Come! Go!
You have just lost a loved one; a father, a mother, a sister, a brother, a grandmother, a grandfather, a cousin, a spouse, a close friend. We have definitely have had our share of loss in this parish in the last couple of months. Do you remember at your times of loss how you felt?
All partings, especially the loss of a loved one, is difficult. It is never easy to say goodbye! I remember back in 1997 when I told my father it was o.k. to leave and that the family would be o.k. all the time thinking in the back of my mind that he would never leave. It is really hard for us to let go, even when someone is dying.
I know that some of you have felt somewhat the same. “I do not know what to do”, “how can I go on?”, life will never be the same.” Can you imagine how it was for the apostles? Living with Jesus listening and learning, seeing their beloved one being chastised, spit upon, convicted of a crime he did not commit, his innocent death on a cross?
Jesus called to them at the beginning of his ministry, “COME”! In the same manner, Jesus is calling out to our new communicants, Olive, Aiden and Michael to “COME” and receive Him. Jesus is saying to his apostles, come and follow me. Come and learn from me the way of life, the way of living in the Father’s love and mercy. So the apostles followed Jesus and learned.
Isn’t this the same for us? Jesus called to us, “COME”. In a way, through my father and mother’s act of love, I came into this world. “COME” As I 2 was growing up I learned from my parents not only how to live successfully in this world but to live a life in Jesus. And then the time came for me to leave the nest. It is as if my father said to me, “GO”.
Of course it was probably a blessing due that there were 10 of us. Anyway, so I left and tried to live a life they had taught me.
Jesus promised his Spirit to be with the apostles and what we celebrate next Sunday at Pentecost is the showering of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus’ disciples and the beginning of His church on earth. Happy Birthday Church!
I can’t help but see Jesus never leaving us. We need to look at Jesus’ Ascension as his liberation from all restrictions of time and space. It does not represent his removal from the earth but his constant presence everywhere on earth.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles brings to mind what our confirmandi, Erin, Eileen, Roslyn and Cory are getting ready for. We hear in this passage that after the apostles gathered they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and that they will be witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Jesus called out “COME” and after a time, when they were ready, said to them, “GO”.
This is the confirmandi’s challenge and ours as well to go out into the world to proclaim the gospel with the Holy Spirit as our guide and our strength. Today, the challenge to preach the gospel to the world depends upon us. It is a great privilege but a daunting task. However, we can rely on the help of the Holy Spirit.
The best way to preach the gospel is by living a Christian life. A question we can ask ourselves; “If it were a crime to be Christian, and we were put 3 on trial, would enough evidence be found in our lives to convict us? You see, if we let go and allow Jesus to be with us through the power of the Spirit, don’t you feel everything would work out o.k.?
With the Spirit living in us, we can be like Jesus. We now can receive power and strength to be as Jesus here and now continuing what He has started. We can now go out from this holy place to take it to others who so desperately need the Church in their lives.
Yes, there is work to be done. When Jesus ascended into his Holy throne, he gave the apostles and us the task of continuing his works of love and compassion here on earth. Let us get at it! We don’t want to be caught looking up and hearing a voice telling us “Why are you standing there looking into the sky?”
We heard in the second reading Jesus taking his place as the head of the church; “And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the Church, which is his body,” We are the body and each one of us has a role to play within that body but only together can we manifest the fullness of Christ.
We need to let go of all that holds us back. It could be the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, loss of status or position, a loss of money. There are many things that hold us back. Whatever it might be for us, we need to let go. This allows us to open ourselves to receive the very Jesus which ascended into his heavenly throne. Of course he left the Holy Spirit to be within us and to guide us and to bring us strength, especially during those troubled times in our lives.
We must “Go” from here to be what Jesus expects us to be, his messengers of the Good News. We come on Sunday to be refreshed and to be fed. Then we “GO” out into our world to spread the gospel message of love and forgiveness. As the gospel today tells us, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” This is our charge. We come to together on Sunday as the body and leave as the body with the Holy Spirit who gives us guidance, gives us wisdom. We are never alone.
I can’t help but go back to the beginning with the apostles staring into the sky. What they must have felt. But on that first Pentecost they received the Holy Spirit and they went out and followed Jesus’ command to “GO”. After many times of doubt, after many times of fear they finally got it. Have we finally got it?
Let us be open to receive the grace only God can give. Let the Holy Spirit live in us. Let us come and let us go and then, just maybe, each one of us will be remembered like this:
- I am my neighbor’s bible; he reads me when we meet.
- Today he reads me in my house, tomorrow in the street.
- He may a relative, a friend, or slight acquaintance be;
- He may not ever known my name, yet he is reading me.
My father and mother called me, “COME” and for many years of rearing finally told me, after I finally got it, to “GO”. In somewhat the same way though on a much higher spiritual plain. We are called by Jesus, “COME”.
So, we have COME. Now it is time for us to GO.