this world so we cannot pretend that it’s got nothing to do with us for it has everything to do with us as we are Christians. In these days with a lot of turmoil and confusion going on around us the words  of the first reading ring in our ears obey the voice of the Lord and we ask ourselves what is the Lord asking us to do? We are being asked to reach out in order to show friendship to our neighbors and those who have come to be our neighbors as migrants from other countries.

At the end of the Gospel Jesus askes the Lawyer Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbor to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him’ the lawyer replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’ And he says exactly the same to us today here and now in 2025, so let us go now and do the same.

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05 Jul 2025

14Th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time invites us to reflect on themes of peace, joy, and discipleship. The readings remind us of God’s blessings, our call to share the Gospel, and the hope we find in Christ and his message. The readings also highlight God’s gift of peace. Jesus tells His disciples to bring peace wherever they go, showing that peace is central to Christian life. This is so necessary for all of us in our very troubled world where so many countries and people are at war with each other. In the First Reading  from Issiah we hear about the joy and comfort that the Lord will bring to his people, using metaphors of a nursing mother, a comforting mother, and a flowing river. The Lord promises to extend peace to his people like a river, and his people will rejoice and be glad, with their hearts flourishing like grass.

In the Second Reading  from Galatians we are told that The cross of Christ is important as the means of salvation and new life for believers. Paul declares that he will boast only in the cross of Christ, which has made him a new creation, and he encourages the Galatians to avoid the false teachers instead urging them to embrace the new creation in Christ. This Sunday’s Gospel tells us about Jesus appointing the 72 others and then sending them out in pairs to the towns he was going to visit. As he gives his missionary instruction Jesus is under no illusion about the territory compared to the wolves roaming around, his own crowds are like lambs. He tells the 72 to lead the radical lifestyle of the wandering preacher who must face homelessness and renunciation of family and property. When they enter a house they should bless it with peace. The Gospel also tells us about the practical things to direct the seventy-two as they proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. Jesus told them to carry no purse, no haversack, and no sandals. Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom and rebuilding community life are two sides of the same coin. One does not exist and cannot make sense without the other there is a clear urgency about the task in hand with urgency in his voice Jesus says, “Start off now”. On their return the disciples were delighted that their mission has actually worked!  

Their joy demonstrates that the people welcome the word of God and that the word of God is their real resource for mission. There will be a time of crisis with the wolves roaming around and currently we seem to be  living in a time of crisis with so many things that are wrong in the world.  Jesus speaks to us to reassure us and tells us to hold on to all that is good. The Gospel, of course, is not about an historical 72 people being sent out. It is about the mission of every disciple of Jesus. Spreading the message of the Gospel is always done by winning over hearts and minds through the example what we say and do. The fullness of life is the message and the mission of Jesus  who empowers us in our time and place to work in his name to build up the kingdom.  Real rejoicing is not to be had in the conversion of great numbers of people, but in knowing that we  have done the will of God. Our mission where we are today  is to proclaim to others the hope that is in the good news of salvation so that the world will believe May our hearts be open to his words! May our hearts direct our minds! And may our minds direct our hands in the work of the Lord as we go forward in faith and hope.

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28 Jun 2025

Saints Peter and Paul

This Sunday June 29 is the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. These were the two men that  God used to spread the gospel and lead the early Church despite terrible persecution. In the Gospels Peter stands our as apostle who most frequently took  the initiative when they were with Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles portray him as the undisputed leader of the early Church, undergoing enormous hardships and fearlessly facing persecution for the sake of Christ. He was a man of action. He spent his last years in Rome, where tradition tells us he was martyred during the persecution of Nero, in 64 0r 65 AD. St Paul who was well versed in rabbinical learning, at first persecuted the Christians, he has a vision of Christ on the road to Damascus which changed his life. After three years in solitary retirement in the dessert of Arabia , he plunged into a life of intense missionary activity, Tradition says that the was martyred in Rome around the year 67.

The Jews of Jesus’ time were not a free people. They lived under harsh Roman occupation. Yet they held fast to the belief that God would send a king to liberate them a Messiah who would overthrow their oppressors and bring justice and peace to the world. They had waited a long time, trusting in God’s promise. But no one knew exactly who the Messiah would be, what he would be like, or when he would come. Many expected a warrior-king who would lead a revolt against the Romans. Others hoped for a religious reformer who would purify the Temple and restore true worship. Some even claimed to be the Messiah, but the Romans quickly eliminated them, and their followers scattered. In the First Reading  from the acts of the apostles  we are told that Herod imprisoned Peter to appease the Jews. With the Church praying fervently for Peter, an angel appeared, shining light into his cell. Unchained, Peter followed the angel past guards, through self-opening gates, to freedom. In the Second Reading we hear that Paul, seeing his end was near, tells us  I’ve run the race, I have kept the faith. A crown of righteousness awaits me. The Lord gave me strength, protection, and he will guide me to His heavenly Kingdom.

In the reading from Matthews gospel  Jesus asks His disciples about the people’s opinions regarding His identity. Simon Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus acknowledges Peter’s revelation, affirming that upon him, whom He calls Peter, to be the rock that he will build His Church on, and the powers of death will not overcome it. Jesus entrusts Peter with the keys of the Kingdom, granting him authority to bind and loose matters on earth and in heaven. Jesus then asks the disciples, “But, who do you say I am?” It is Peter who adds to the title ‘Son of Man’ by recognising Jesus as ‘the Christ, the Son of the living God’. Jesus names Peter as a happy man. This same Peter whose faith faltered when he was buffeted by the wind and waves of change now shows his openness to God and recognises Jesus for who he is. But this is not the end of Peter’s story. There are ups and downs in his response, as we see that in Matthew 16:21-23 when this ‘rock’ of faith becomes a ‘stumbling block’ to God’s purpose.  In spite of that, Jesus names Peter as the ‘rock’ on which he will build the church. Throughout the centuries Peter is our Holy Father the Pope , Peter the fisherman was the first pope and pope Leo is his successor as the living embodiment of Peter the  rock of faith who is called to build up the church in 2025.

Peter and Paul so different in background and temperament each met Jesus and responded in faith to what they heard and saw. Both Peter and Paul show us how to be courageous in sharing our faith. They faced prison, hardship, and death because they loved Jesus and wanted others to know Him. Their courage encourages us to think about how we live our faith. Do we share it with others? Do we trust God when things get hard?  Peter’s job at the beginning of the church is the same  as it  is today for Pope Leo that is to use the ‘keys of the kingdom’ to unlock the reign of God’s grace and send it out into the world. Are we prepared to be his coworkers where we are right now ? This Holy Year is all about hope often times we feel hopeless and helpless when we see all that is going on in the world around us. Our Prayer and support for one another and our faith leaders is always important.  Our hope filled prayer is that we will be courageous like Peter and Paul as we live and share our faith as they did at the beginning of the Church.

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21 Jun 2025

Corpus Christi

As  we gather for the feast of Corpus Christi we remember all those places at war this weekend sadly we add Iran to the list of countries at war. With all that is going on it would be very easy to loose hope or at least be a lot less hopeful that things will improve but I am reminded of the saying that hope springs eternal. Even though things seem to be hopeless for so many we have to continue our prayer for peace and not loose our hope.  Our prayer for peace as well as praying for the leaders of the nations to have the wisdom to do the right thing are indispensable and we have to keep on praying  especially in the current world situation.  

In the First Reading  Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God, brought bread and wine and blessed Abram. Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. In the Second Reading Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper, saying the bread is his body and the cup is the new covenant in his blood, to be done in remembrance of him. In the gospel we hear the story of the feeding of the five thousand. The reading and the feast itself are filled  with the richness of faith. Jesus fills us with nourishing food both spiritual and physical. Then we are sent out to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom to all around us, in doing this we provide spiritual food for others through the Word of God and the Eucharist. The Eucharist  is the sacrament of thanksgiving. When we see the Eucharistic Bread, we believe that it is Jesus who is there before us in the real presence such is our faith in the Blessed Sacrament. The Church tells us that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” (CCC 1324)  

At the Eucharist God sees our hunger and feeds us through Word and Sacrament. Remember, the crowd in our gospel story was first taught, healed and then fed. Their hungers were both spiritual and physical . Now it is our turn, as well-nourished disciples, to find ways to address the physical and spiritual needs of the people we have noticed along the way who may be hungry. These needs can seem overwhelming. But, as with the bread and fish in the gospel story we take what the Lord has given us and give it freely to others. He will do the rest and all will be satisfied. The eucharistic meal is also a promise: one day we will sit at the banquet feast where there will be no more hunger,  no more illness and our satisfaction in God will be complete.  Corpus Christi is the solemn commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist on the first Holy Thursday in the upper room.  It is the Church’s act of homage and thanksgiving to Christ, who by instituting the Holy Eucharist gave us the members of the Church the body of Christ our greatest treasure.

The  feast of Corpus Christi celebrates the enduring sign of Christ’s presence with us personally in the Bread and Wine. It also celebrates Christ’s presence with us in the community of faith where we are. The Eucharist is our sacrament of communion, not only with Christ and God, but also with all those called into the Christian faith. Our communion binds us to one another in a sacred union of mind and heart with Jesus the Son of God our hope in an often times hopeless world.

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14 Jun 2025

TRINITY SUNDAY

One week after the end of the Easter season on the feast of Pentecost we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. The reality of the Holy Trinity is, of course a mystery. But mysteries can be talked about. Mysteries have clues that our minds can grasp. But a mystery remains a mystery unless and until we look at it in its totality. However when it comes to God we simply cannot comprehend the total reality of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Mysteries of one sort or another make up a good portion of our lives. Science has its mysteries, as does philosophy, as does psychology, as do other intellectual disciplines. They all have much within them to challenge our minds and our intellectual capacities. All of them contain unknown things that move us to seek out the answers within the mystery.

The Feast of the Trinity is unique in that the focus of our celebration is not an aspect of the history of salvation, but reflection on the nature of God as it has been revealed to us as Christians. This weekend  we celebrate and reflect on our relationship with God and what our Creator and Redeemer has done for us. The scriptures remind us of our God’s graciousness and we rejoice in the God who has acted so mightily and lovingly on our behalf.  The feast of Holy Trinity goes back to 12th century England and St Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Historians say the great Thomas celebrated a Liturgy in honor of the Trinity in his cathedral. In the 14th century, the feast came to be observed by the universal Church. The first reading this Sunday is from the book of proverbs. Its description of the creation of the world is evidence of Wisdom. God’s wisdom declares it was created first, before the earth and oceans. Present during creation, it rejoiced beside God, delighting in the formation of the world and mankind. This writer sees creation as well put together in a functional manner only a Creator with great wisdom could have done such an intricate, complex, complicated job that creation was. In the second reading from Romans we are told that we are Justified by faith, we are at peace with God through Jesus, and rejoice in hope. Our sufferings produce endurance, character and hope that is  filled with God’s love through the Holy Spirit.

The gospel presents Jesus speaking to the disciples. He spent three years teaching them, demonstrating how to grow in love with one another in their small but ever-expanding community.  The reading  also speaks of the power of presence and the power of the name. Ancient people placed great weight in presence; the way someone dressed and acted spoke of social power. Ancient people also chose names carefully; they believed a person’s name defined their strength of character. Both outward presence and inward character are part of the disciples’ experience. When the followers of Jesus  saw the resurrected Lord and heard his command to go out to  the whole world, they saw for themselves the Trinity in action. The feast of the Holy Trinity invites us to contemplate the mystery of the trinity God the Father Son and Holy Spirit 3 divine persons united as one.  In faith hope and gratitude, let us pray with greater faith and reverence  when we say “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

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07 Jun 2025

PENTECOST SUNDAY

This Sunday  we celebrate the decent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles at Pentecost which heralded the beginning of the apostolic mission to bring the Christian faith  to the world. This gift of the Holy Spirit is the culmination of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The gifting of the Holy Spirit is a continuing event in the life of every believing person and, therefore, in every age of human history. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God with us the enduring way in which Jesus remains present in the Church and in the life of each person.

The readings for Pentecost promise that we are not on our own, but have the Spirit to guide us. The focus for this weekend is how the Holy Spirit empowers us to be disciples.  In the First Reading we hear that during Pentecost, the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke in diverse languages, astonishing a multinational crowd in Jerusalem as each person heard about God’s wonders in their own language.  In the Second Reading we are told  if we live by the Spirit, not the flesh, we will be aligned with God. Christ’s Spirit in us promises life despite our mortal bodies. Led by this Spirit, we are God’s children, heirs with Christ, sharing in his glory through our sufferings. With the feast of Pentecost the seven weeks of  the Easter season have come to an end with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, manifested, given, and communicated as a divine person. “Peace” was John’s prayer for his readers as it is for us as we listen to this gospel reading and our world needs peace more than ever in these days of conflict in many places. Jesus emphasized the importance of obedience to his commandments as a sign of true love for him he also promised the Father would send an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with his followers forever.

This Spirit would teach the apostles and us and remind us all of Jesus’ teachings. Jesus and the Father will dwell with those who adhere to these teachings.  When they saw Jesus their fear turned into great joy, and their Anxiety turned into relief. The lack of spiritual direction turned into a sense of deep spiritual grounding. The divine presence stood close to them and with the divine presence came a great sense of peace of spirit mind and soul. We in our time have the divine presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and it brings Joy and spiritual grounding to all those who come to meet him in the sacramental life of the Church. Gathered for Mass and other liturgies we bring all our concerns to god  in prayer because our prayers  raise our hope in the power of God made real to every generation through the Holy Spirit.  Most of the time the problems in our lives just don’t go away by themselves very often we need to stop and think and pray things through.  If we pray about the problems as well as thinking them through we will find that they are much easier to deal with.  Through the Holy Spirit our relationship with God satisfies the  longings  of our hearts and brings us the deep peace of God which is beyond all understanding.  Because of God’s faithfulness, we give thanks, offer sacrifice, and once again present our needs this Pentecost Sunday as we remember the presence of God who is with us through the happy and sad times that are part of our daily lives as we thank God for his enduring hope filled presence among us.

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31 May 2025

Ascension

This weekend we celebrate the ascension. In this feast we celebrate Christ ascending into heaven and then taking his seat at the right hand of the Father. Our lives are made up of so many different times and places of leave-taking and that is what Ascension is really about Jesus leaving the Apostles to return to the Father. Jesus has called the ragged, group of disciples, scattered after his crucifixion, back to himself to form them, fragile and doubtful as they were, into a community for mission to go out into the world  in the name of God.

The Apostles must have felt awful as  Jesus  was leaving them even though he told them that I am with you yes to the end of time.  In the First Reading  Jesus instructed the apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit the paraclete and then ascended to heaven to the right hand of the father. In the Second Reading : we are told that Christ entered heaven to appear before God for us, sacrificing himself once to remove sin. We are called to  trust and approach God with sincere hearts, holding firmly to the hope that is within us. This Gospel reading is all about the past the present and the future. Jesus has little to say, but he is definite about what he has to say when he speaks. The disciples did what he told them to do. He asked them to meet him on the mountain, and they did that. Like any gathering of people, their feelings were varied. Some of them worshipped him, while some of them still doubted.

Jesus didn’t seem to have any great problem with that, because he knew that, when the Spirit came, all of those doubts would be ended. The redemption and salvation off the world was to begin at Pentecost and continue through the generations, until the end of time. It would seem, that he was in a hurry to take his leave of them, so that his plan for  our salvation could get underway. The mission of the apostles was simple to understand; difficult to carry out. It was to teach others all that Jesus had taught them. Just as he asked his disciples to follow him, they were to ask that others should follow him as well which was so hard then and especially hard in the world of today. Over the years so many things have changed in the Church and society. However two things that have not changed are the person of Jesus himself and his message as they are ever old and always new.

At  Easter and in  the weeks since we have been remembering the great events that have brought salvation to the world as we proclaim that Jesus is alive and  with us where we are in 2025. The feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost help us to realize that we are part of a long tradition of faithful faith filled disciples. All of us have our faults and failings, but our call is to be faithful witnesses to Jesus and what he teaches us. As a result of the actions we take and the things we say the people around us will know that we are followers of Jesus who are called to be the hope filled presence of God in the world today.

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