May 17, 2015
7th Sunday of Easter
Can we imagine being buried under rubble after an earthquake to be rescued days later? Can we imagine searching, digging for a missing relative beyond hope and finding that loved one alive? I am speaking of the earthquake in Nepal but also of the experience of the disciples after the death of Jesus on the cross. St. Matthew speaks of an earthquake occurring. The fellowship they enjoy collapses as they flee in terror. But then, Jesus crucified, appears as the Risen Lord. We see/hear in our readings today, the Sunday after the Ascension of the Lord, how the disciples come together after the trauma/quake of death and resurrection of Jesus. In the Book of Acts, Peter assumes the role of good shepherd. He strengthens the brothers and sisters. Lots are cast and Matthias replaces the betrayer Judas. When we find ourselves in chaos there is a need for ordering. We are entrusted with the office of “Holy Orders.†As disciples we ask: “What must we do to hold together in unity and carry on without (and with) Jesus?†In the 2nd reading, a letter of St. John, we rediscover the fundamental truth that we are loved by God and called to remain in God’s love. St. Julian of Norwich, an English woman and mystic, writes: “The greatest honor we can give almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love.†Finally in the Gospel according to St. John, we are humbled to know that Jesus, before he died, prayed for us! The “world†can be a hostile and evil place. Yet at the same time the “world†is the focus of God’s love. “For God so loved the world that he gave us his only son that whoever believes in him may not perish but come to eternal life.†Jesus sends us into the world to give witness to this truth and to love. Pope Francis reminds us that as church we are not a fortress nor a royal palace but a field hospital. In the Acts of the Apostles, after Jesus ascends into the heavens, two angelic messengers rebuke “the men of Galilee†for looking up into the sky. They return to Jerusalem, with women disciples including Mary of Nazareth, to pray for the Holy Spirit. May the Spirit be given to us to renew our faith, to remain in God’s love and to give witness to the truth i.e. Jesus Christ.
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Ascension of the Lord
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Pentecost
