We are a week away from ending this Easter time. The liturgical season of celebration of rejoicing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This Sunday in the readings we again get to hear who Jesus is, who Jesus came to be, and why he came. On this Ascension Sunday we celebrate Jesus, the one who defeated, the one who was victorious over sin and death. His time has come to return to his Father, to rule from the right-hand side of God the Father. This leaving us does not mean he is leaving us forever. It means as he ascends is that his body in this world is leaving to join His Father, to join our Father. Leave this world physically, but for forever be in each and every one of us.
The past couple of weeks of Easter have been a reminder of who Jesus is, why he came, and how we are to believe now that we have gotten to know him in this world. Today in the second reading we are told how Jesus will stay alive with and in us. How we as believers are called to believe. Not just in words, but through our actions. Doing so through the way we live. In Love, to maintain that love Jesus Christ leaves us with all the tools, blessings, and graces to be able to do so. The sacraments like reconciliation to care for our relationship with God and knowing that in this world we will fall, but God is there with open arms for us to reunite with him. The Eucharist as nourishment of that same sacrificial lamb to fill us with love and grace to continue the Christian mission. Coming to Mass knowing we are one in communion and uniting with our brothers and sisters around the altar to be nourished. We are also reminded of our relationship with God himself and with one another to be able to live out as faithful people. To be able to love the way God who created us loves us. To love sacrificially the way Jesus did when on earth to forgive our sins and free us from death. To one day all be able to rejoice in the heavens because of our free will, the grace of God, and his continuous never-ending love for us. We will one day be reunited with the ascended Christ and all those who believe in words and actions. Sixth Sunday of Easter
Oblate James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB Executive Director This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. This Sunday's Gospel makes it simple for us. Jesus gave us two Great Commandments: to love God and love one another. In His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Jesus showed us the love of God. How do we repay God for the immense gift given to us? Simple. We love God by loving one another. We love God when we pray for one another, when we serve one another, when we accompany one another, and return all of the ways God loves us to others. Unfortunately, you don't have to look far to see the hate that exists around us. The things that are not of God: war, cancel and throwaway culture, racism, sexist, hatred towards the LGBTQ+ community, and more. Is any of that how God shows us love? Is any of that what Jesus sacrificed Himself for? If you even have to think about it, you need to think about why your answer isn't "of course not." No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. In this Gospel, Jesus reminds His followers that He calls them friends. He reminds us how important it is to be willing to die for one another. As extreme as this may seem and is, it is part of our call. Are we willing to follow Jesus and give of ourselves to the extent He was willing to give of Himself, which was His own life? It is powerful. How much are we willing to give of ourselves for not only our friends, but for all? As we begin to think about the close of another Easter Season, what have we learned? What will we hold on to that will help send us forth at Pentecost? I think starting with realizing the immense love of Jesus and how we are called to live in that love is a good start. If we remain in Him, we remain in His love and are intended to show that love to others. |
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