ASCENSION OF THE LORD Cycle "A"

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD, CYCLE A MATTHEW 28:16-20 Friends, today we celebrate the wonderful feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the journey of the risen Christ into heaven. Now can we even begin to make sense of this in the early twenty-first century? Doesn’t this all sound rather pre-scientific and mythological? Jesus going up to heaven in an embodied state? And what does any of this have to do with us? Why should we bother with such a peculiar event? The prayer of Jesus is that the earth will be filled with the glory of God, that it will be transformed and elevated according to God’s purposes. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the beginning of this process. It signals that the great revolution by which God becomes the ruler of earth has commenced. And the Ascension carries that revolution to a new pitch. It’s the coming together of earth and heaven. We see this “coming together” throughout the Church’s life, in good preaching, in great Christian art, in the singing at liturgy, in the architecture of our cathedrals and churches, in the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Heaven meets earth and earth meets heaven, and that’s what the Ascension finally achieves.

                     

HOLY SPIRIT SERMON

Sermon on the Holy Spirit

It is said that a certain guide lived in the desert of Arabia who never lost his way. He carried with him a homing pigeon with a very fine cord attached to one of its legs. When in doubt as to which path to take, he flushed the bird into the air. The pigeon quickly strained at the cord to fly in the direction of home and thus led the guide accurately to his destination. Because of this unique practice, he was known as the “dove man.” So, too, the Holy Spirit, the heavenly dove, is willing and able to direct us in the strait and narrow way that leads us to the more abundant life, if in humble self-denial we submit to his unerring supervision. Then we shall be men and women of the Pentecost.

Let us focus on our Lord Jesus. When Jesus was baptised in the Jordan and the Spirit descended on him in the visible form a dove, it wasn’t a piece of advertisement or comic routine; but serious business. Because immediately after the baptism, Jesus submitted to the Spirit who drove him into the desert as a prelude to his mission. The body of Jesus was instinct with the Spirit, such that whenever he exhaled he breathed out the Spirit. You will recall how after his Resurrection he breathed on his disciples, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit; those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.” That was the Spirit of pardon and reconcilement.  Jesus clearly told his disciples, “The Spirit blows where he wills. There’s no telling where he will blow you.”  After Pentecost day the Apostles were dispersed on the wings of the Spirit to the fours corners of the earth on the mission evangelisation.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who animates the Holy Catholic Church and Communion of Saints. We believe in the Holy Spirit who brings about the forgiveness of sins, and accomplishes the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

If any outsider declares that the Catholic Church is packed with fools and charlatans, we can assure him that there’s room for one more. How the Church has survived despite its fractious factions when the Roman and British empires have collapsed; how the Church has survived, what with all its troubles within and problems without can only be answered by the last paragraph of the Apostles’ Creed which we recite every Sunday: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,” or, more correctly, “I believe in the Holy Spirit who animates the Church, who builds and sustains the Catholic Church, who preserves the communion of saints, who operates the forgiveness of sins, who brings about the resurrection of the dead and honours the pledge of life everlasting.” St. Paul states openly that the divine Spirit dwells in the human body. He is like blood that pervades every millimetre of the body. The Church is the Body of Christ, and the Spirit is its soul. And since the soul has not left the body, how can the body fall apart and corrupt? Today’s feast tells us that the Holy Spirit continues to be present in the church. And, let me add, that presence is a loving presence. Presence without love is as destructive as love without presence.

Apart from baptism, the sacrament of confirmation signals the abandonment and submission to the power of the Spirit; it signals the empowerment that results from the Spirit’s presence. The person who abandons herself to the sway and power of the Holy Spirit is led to live according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh. The people who are empowered by life in the Spirit are known by the fruits they bear. Their lives are fragrant with peace, patience, kindness, long-suffering, gentleness, truthfulness, single-hearted love of God and neighbour. The absence of the Spirit is evident by sentiments of hatred, jealousy, envy, greed, lust and despair. With the Holy Spirit in our heart we are sure where our preferences lie.

Take the case of St. Peter. The Spirit would push Peter to Rome to preach the Word and to die for it. That was the best thing that happened to him since it came from deeper and more mature spontaneity, the type of spontaneity that makes you rush to the rescue of children screaming in a burning building or a train crash or bomb blast, the mature spontaneity that makes you speak in defence of someone unjustly treated, to open your heart to a poor person.

That’s the Spirit (with a capital “S”). When we let the Spirit take over our lives, the best is yet to happen.

The famous Protestant charismatic preacher, Rev. Moody, once said, “You might as well try to hear without ears or breathe without lungs, as try to live a Christian life without the Spirit of God.”

A little girl was visiting her grandmother in a small country town in southern United States. Grandmother took the girl to a highly charged Pentecostal function. The people got all worked up and expressed their feelings by jumping about and shouting. It was another of those “Holy Roller” services. The little girl asked her grandmother if all that leaping meant that the Holy Spirit was really present. Her grandmother said, “Honey, it doesn’t matter how high they jump; it’s what they do when they come down that will tell you if it is the real thing.” My comment is that it would be good if we were a little more enthusiastic about our faith, but what matters is what we do in everyday life. Does the Holy Spirit have a practical effect on our daily life, and in what way? As someone put it, “We do not need more of the Spirit. Rather, the Spirit needs more of us.”

“Receive the Holy Spirit; those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven” (John 20, 22). That was the Spirit of pardon and reconcilement. After Jesus assigns to the disciples (and to all of us) the ministry of making his love present in the world, he offers the strength to carry out such a difficult task: “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ (John 20, 22). This is like a new creation scene in which Jesus enlivens and empowers his followers much as the creator breathed life into the first human being (Gen 2, 7). Then Jesus singles out what is clearly the very first duty of his followers: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (20,23). This can only mean that one of the primary effects of true Christian love is the willingness to forgive others who may have hurt us in any way. This is an awesome responsibility and it cannot be restricted simply to the sacrament of reconciliation. Every one of us is offered the help of the Holy Spirit so that we may have the courage to forgive and if we do not do so, in some very real and tragic sense the healing will be thwarted.

Sometimes I think that the only question that will be asked at the last judgement will be, quite simply, Did you let my people go? In other words, was the overall effect of your presence in the world to liberate or to hold in bondage? Were you a Moses, friend of God, or a pharaoh, holding others in slavery? Forgiveness can be very difficult, but that is precisely why Jesus sends his powerful Spirit to assist us.

Jesus clearly told his disciples, “The Spirit blows where it wills. There’s no telling where it will blow you.”  Jesus told Peter, “When you were young, you clad your belt and went where you pleased. But when you are old (i.e. matured in the Spirit) somebody else will clad you and take you where you do not wish to go.” You might also remember that decisive turning point in the life of Peter. He was in Rome in the year 52, but the antichristian persecution was getting too hot for him there. So he struck out for home and country back in Palestine, accompanied by a little servant boy. But on the way, on the Appian Way, to be exact, he was intercepted by Jesus who appeared to him. Peter was shocked to see the Lord and asked him that famous question: “Quo vadis, Domine?” (“Where are you headed, Lord?) And suddenly the little boy began speaking, “My brethren in Rome need me.” The vision was over, the Spirit had spoken, and Peter made an about turn, double-timing it back to Rome where he was crucified upside-down.

Living a spiritual life is living a life in which our spirits and Spirit of God bear a joint witness that we belong to God as his beloved children. This witness involves every aspect of our lives: “Whatever you eat, then, or drink, and whatever else you do, do it all for the glory of God”, says St. Paul (Rom 10, 31). Wherever we go and whomever we meet, God’s Spirit will manifest himself through us. We may occasionally need to speak up in defence of God, even enlighten someone about Jesus Christ, as long as it doesn’t create divisions. But the way that the Holy Spirit manifests himself most convincingly is through the fruit: “love, joy, peace, endurance, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5, 22). These fruits speak for themselves. Circle the odd one out. Joy is the odd one out. Why? The other items, like love, peace, goodness, are virtues requiring strength and application, to have and to develop, especially self-control. But joy seems to come and go by itself. I feel it or I don’t. I feel good when I do and sad when I do not. It’s like the difference between good cool weather and physical fitness. I can’t produce cool weather but I can work towards physical fitness by proper dieting and exercise. “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet !” Patience and self control fall into the gymnasium variety; joy is like the weather. We cannot earn it or acquire it, though we can pray for it since we know that God and the saints are in the fullness of joy. And we can prepare ourselves to work together with God’s generosity in the power of the Holy Spirit precisely by making other people happy.

Happiness is the result of spiritual health, not material wealth. Material wealth certainly can be a positive factor of security for our children and ourselves. But by working for our spiritual health we can acquire a deeper foundation for inner security. A happy person is not a person in a given set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes. You can get out of bed ready to make the day an adventure. Or you can drag yourself out of bed dreading the hours ahead. You can get up early enough to have the time to relax with a healthful breakfast. Or you can stay in bed as long as possible and rush to work, mind and body all tense, and thoughts all scrambled from hurrying. Your attitudes help create your circumstances; they make you either a happy or unhappy person, to overcome problems or go under them. You can rise from sleep and declare, “Good Lord, another day!” or you can say: “Good day, Lord”, or “Another good day, Lord.”

Among the saints who are identified with joy or mirth is St. Thomas More of England. Thomas More was condemned to death by a perverse and petulant King Henry VIII. But the death sentence did not dampen his gaiety. During his last days, while in prison and suffering from his old disease in the chest - gravel, stone and the cramps - he habitually joked with his family and friends, whenever they were permitted to see him, as merrily as in the old days of Chelsea when he was Lord Chancellor. When it came time for him to ascend the executioner’s scaffold, it was discovered that the structure was so weak that it appeared ready to collapse. Turning to the man assisting him, Thomas More remarked, “I pray you, I pray you, Mr. Lieutenant, see me safe up, and as for coming down, let me shift for myself.” After kneeling and saying prayers, he turned to the executioner and, with a cheerful countenance spoke to him: “Pluck up thy spirits, man, and be not afraid to do thine office. My neck is very short. Take heed, therefore, thou strike not awry for saving thine honour.” As he placed his head on the block, he shifted his prison grown beard aside saying, “This has committed no crime.” May I remind you, dear friends, that under his finery as Lord Chancellor, St. Thomas More always wore a hair shirt and prayed five hours a day.

Focusing on the coming great feast, we recall that our dear Lord Jesus has poured into our hearts the Spirit of the promise. May we be open to his joy, strength and consolation.

We believe in the Holy Spirit who animates the Holy Catholic Church, who brings about the forgiveness of sins,

and accomplishes the resurrection and life everlasting.

PRAYER: (Hildegaard of Bingen, 1098 – 1179)

Holy Spirit, the life that gives life,

You are the cause of all movement,

You are the breath of all creatures,

You are the salve that purifies all souls,

You are the ointment that heals all wounds,

You are the fire that warms our hearts,

You are the light that guides our feet.

Let the world praise you.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Holy Spirit of God,                                                                                                 Come into my heart and fill me:                                                                                        I open the window of my soul to let you in.                                                                 I surrender my whole life to you.                                                                            Come and possess me, fill me with light and truth.                                                    I offer to you the one thing I really possess –                                                                      My capacity of being filled by you.                                                                               Of myself I am an empty vessel.                                                                                  Fill me so that I may live the life of the Spirit,                                                         The life of Truth and Goodness,                                                                                          The life of Beauty and Love,                                                                                                  The life of Wisdom and Strength.                                                                              But, above all, make Christ to be formed in me,                                                               That I may dethrone self in my heart and make him King,                                                                                  So that he is in me, and I in him,                                                                                     Today and forever. Amen

JOHN 16:12-15 Friends, the theme of today’s Gospel declares that when the Spirit comes, he will guide us into all truth. There is a story I’ve heard about Jean-Luc Marion that, if it isn’t true, should be. In the midst of his lively lecture on Descartes, a student asked a pointed question about God. Marion looked at her and said, “Go to Sunday Mass for a year and then return and ask me that question again.” Marion’s response was not just a clever one-liner. If true knowledge of God depends upon immersion in the Holy Spirit, then that knowledge is a function of an entire form of life, involving prayer, self-denial, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and the forgiveness of one’s enemies. We don’t so much think our way to an understanding of God; we live our way to it. Thomas Aquinas always said that he owed his theology far more to the persistence of his prayer than to the acuity of his mind. His penetration of the divine mystery flowed from his life in the Holy Spirit. And so today we pray, “Come, Holy Spirit, come!”

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

Meek ≠ Weak

In the third beatitude, meek does not mean weak. Meekness is better understood as virtuous gentleness. A strong person is free to be gentle if he chooses. The weak person has to be gentle or the violent man will throttle him!

Meek means gentle, humbly patient, docile, or submissive. The opposite of meek is violently strong. Christ is saying something paradoxical, because ordinarily the strong, not the weak, get the good stuff on earth. But in the end, the gentle, not the cruel, will win Christ.

What Will the Meek Inherit?

What is the “earth” that will be inherited? Jesus’ Jewish listeners understood it to mean the land of Israel (Ps. 37:11).

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look well at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall possess the land,
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. (Ps 37: 10-11)

For us Christians, “earth” means heaven. As we just heard Our Lord’s say to Pilate in the reading of the Passion, “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn 18:36).

A Portrait of Christ

Something to remember about the Beatitudes is that they are miniature portraits of Christ. Remember what he said about himself and meekness?

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mt. 11:28-30)

Christ describes himself as “gentle and humble of heart.” Christ epitomizes virtuous gentleness.

Though he is God, he took the form of slave, even washing the feet of his apostles at the Last Supper. His meekness is evident in his wanting our friendship: “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (Jn 15:14).

One of the all-powerful Trinity’s greatest acts of meekness was in creating the universe. God decided to share his beatitude with beings he would create who were infinitely inferior to him, yet he would allow them to decide if they would do what he wanted, which was to love one another and him.

Christ especially showed his meekness on the cross when people hurled abuse at him and demanded he show his power.

Meekness and the Follower of Christ

Meekness is the humility, gentleness, and obedience proper to a disciple of Christ. Spiritual power requires a kind, humble heart that is eager to serve others and bring them to Christ.

With a quiet strength, the meek disciple endures sufferings, disappointments, and insults. He or she responds to provocation with humility, love, and forgiveness. If all men were meek, would the fifth commandment, condemning murder and hatred, even be necessary?

This indicates how we live Christian meekness toward others.

We return love for hatred and blessings and prayers for curses. One thing we do not do is violently impose our faith on others. Spreading the faith through the sword is not Christ’s way. The early Church conquered the powerful Roman Empire through non-violent means and we will re-evangelize our society in the same way.

Blessed Are the Meek

We have every reason to be meek. We did not bring ourselves into existence. Every good we have is a gift, either directly from God, or indirectly by means of those who came before us. We cannot prevent our own deaths. We cannot raise ourselves from the dead and give ourselves the gift of eternal life with God. But God can.

So this third Beatitude pertains mainly to the theological virtue of hope. We trust that God will keep his promises to us: to give us eternal life. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit heaven.

WORLD COMMUNICATION DAY 2017

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE 51st WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY «Fear not, for I am with you» (Is 43:5): Communicating Hope and Trust in our Time Access to today’s media makes it possible for countless people to spread news - good or bad, true or false - instantly. I wish to address all those who are daily sending out information. I encourage everyone to engage in constructive communication, and help us to view the world with realism and trust. For this we have to break the vicious cycle of anxiety and stop the fear resulting from our focus on “bad news”. Let all of us work at overcoming discontent and the resignation that evil has no limits. In Communications Industry which thinks that good news does not sell, and where human suffering is turned into entertainment, there is always the temptation for pessimism. I would encourage the search for creative communication that concentrates on solutions for a positive attitude towards life and offers “good news” to our people. Good news Life is a story waiting to be told and everything depends on the lens we use to look at things. For us Christians, that lens can only be the good news, “the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” It is good news not because it has nothing to do with suffering, but rather because suffering is an integral part of Jesus’ love for the Father and for all mankind. Through Christ, God has told us that we are not alone. Through Christ, hope is born, for everyone, where God’s love is poured into our hearts and makes new life blossom. Every new tragedy in world history can become a setting for good news - to build anew. Confidence in the seed of the Kingdom Jesus frequently compares the Kingdom of God to a seed that releases its potential for life precisely when it falls to the ground and dies. In that life, hardship and the cross of weakness and failure do not obstruct, but bring about God’s salvation. This is how hope in the Kingdom of God, silently takes root like a seed, matures and deepens in our hearts. Those to whom the Holy Spirit grants keen vision, can see it blossom. The horizons of the Spirit Jesus is our hope, our Good News. By the power of the Holy Spirit we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new humanity. Confidence in the seed of God’s Kingdom and in the mystery of Easter enables us to communicate with the conviction that it is possible to highlight the good news in every story and in each person. Those who entrust themselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, realize how God is present in every moment of our lives, to write the history of salvation. Hope is the thread with which this sacred history is woven, and the Holy Spirit, is the weaver. We nurture this hope by reading the Gospel. Today too, the Spirit continues to act by opening new avenues of confidence and hope. From the Vatican, 24 January 2017

JESUS UNDERSTANDS OUR WEAKNESS

JESUS UNDERSTANDS OUR WEAKNESS

Hebrews 4:14-16

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (NIVUK)

Jesus is our Great High Priest. The picture is of the Old Testament priest who was selected each year to offer the annual sacrifice to atone for the sins of the nation: He then went alone through the heavy curtain into the most holy place to meet with God (Leviticus 16:1-34). Jesus is both the sacrifice and also the Great High Priest. He offered Himself as the once-forever substitute-sacrifice for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21), going alone with His own blood into the presence of Father God (Hebrews 9:12; 13:12). The cross, resurrection and ascension, which the apostles witnessed, was evidence that our sins are finally atoned for (Romans 3:25). Therefore, we can have great confidence to keep on trusting Jesus, and not turn back. Our Great High Priest is not remote or mechanically acting out a ceremonial role. He knows us each intimately and has personally experienced every human testing, even though He always resisted the temptation to move against His Father’s will (Luke 22:42). He fully understands our weakness: He knows what it feels like. He has great compassion for us as we suffer under evil, and experience extreme pressures in our bodies, minds and spirits (1 John 3:20). He has been there and He cares deeply for us. Therefore, instead of running away from Him in shame because we have failed, fallen short of perfection, transgressed into forbidden territory - sinned in a thousand different ways – we must come close to Him (Matthew 11:28). His throne is full of grace and mercy: we do not deserve His love, forgiveness or acceptance but we certainly need them all. Nobody else would want to welcome weak, fallen sinners like us; and nobody else can (Titus 3:4-7). But He does, because He loves us and wants to make us right with God; and to provide what we need to take the next steps of our journey towards heaven. This world does not reward failure, nor does God: but through the blood of Jesus, God will forgive it. It is natural to want to hide from God's holiness (Matthew 25:41), but Jesus urges us to come to Him to be made righteous (1 Corinthians 6:10-11). Although we are rightly ashamed of our sin, as we come to Him we find mercy (1 John 1:9): anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11). There is no other safe route for sinners, except by trusting in Jesus and holding firmly to Him who has taken our sins and mediates for us with Father God (1 Timothy 2:5). When we are tempted to give up, He gives us grace to go on. When we have nothing, He gives us enough for the next step and then surprises us with goodness we do not deserve. So, don't let go of Lord Jesus; He is your only hope (Hebrews 10:19-23).

Gracious God. Thank You for sending Jesus to live a human's life, become the sacrifice for my sins and be the Great High Priest to present His own blood to You, atoning for my sins. Forgive me Lord for ever wanting to hide from You, to run away or to seek a Saviour who can never forgive me or make me right with You. I repent of my sins and ask that You will please cleanse me. Help me to keep on trusting You, holding firmly to the truth of the gospel and staying close to Jesus. In His Name. Amen.

GOD'S "REST" DEMANDS ONG0ING FAITH

GOD'S 'REST' DEMANDS ONGOING FAITH

Hebrews 4:3-5

Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, 'So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."' And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: 'On the seventh day God rested from all his works.'And again in the passage above he says, 'They shall never enter my rest.' (NIVUK)

God took His people out of Egypt to give them His peace and 'rest' from their enemies (Deuteronomy 12:10). But the 600,000 men aged 20 and over (Exodus 12:37) never arrived: they perished in the wilderness because they did not trust God or believe His Word (Numbers 14:30). Their fate is evidence of the authority of God's promises: all who keep on trusting in Jesus can be assured that they will enter His rest - not the Promised Land of Canaan, but the promise of peace with God (Romans 5:1) and a home in heaven. After God created the world, He rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3). He did not rest because He was tired or weary (Isaiah 40:28) - God's energy is inexhaustible - but because He had completed His work. In the same way, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God (Hebrews 12:2) because on the cross He has already done all that is necessary to vanquish sin and Satan, and reign as heaven's undisputed King. Today's passage uses the 'rest' which the Old Testament Israelites forfeited to illustrate the importance of keeping on trusting in Jesus. No enemy can touch Him now; He is fully alive and 'at rest'. The question to the Hebrew readers of this letter, as to us, is whether they/we are determined to join Him in His heavenly rest, or not (Hebrews 4:1). Hearing the gospel is good but it needs to be believed (Hebrews 4:2). When we believe, the blood of Christ atones for our sins and gives us rest from the slavery of sin now: Hebrews 4:3 says, "Now, we who have believed enter that rest". It is a present reality which will be fully revealed when Jesus returns. In that confidence of faith and obedience we continue until we see Him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). Our eternity does not depend upon our effort but our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). True faith will express itself in obedient service (James 2:18-19), but striving to do good works can never atone for our sins. That work has already been fully completed by Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 10:12). Our responsibility is to thank Him and show that we still trust Him every day until we see Him. His promise of salvation is as sure as His promise of judgement, because He is the living God who keeps His Word (Hebrews 10:31). So He calls us not to fall short of entering His rest: "Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." (Isaiah 55:7)

Father God. Thank You for these verses which encourage me to press on in faith and obedience. Forgive me for the times when I have disobeyed and slipped from my calling to be Your disciple, when I have wavered in faith and forgotten my face-to-face appointment with Jesus. Please help me to trust You and to submit to Your Word, and to continue following Jesus despite internal sinful pressure and external persecution. In His Name. Amen.