• Feast of the Ascension, May 8, 2005
• Theme: My Hope Is In The Lord
· Mother’s Day

{Acknowledge all the Mothers present at Mass}

• The Feast of the Ascension
• Traditionally celebrated on the Thursday, 40 days after Easter
· Now more often celebrated on Sunday
• Better, it puts the celebration is the context of the whole Paschal mystery - Suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, and the Sending of the Holy Spirit

· The Scope of the Readings today is broad
· First reading is from the very beginning of the Acts of the Apostles
· The Gospel reading is from the very end of Mathew’s Gospel
· There is a sense that everything is held in between these bookends.

· All week long the first reading has resounded in my mind and prayer
· Jesus has spent three years with his disciples.
· He has even risen from the dead to prove his message.
· Yet, they ask – “Lord, at this time are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel”
· They still did not get it.
· Jesus was not going to build a political power base
· For his part, Jesus – maybe somewhat frustrated – says nevertheless, the Holy Spirit will empower you to be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.
· Jesus is then lifted up and passes out of sight.
· The Disciples stay there until two men in white garments ask them why they are looking up into the sky.
· Every Mother knows that if she looks skyward for only a few seconds, she could lose her young children.
· She has to look around and be aware in order to protect her young.
· The two men in white tell the disciples not to look up, because they will miss the action – they will miss Jesus.
· They must look around them and see each other if they are going to find Jesus.

· Yesterday – I participated in a workshop at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on Santa Monica Blvd.
· The Workshop was entitled “The Church Today and Tomorrow.”
· We began by looking at the Church of the Past – say in the 1950’s
· The Mass was in Latin
· The priest had his back to the people
· No Eucharist Ministers – Men or women
· No altar girls
· Nuns taught in the school
· Some would see these as better times.
· I see them as different times:
· No cell phone, no computers, few automobiles, and few televisions
· The nuns did a good job, but they were paid slave wages
· At Blessed Sacrament as late as 1970 – there were 10 priests
· The Priests where in charge of the few ministries that existed
· Parishioners had little say in the direction of the parish
· The Church of Today has changed – from my way of thinking – for the better.
· LOOK AROUND AS THE ANGLES TOLD THE DISCIPLES
· We have a community rich in diversity
· The school is run by qualified lay teachers who are paid a living wage (even though it is still not a high wage).
· The priests work in collaboration with laymen and women who are dedicated and generous.
· We are a church respecting our past but moving toward the future.

· Once we recognize that Jesus is not up in the sky, but rather in the people and situations around us,
· We can move to the concluding chapter of our story
· In today’s Gospel, Matt 28, Jesus says “Go make disciples of all nations…”
· Once we recognize that Jesus is in the brother and sister that we see right next to us, who perhaps has a different skin color, speaks a different language, has different talents, and different interests,
· Then we can go out and spread the Good News:
· There are not second class citizens of this world
· There are only people loved by God
· There is no room for injustice in this world
· There is only the challenge to ensure Justice for all

• I think that when the Apostles
• Finally recognized that they could not control Jesus;
• That Jesus was not going to set up the Kingdom that THEY wanted;
• When they finally admitted their fear and their confusion;
• When they finally opened their hearts to God and really looked at each other;
• Then the Holy Spirit could come down on them and send them out to change the world.

• Maybe it is the same with us:
• Maybe when we can admit that we do not have all the answers;
• When we can admit our own biases and prejudices;
• When we can open our hearts to the Loving and Faithful God;
• Then the Spirit of God that we first received at Baptism;
• Can fill us and lead us so that we can become the Apostles of today who, by the way we live our lives, can change the world.

• Amen

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