Ascension/ 7th Sunday of Easter
Matthew 28:16-20
“I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age.”
Depending upon the diocese, this Sunday, we may be celebrating the Feast of the Ascension or the 7th Sunday of Easter. As we look at the Scriptures, we notice it is a time of bewilderment, fear, and confusion for the disciples. They are being left again, yet given a charge, a responsibility to carry on the mission.
They are promised that, as they carry on the mission, Jesus will continue to be with them in his great love and faithfulness. “I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age.”
The disciples are invited
…to give themselves
into the love
that will never
cease to find,
that will never lose
its hold on us,
that will never
abandon us
to the sorrow
for which it
holds the cure.
-Jan Richardson
That commission, that invitation, that great love, is extended to each of us as well, especially amid these uncertain, sorrowful, and frightening times. We are called, as were the disciples. We are being sent to open our hearts, to stand and serve. That is our charge, our responsibility.
We are called to care for the earth, to walk with those who have lost employment, to grieve with those who have lost loved ones, to walk alongside those struggling to find food, to preach of the love “that will never cease to find”, the love of Jesus for each of us.
We have shared many recent experiences of smiles, music, sidewalk art, loving “virtual” connections to the power of God’s love even amid the pain and confusion of recent months. We know that Jesus’ promise, “I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age” will sustain us in the months to come. Be assured!
Sr. Mary Ann Collins, OP