TODAY'S GOSPEL REFLECTION: "God Stays In Both Heaven and Earth"
TODAY'S GOSPEL REFLECTION: "God Stays In Both Heaven and Earth"
May 18, 2023. The Ascension of the Lord Ascension
Gospel
Jn 16:16-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“A little while and you will no longer see me,
and again a little while later and you will see me.”
So some of his disciples said to one another,
“What does this mean that he is saying to us,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me,’
and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks?
We do not know what he means.”
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,
“Are you discussing with one another what I said,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me’?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”
Reflection
God's wisdom comes from truth. Blessed Ascension of the Lord Ascension. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ brought joy to His disciples. Through His resurrection, the apostles realize that mourning and sadness have an end. However, through the Ascension of Christ, the apostles realize that happiness and pleasures on earth are also temporary. This reality is somehow not easy to process and might cause hopelessness. But we are being asked by Jesus to do the opposite according to what He said, "...you will grieve, but your grief will become joy," therefore we are called to be hopeful. The spirit we must possess is a spirit of stillness. A still spirit cannot be easily swayed by the darkness of life's struggles and problems. And the spirit of stillness does not seek attachment to fleeting pleasures and worldly happiness. The apostles were sad to be parted away from our Lord Jesus Christ during His Ascension, but hope lives in their hearts. For the one who knows how to love, never forgets. Let us remember that God did the most humiliating thing a God can do in the eyes of man, to let Himself be judged by sinners, to get crucified, all for his great mercy towards humanity. Therefore, it is time for us to trust even more the One who knows how to love us.
May we possess stillness in our hearts. May we seek the presence of God in our lives. Now that Jesus is with the Father and the Holy Spirit is sent for us. Nothing could ever stop God from His salvific mission.
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen+
Reflections by: T.K.R.S
Go to USCCB website for the full readings.
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