In the midst of the Easter Season, joyfully celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we continue on a journey of faith that leads us from Easter to the Ascension, to Pentecost. Our travel plan has been designed by Jesus to lead us into a deeper understanding of God’s plan and our place in that plan.
As we move from Easter to the Ascension, we join the Church in reflecting on the stories that tell us of the earliest Church response to the Resurrection. We see disillusionment, fear, doubt, as well as hope and faith. These are all emotions and virtues we share with the first believers. For many of them and for us the Good News is too good to be true, but Jesus’ appearances and words to the disciples immediately after the Resurrection show us and tell us that it is all true.
The Ascension is a moment in time when Jesus leaves the Disciples with the challenge to continue the work He started and to bring it to the whole world. No longer is this faith of ours to be restricted as a regional cult, but is meant to be a beacon of light and hope to all the people of the world, and it is the disciples of Jesus who are to carry that message, not just the apostles, but all disciples including you and me
In order to carry out that mission, we celebrate at Pentecost the outpouring of the Spirit who will teach us and show us everything we are to be about. And, the Spirit gives us the tools to accomplish our mission, the seven fold gifts of the Holy Spirit.
So, let us not stand idly by looking for someone else to bring the Gospel to our world. Let each of us live out our Baptismal commitment and the commitment of Confirmation to use the gifts of the Spirit to evangelize the whole world and our little piece of it too.
Fr. Peter Pagones , Pastor
As we move from Easter to the Ascension, we join the Church in reflecting on the stories that tell us of the earliest Church response to the Resurrection. We see disillusionment, fear, doubt, as well as hope and faith. These are all emotions and virtues we share with the first believers. For many of them and for us the Good News is too good to be true, but Jesus’ appearances and words to the disciples immediately after the Resurrection show us and tell us that it is all true.
The Ascension is a moment in time when Jesus leaves the Disciples with the challenge to continue the work He started and to bring it to the whole world. No longer is this faith of ours to be restricted as a regional cult, but is meant to be a beacon of light and hope to all the people of the world, and it is the disciples of Jesus who are to carry that message, not just the apostles, but all disciples including you and me
In order to carry out that mission, we celebrate at Pentecost the outpouring of the Spirit who will teach us and show us everything we are to be about. And, the Spirit gives us the tools to accomplish our mission, the seven fold gifts of the Holy Spirit.
So, let us not stand idly by looking for someone else to bring the Gospel to our world. Let each of us live out our Baptismal commitment and the commitment of Confirmation to use the gifts of the Spirit to evangelize the whole world and our little piece of it too.
Fr. Peter Pagones , Pastor