St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

The Ascension of the Lord that we celebrate today is not a farewell. Instead, it is a profound reminder that God is always with us, not bound by time or place. Rather than marking an absence, this Solemnity invites us to recognize the enduring presence of Jesus Christ in our daily lives. We are called to open our eyes and hearts to the ways God accompanies us, guiding, strengthening, and encouraging us as we continue our journey of faith together.

 

The Gospel of Saint Matthew begins with the promise of Emmanuel—God is with us—and concludes with the promise of the Risen Christ: "I am with you always, until the end of the age." These words are not just a comforting thought but a call to mission. Jesus entrusts His followers with the task of witnessing to His love and mercy in the world. Even as we face challenges or uncertainties, we are empowered by His presence to carry out His mission, secure in the knowledge that we are never alone.

 

While Jesus returns to the Father, He remains present to us in the Spirit of His love, hope, and compassion. Through prayer, the Sacraments, and acts of charity, we encounter Christ in our midst. With wisdom and an open heart, we come to know Him more clearly, finding His presence in the people around us and in the ordinary events of our lives.

 

Let us be attuned to the quiet ways Christ walks with us, trusting in His promise to remain with us until His final return at the end of time.

 

In 1917, three children—Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia dos Santos—reported a series of apparitions of our Blessed Mother near Fatima, in Portugal. She asked the children to pray the Rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, which was raging at the time, for sinners, and for the conversion of Russia.

Mary gave the children three secrets. In 1927, after Francisco and Jacinta had died a few years earlier, Lucia revealed the first secret. It concerned devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The second secret was a vision of hell. When Lucia grew up, she became a Carmelite nun and died at age 97.

Pope John Paul II directed the Vatican’s Secretary of State to reveal the third secret in 2000. It portrayed a “bishop in white” who was shot by soldiers firing bullets and arrows at him. Many people connected this to the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981.

The message of Fatima is simple: pray. Unfortunately, some people have twisted the message into an apocalyptic event and claim to be the only interpreters. Some have said that Mary’s request for the world to be consecrated to her has been ignored. However, Sister Lucia agreed that Pope John Paul II’s public consecration in St. Peter’s Square in 1984 fulfilled that request.

Mary is most completely honored when people sincerely imitate her humble and faithful response to the angel Gabriel: “May it be done to me according to your word.” By embracing her spirit of trust, openness to God’s will, and willingness to serve, believers can more deeply follow the path of discipleship. Mary’s example inspires us to say yes to God, even in moments of uncertainty or difficulty, just as she did during the events of the Annunciation.

The Church teaches that Mary always leads the faithful to her Son and supports the unity of the Church, as exercised by the college of bishops united with the Holy Father. Her role is one of loving intercession and guidance, not competition or division. Through devotion to Mary, Christians are ultimately drawn closer to Christ and to the heart of the Church.

 

Some material from today's homily comes from "Saint of the Day" at Franciscan Media.

 

 

Genuine openness to the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, exposes misunderstandings about sin and judgment. Those who supported Jesus' crucifixion thought He must have been a sinner to suffer and die in such a way, believing that this kind of death meant God had judged Him. They felt justified in executing Him because they believed He was leading the Israelites away from the Law.

However, their judgments were wrong. Jesus was not a sinner, nor was He judged by God. This shows the contrast between God's view and human perspectives. While God treasured Jesus as His beloved Son, many others saw Him as a sinner. The One sent by God was seen by many as condemned by Him—a view that was completely mistaken.

Human judgments often miss the mark, so we must always seek God's perspective and see others as He sees them. The Holy Spirit gives us this divine insight. He helps us see as God sees, know as God knows, and be wise as God is wise.

Today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the early Church's growth. St. Paul and St. Luke, chosen messengers of God, traveled to Philippi and met Lydia, a wealthy merchant. Lydia and her whole household were converted after hearing their teachings and experiencing God's grace. She later invited them to her house.

This is still the best way to convert people. We need to go where the people are so they can relate to us, and we can speak to them about God. The work of evangelization is not just the responsibility of the clergy. As individuals of faith, we must go beyond the church building to engage with people. We have the power to bring souls to God through our personal interactions.

Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to enlighten minds and hearts and draw people to God. But he tells the Apostles (and us), 'You must also be my witnesses.' Personal contact is essential. We must be mission-minded, go out to people, and be brave, even knowing we may not always be well received. 

But Jesus tells us not to be afraid; the Lord is with us, protecting us and fulfilling His promises about eternal life. Remember, the challenges we face in evangelization are not in vain. Every soul we bring to God is a testament to His love and mercy and a reward in itself.

Based on a homily by Bishop John Marshall, 1928-1994

Many years ago, there was a doctor named Lloyd Judd who practiced medicine in rural Oklahoma. Many people in his area were very poor and had no transportation of their own. So, he often had to drive out to their run-down homes to treat someone who was sick or injured.

 

One day, Dr. Judd himself became very sick. When his condition worsened, he checked into a hospital. After many tests, Dr. Judd was told that he had terminal cancer. His thoughts immediately turned to his young children. There were so many things he wanted to tell them, so many things he wanted to share, but he knew they were too young to understand. So, Dr. Judd began recording several tapes to share his thoughts with his children when they were old enough to understand.

 

On one tape, Dr. Judd says to his children, "Are you willing to get out of a warm bed on a cold night and drive 20 miles to see a sick person, knowing that they can't pay you and that they could wait until morning to be treated? If you can answer yes to that question, you are ready to study medicine."

 

The idea of using these recordings is helpful for us as we reflect on our Scripture readings today. This courageous story of Dr. Judd strongly resembles the farewell discourse of Jesus in our Gospel reading. Jesus, too, did not have much longer to live. His thoughts also turned to His disciples and their future. There was so much more He wanted to tell them, but they were not ready to understand it. He even said to them, "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now." So, like Dr. Judd, Jesus found a way to teach them even after He was gone. To do this, He promised to send them the Holy Spirit, saying, "When He comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth."

 

The sending of the Holy Spirit is what the Church is about to celebrate in two weeks—the solemnity of Pentecost. We'll hear the story of how this happened in a couple of weeks. However, it's important for us to be ready to welcome the Spirit when He comes. It's also important to remember that the disciples were very much like us: they didn't know what the future would hold, what they should do to pass on the faith, or which direction to lead the Church.

 

This is a dilemma we face in so many areas of our lives: how do we shape the future? Jesus tells us not to be afraid. He promises that He will not leave us orphaned, that He will come back to us, and that we will be safe. This promise was very important to the disciples because they lived in fear—fear of what might happen to them at the hands of those who hated Jesus.

 

This promise is just as important for us today. We, too, have much to fear. We struggle to make ends meet so we can provide for our families and ourselves. We face the threat of terrorism, as well as violence in our schools and on our streets. We belong to a Church that is very much on edge at this time. It can seem frightening. But Jesus assures us that we have reason for great hope. He tells us that He will send us His Spirit—the Spirit of truth, love, and life; the Spirit who will guide us and protect us, who will always be with us, and who will give us wisdom, knowledge, and prudence if we open our minds and hearts to God. If we do not open ourselves to the Spirit, then the Spirit has no power in our lives. The power of the Spirit must be followed by action on our part.

 

Through the power of the Spirit, Jesus gives us everything we truly need to move through life and reach toward heaven. Just as in the story of Dr. Judd, where his children have choices to make, we do too. And just as Dr. Judd did, Jesus tells us what we need to know to make good decisions. The choices, however, are ours. So, as we reflect on the words of Jesus as He said farewell to His disciples, and as we prepare for the solemnity of Pentecost, may we rely on the Spirit of God to help us with the choices of life and to guide us to the everlasting kingdom of heaven.

 

As we anticipate the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, let's close with the Prayer to the Holy Spirit: Come, Holy Spirit.  Fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love.  Send forth your Spirit, and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.

 

Jesus predicted many things, including the world's animosity toward Him and His followers. All four Gospels emphasize that Jesus understood the hostility He and His disciples would face.

 

He said, "No slave is greater than his master." This statement carries profound implications. In today's Gospel, He explained that if the world is hostile toward the Master, His servants should expect the same treatment. This also means that if the Master humbled Himself to wash the feet of His servants, they should be prepared to do the same for others, exemplifying humility and service.

 

Jesus's statement, "No slave is greater than his master," encourages us to reflect deeply on our relationship with Him. It highlights our dependence on the Holy Spirit to model our lives after the Master.

Friendship is a tremendous blessing. Deep friendships don’t just happen; people choose each other as friends based on mutual attraction, shared interests, and similar perspectives. Once a friendship is strong and well-established, friends can be themselves and express their feelings more openly.

 

Jesus refers to His disciples as friends, saying, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” He has also chosen to befriend us, demonstrating His friendship by sharing His true self. He has revealed His relationship with the Father and shown His friendship by laying down His life for us. While He has done His part, we must also fulfill ours for the friendship to flourish. We need to choose Jesus just as He has chosen us. To remain in His love and friendship, we must love one another as He has loved us and befriend others as He has befriended us.

The Scriptures are filled with passages about joy and rejoicing. St. Paul teaches that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus expresses His desire for His joy to be within us. At the heart of the Gospel, this joy serves as a beacon of hope and positivity, since "Gospel" means "good news." On the eve of His Crucifixion, Jesus longed for His joy to be present in His disciples, demonstrating the enduring power of joy in the face of adversity.

 

It may seem strange to experience joy in such a frightening situation, where hostility and violent death loom. However, Jesus’ sense of joy comes from His knowledge that He is loved by His Father. This joy also arises from His sharing of that love with His disciples and all of humanity.

 

Joy is the natural outgrowth of genuine love, which originates from God's love for us and extends to our love for one another in His Name.

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus describes Himself and His followers using the metaphor of the vine and its branches. He speaks about pruning away the branches that do not bear fruit. This pruning can symbolize many things, as there are various aspects of our lives that we need to cut back or change.

 

We need to eliminate those things that hinder us from following the two essential commandments: to believe in and love God, and to love one another as Jesus commanded.

 

It is important to prune away whatever prevents our faith from flourishing in our lives and souls. Each of us has different things that require pruning. This might include pride, selfishness, materialistic desires, negative thoughts, or unhealthy relationships. We can be certain that, by our very nature, we must remove perceptions, prejudices, judgments, and attitudes that block our faith from bearing fruit.

 

Let us take some time in prayer to reflect on what prevents us from adhering to these two fundamental commandments. Together, let us commit to pruning those distractions from our lives.

 

In today's Gospel, Jesus offers His disciples comfort and courage as they are anxious about His impending death. He tells them, "Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid," a message that recurs throughout the Gospel. This reassures us of Jesus’ unwavering love and support.

 

As disciples of Jesus, we need both challenges and encouragement. Jesus understood how to provide that encouragement when a renewed heart was necessary.

 

Today, the Risen Lord continues to uplift His disciples. When we feel discouraged about our lives, it can bring us down and hinder us from taking action. The Lord wants to instill refreshed enthusiasm in our hearts, which the Gospel describes as a peace that the world cannot give. This peace is not the absence of conflict, but rather a deep sense of tranquility and security that comes from strong faith in Jesus.