A word from Pope Francis ~ “Humility leads us also to the essentials of life, to its truest meaning, to the most trustworthy reason for why life is truly worth living.”
Our celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection continues today with the Sixth Sunday of the Easter season. We continue our reading of the Farewell Discourse from John’s Gospel. We hear a very powerful and encouraging message. Situated at the Last Supper, Jesus shares a personal wish with his disciples (and us), “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” As Jesus prepares his disciples for his coming departure, he also shows us a way to remain connected. He will continue to dwell with us when we imitate the pattern of divine love.
Anticipated separations can rob us of a peaceful spirit and make us feel troubled or afraid. Change is never easy. Jesus knew the human heart well. And he knew their call to be his disciples would not be an easy one – that they would need someone to strengthen them (the Holy Spirit). As he prepares the apostles for what is to come, he is also preparing us for our celebration of the gift of God’s Spirit among us on Pentecost. We will celebrate that feast in just two weeks.
As our Sunday and daily Gospel readings focus on the Lord’s promise to remain with us by the gift of his Spirit, we have the opportunity to reflect upon the third of the three Sacraments of Initiation we celebrated at the Easter Vigil – the Sacrament of Confirmation. When I met with our adult candidates for Confirmation ten days ago, I spoke with them about our call to be disciples of the Lord Jesus. As I explored what being a “disciple” really means, we saw that being a disciple in our day is not an easy path. Since the Lord also knew that, he promised to send us “another advocate” to be our strength and our guide. That advocate was none other than the Holy Spirit – sent to the early disciples and to us to be our strength. One of the ways that the Lord continues to be with us is through the gift of the Spirit, which we have all received beginning at our Baptism. Becoming aware of the Spirit’s presence among us is a wonderful way for us to conclude our celebration of the Easter season. Let’s listen carefully to the Lord’s Farewell Discourse over the next several days and appreciate the gift of the Spirit that has been given to us.
Next Sunday we will celebrate the feast of the Ascension. Normally this feast is celebrated on the 40th day of Easter, which would be this coming Thursday, May 26. Twenty-three years ago, our Bishops received permission to transfer the observance of the feast to the nearest Sunday. This had already been the practice in the western states of our country. The Bishops of the state of Illinois decided to make the transfer, which took effect in May 2000. So this Thursday is simply “Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter.” Next Sunday is the feast of the Ascension and the following Sunday will be the feast of Pentecost, bringing our 50-day Easter celebration to a close.
This morning I will have the opportunity to celebrate the Graduation Mass for the St. Francis High School Class of 2022. Next Wednesday evening, I will celebrate the Graduation Mass for our St. Isidore Catholic School Class of 2022. Congratulations to all who are celebrating a graduation this year. It has not been an easy road, especially with the COVID setbacks of the past few years. We ask God’s continued blessings upon your accomplishments and your future journeys.
Without a doubt, life has returned to our area. Enjoy the beauty of the spring. May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
Father Jim Murphy