The Ascension

My Dear People:

              When we love someone, we are usually anxious to show our love in concrete and selfless acts.

              In fact, the authenticity of our love is often measured by how much we are willing to turn away from ourselves and toward others in these acts of kindness and charity.

              After the Resurrection, the disciples meet Jesus in this new life. In the resurrected and ascended Lord, our humanity, once an image and likeness of God but distorted by sin, has been restored to its ultimate place in the presence of God.

Now, in each meeting with the disciples, the Risen Lord communicates that divine loving presence. These formative encounters of “forty days” are a biblical reference to the time of full formation.

Having grown in God’s saving love, the disciples turn away from themselves and towards the needs of their brothers and sisters— proclaiming the saving power of God to “the whole creation.”

They are sent to throw down the demons of selfishness and greed, and to protect the people from the poison of hatred and disunity.

In order to embrace Jesus, we must first empty ourselves of our vices and attachments to sin, otherwise, we will not be able to allow Jesus to be in the center of our hearts and of our lives.

For this reason it is very important that we surrender all our attachments to any vices, such as greed, lust, gluttony, envy, etc. Most important, it is vital that we let go of any resentment or hatred that we have toward anyone. That is poison which prevents Jesus from entering into our hearts. If we truly want Jesus to be the center of our lives— we must give him space and room. When we clear our hearts from all these vices and resentments, then Jesus is able to enter our hearts. This surrender is not a one time deal; but something we must do continually as we become aware of sins and attachments or unordered desires in our lives.

Let us open our hearts to the love of the Risen Lord so that we too may hear his voice sending us forth to love and serve the whole of creation. This is our call through our baptism.

Blessings in Jesus’ Name,

Fr. Vincent  Clemente

 

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