My friends, with this weekend, we have come to the end of the Easter Season, which will be followed by a few special Sundays, Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit of our brother, Jesus, Trinity Sunday, remembering God in his/her glory as Creator, Savior, and Spirit, and Corpus Christi Sunday, wherein we strive to understand, through our imaginations—really, and through our faith, the holy presence of Jesus, our brother, in the form of the simple gifts of bread and wine upon our altars.  Following these three, the Church shifts back to Ordinary Time, which we have come to see, deals with much more than, “the ordinary.” 

   As I have in the past, today then, we will join this final weekend of Easter and the Ascension, being that the themes of each correlate rather well.  So, you saw that the first reading from Acts describes Jesus’ ascension into heaven, a new plane—space of life that we can only imagine.  The 2^nd reading and the gospel come from the 7^th and final Sunday of Easter, showing us rather well, I think, what was expected of those first disciples and us, going forward. 

   The reading from Acts tells us that [these disciples] “will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes.”  I think so many times we read these stories of the first disciples and hear them rather, matter-a-factly, and don’t let our imaginations run a bit into just what they faced and were perhaps feeling at the beginning of their ministries, carrying on where Jesus was leaving off.

   We see this in their purely, human reaction to Jesus being, “taken from their sight.”  “They were still gazing up into the heavens,” Scripture tells us.  And to this reaction, two, apparently, “heavenly creatures” appear and inquire why, in fact, they are doing this.

   Why indeed, we might echo, but for an entirely different reason than the heavenly visitors.  Here it is important to remember that the sole focus of these disciples’ attention for the past three years, Jesus of Nazareth, for whom they had walked away from families and livelihoods to follow, and whom they had watched die a gruesome death and then, miraculously rise to new life, conquering death, so that we could too, one day, was now being taken from them again!  No doubt there were many unanswered questions for them. 

   Jesus was very conscious that the apostles and disciples were afraid and that was why he promised to send his Spirit to be with them, giving them strength to be, to do, what he had called them to be about in the world, in his footsteps. 

   Jesus knew too from his own, lived human life that the temptation was always there to take the easier route, the way that didn’t cost so dearly.  That is why he prayed so earnestly for them in the gospel selection today from John.  “O God most holy, protect with your name those whom you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” 

   And friends, I think it is good for us to reflect in this year 2023, that marks our 15^th year of existence as a Vatican II parish, that we take our name from this Scripture passage, where Jesus prayed not only for his first disciples, but for all who would follow their lead, that they all, “would be one!” 

   Next Sunday then, we will celebrate Pentecost, the day that marks 50 days since Easter, when Jesus’ Spirit was unleashed in a special way into the world.  It might be good this next week to remember our own special day of confirmation when we first said, our own, personal “yeses” to the indwelling of the Spirit that would give us the strength too, to faithfully carry on the Good News of God’s love in our world.

   Once these first disciples receive the Spirit, we see Peter in the 2^nd reading today proclaim, “Happy are you when insulted for the sake of Christ, for then, [you will know] that God’s Spirit, in its glory, has come to rest on you.”  And he goes on, “If you must suffer, let it be because you have been a follower of Christ,” [not because you have done evil things].

   We can hardly hear these words and not realize that truly “following Jesus” will not be easy.  The end of the Easter Season, Jesus physically leaving the earth, and sending his Spirit are truly about more than us, “looking to the heavens” for answers.  Jesus has shown us the way, and for him, it was all about love—and for us it must be the same!  Each of us, my friends, will do this differently, and if, at the end of the day, whatever we choose to do, however we choose to respond to our world, if we can honestly say that our response, was all about doing the most loving thing—we will have walked faithfully in Jesus’ footsteps.  Amen? Amen!

My friends, it is with great joy that I can stand and perhaps at times today, sit before you, and for all of us to gather once again.  We have been away from each other for four weeks as I have been recovering from knee surgery. 

   Now I compare this time to where we were three years ago in the beginning weeks of shut-down due to the COVID pandemic for which there was no vaccine to keep us safe, except for masking and social distancing.  We all stayed away from each other in order to keep us safe.  And now today, this is the first Sunday with masks being optional, following the lead of all the hospitals in the area. 

   These past several weeks then, have not been about you, but about me, as I was simply not able to either prepare much, or to be present to you due to my recovery.  I found myself being filled with gratitude for your out-pouring of love and care for me, through cards, emails, calls, gifts of food, and all other expressions of love.

   Being that we are still in the season of Easter, the Scriptures are filled with ways that the apostles—now, also filled with the Spirit are reaching out, not just to the Jewish people, but to all who will listen to the story of Jesus, the Christ—and of how he spoke to, visited with, and was generally present to all who he encountered.  It didn’t matter where people came from, who they associated with—he welcomed all, and offered alternatives to lives without hope and as a result, showed all who he encountered, the best ways to live.

   John’s gospel for today includes Jesus’ wonderful words of promise and hope— “I will not leave you” [alone]—actually, he says, “orphaned”—which is the same idea!

   A word on these first disciples…we see them going out among strangers—for the most part, preaching what Jesus had said to them that gave them such hope. With the life of the Spirit, they had the faith and the strength to proclaim Jesus’ message of love, justice, and mercy to all who would listen.  We might consider friends if we would be able to do the same.

   In many ways, for these first disciples, this is all that they, as Jesus’ true followers could do—share with others what had been so graciously shared with them.  The psalmist today says rightly what should be the song of us all, as we attempt to follow in Jesus’ footsteps— [Let us] “make a joyful sound to God…” [over] “all the earth.” 

   There is much talk in our country today from folks who claim to be, “Christian Nationalists.”  To my mind, these two words seem to contradict each other.  To be a “Christian” in Jesus’ footsteps is all about “including” everyone, whereas being a “nationalist” seems to advocate for “excluding” many, except, “our own kind.” 

   Jesus, when with us, always talked about knowing someone’s identity by, “the fruits” they produced—is it about justice, mercy, love, and care, not just for ourselves, or for others too? When a group tends toward angry statements, untruths, an inability to really listen, and to hear, and basically a self-serving stance in our world, we have to wonder what Christian actions are in fact taking place. 

   This time of year within Catholic and other Christian churches is often when young people are confirmed within their faith communities and challenged to be their very best as inspired followers of their brother Jesus. 

It is also a good time for those of us to recall our own confirmations, even if it was many years ago, and re-confirm within ourselves what that meant then, and if it means the same today.  Peter’s opening to the people in the 2nd reading today seems appropriate for those of us who wish to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, “Venerate Jesus, the Christ in your hearts.”  We might also say, keep his message, his actions, always before you, if you truly wish to follow him. Amen? Amen!