ASCENSION - A CELEBRATION OF HOPE

SOLEMNITY OF ASCENSION - VII EASTER SUNDAY - Ephesians 1:17-23

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul prays to God, asking that he may give us “a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him.” Indeed, we need wisdom and perception. There is so much that we don’t understand! We should pray as Paul did: May the Lord give us wisdom and understanding. Enlightened by Him, we may find the reasons for our hope, which arises from his call. Jesus’ glorification is a promise and guarantee of our glorification. In Jesus´ Ascension, our humanity has been raised and taken the glory of divinity. The day will come when the glory of God will be fully manifested in us. Then, we will be taken up to inherit the rich glories promised to the saints, and we will recognise the greatness of his power. We can see that power at work in Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, which reveals to us his glorification. God raised Jesus from the dead and made him “sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.”

In the ascension, we celebrate Jesus’ headship not only of the Church but also of the universe. He is the fullness of God that fills the whole creation. Time will come when that fullness will be manifest totally in us; then, we will be taken up with Christ to sing with all the angels and saints the glory of God. Meanwhile, we are called to remain here on earth, wherein we must play the role of yeast, salt and light to bring ever closer the Kingdom of God.

THE FIRST COUNCIL OF THE CHURCH

VI SUNDAY OF EASTER - Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

The early Church faced a huge problem that threatened her unity and risked her existence. The question was fundamental: Can the Gentiles be saved and be welcomed as members of the people of God, the Church? What are the essential conditions for their acceptance? Should they be obliged to follow the Law of Moses, or was it enough to believe in Jesus Christ? Paul was adamant that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ without needing to accept and follow the Mosaic law. Many Jews, mainly those coming from the mother Church in Jerusalem, considered the acceptance of the law to be an essential condition for salvation. Thus, to enter the Church, they should be circumcised. 

Faced with a difficult decision, the new communities of Gentiles sent a delegation to Jerusalem, which presented their case to the Apostles, who called for a meeting with the elders of the Church. Peter was the first to address the assembly, reminding them that the Holy Spirit had led him to welcome the first Gentiles, accepting them into the Church. Then, Paul and Barnabas reported on the evangelisation work that they had done among the Gentiles. In the end, James addressed the assembly and proposed a compromise, thus avoiding a complete break between Jews and Gentiles. Having reached a solution, they wrote a letter to the communities and entrusted its presentation to a delegation composed of Judas Barsabbas and Silas. In the letter to the communities, they affirm that the decision was made by the Holy Spirit, who guided them to settle the problem: “It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves”.

Since then, the first council of the Church has remained a model for many others that would take place throughout the centuries. In times of crisis, the elders of the Church assemble to discuss the big issues that endanger the life of the Church. In those assemblies, called councils (and synods), through the Holy Spirit, they come to solutions that strengthen and guide the whole Church to remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Jerusalem, only the Apostles and the elders gathered together. It was a meeting of the shepherds, which helped them to discern the ways of the Spirit for the Church. This has been the tradition of the Church kept through the centuries. Indeed, the shepherds have to look after the flock, and will be called to account if they fail to fulfil their duty. In the Church, we walk together, guided and protected by our shepherds who must take us to the springs of living water. The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is the role model of all shepherds. He bestows his peace on us and grants us the Holy Spirit, as an advocate and a teacher, who will teach us everything.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

V SUNDAY OF EASTER - Acts 14:21-27/ John 13:31-33, 34-35 Apocalypse 21:1-5

In the first reading, Paul and Barnabas returned to the communities they had evangelised, and they appointed elders in each one of them. We see in action the process of establishing and building up the Church, thus guaranteeing continuity.

Paul and Barnabas were sent on a mission of evangelisation by the Church of Antioch, and they kept their ties with the community which sent them. “On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans.”

The building of the Church implies perseverance in the faith, which is not an easy task, since we go through many hardships. That’s why Paul and Barnabas “commended them (the elders) to the Lord”. They will need God’s grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This first great mission establishes a pattern for future missions. In the name of the Church, preachers will be sent to announce the Good News in foreign lands, where the Church will deepen her roots and become a local Church with her leaders. After being evangelised, she will become an evangeliser. In this evangelisation work, the missionaries are guided by faith and strengthened by hope. The risen Christ will bring about a new world, where God will be all in all (Ep 1:23). In one of his visions, John “saw a new heaven and a new earth”. 

In this new world, “God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone.” In the new world, we will be filled with God’s love, a love that we must live and experience while in this world. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must love one another, putting into practice the new commandment:

“I give you a new commandment:

love one another;

just as I have loved you,

you also must love one another.”

THE LAMB WILL BE THEIR SHEPHERD

IV SUNDAY OF EASTER - John 10:27-30

Pope Leo XIV has just been elected to be the shepherd of the Church to promote the unity and strengthen the communion within the Church. His first Sunday mass as Pope will be the Good Shepherd Sunday. We are invited to pray for our shepherds and reflect upon their stewardship. 

By the will of the Lord, in the Church, there are shepherds to whom he entrusted the responsibility of guiding, protecting, and defending the sheep. They must have Jesus Christ as their role model. He is the Good Shepherd who gives life to his sheep. With Jesus, “they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.” Entrusting Simon Peter with the stewardship of his Church, Jesus insisted: “Feed my lambs”, “tend my sheep”, and “feed my sheep” (Jn 21:15-17). The Pope was given a role that was not entrusted to others.

Jesus has endowed the Church with gifts and equipped “the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12).  In the Church, there is a great variety of gifts, and all those who receive them must cooperate and work in harmony for the Good of the Church. The apostles and the shepherds are called to be at the forefront, leading the way to the Kingdom of God.

Even though all Christians are called to give witness to Jesus Christ, the shepherds must be qualified witnesses, keeping the whole Church faithful to Jesus Christ. In his letter to the Romans, Paul recommends an attitude of service in the ministers and advises “the one who leads” to do it “with zeal” (Rm 12:8). It is a duty of the shepherds to lead the sheep to Jesus Christ, and all must listen to His voice and follow Him,

The second reading, taken from Revelation (Apocalypse), speaks of the Lamb as the true shepherd who “will lead them (the sheep) to springs of living water”. In Him, we will find life and salvation. All those who washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb and will “stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.” (Rev 7:9,14-17). May we be counted among them and with them sing the praises of the Lord.

In this Good Shepherd Sunday, we are invited to pray earnestly for the Pope, the Bishops and the priests, mainly those who have people entrusted to their care. Let us pray for many vocations as well. May the Lord grant his Church good shepherds. 

DO YOU LOVE ME?

III SUNDAY OF EASTER - John 21:1-19

This Sunday’s gospel presents the situation of the Church after the resurrection. The apostles are back in Galilee, probably obeying Jesus’ orders (Mt 28:10). Seven of them are gathered together, representing the whole community of disciples, the Church. They seem a bit lost, without a purpose. As always, Peter takes the initiative and decides to go fishing. The others followed him. And they spent the night in the boat, “but caught nothing that night”. They worked in vain. Effort and initiative are not enough. They had been called to be fishers of men, and then ordered by the Lord to go and proclaim the Good News. However, their effort at fishing men was not more successful than their work at casting the nets. Peter took the leading role, but he was not ready yet to proclaim the Gospel, guided and strengthened by the Spirit. They lacked the presence of the Risen Christ and the awareness that all evangelisation must be done in his name and depends on his grace.

Early in the morning, Jesus came and, standing on the shore of the lake, addressed them: “Have you caught anything, friends?” Jesus calls them friends, as he had done in the Last Supper: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (Jm 15:15). They had caught nothing and they would go home empty handed. Then, Jesus intervenes, giving advice that sounds like an order: “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” The right side brings to mind the right hand of God, referring to his power, honour, compassion and love. The ones chosen for salvation will be on His right. Following Jesus’ advice, they caught plenty of fish. The beloved disciple  immediately recognised Jesus and told Peter: “It is the Lord.” Following his impulse, Peter put on his cloak, because he was half-naked, and jumped into the water, swimming towards Jesus. Like Peter, we are half-naked, full of ourselves, unable to recognise the Lord and follow Him. Paul would write that the true disciple must “put on the armour of light”, that is, “put on the  Lord Jesus Christ” (Ro 13:12,14).

In the boat, they brought ashore one hundred and fifty-three (153) big fish. This special number redirects our minds to Ezekiel 47:10. From under the altar, it comes a spring of living water that will become a mighty river with plenty of fish to be caught by fishermen with nets: “Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.” The numeral value of Engedi is 17, and the value of Eneglaim is 153, being 153 the triangular number of 17, The Risen Christ is the altar and the temple, and from its right side, the living water comes.

While waiting for the disciples, Jesus prepared them a meal with bread and fish, and asked the disciples to bring more fish. It is the Lord who satisfies our hunger and quenches our thirst. He is the one who prepares the table and sets the food on it, giving us the food of heaven. In the Eucharist, we meet the Lord and are drawn into Him. Only by eating the bread of life are we able to answer truthfully Jesus' personal question: Do you love me?