“AND KNOW THAT I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, YES TO THE END OF TIME.”
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Today’s celebration of the ascension of the risen Jesus, has Jesus making this profound promise, “And know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time.” Yes, although Jesus is risen and has ascended, he is with us through his Holy Spirit living in us.
But how is this happening and yet we are struggling with a pandemic and the threats of a more active hurricane season than usual. How do we know that he is with us? And what does that mean in reality? We know that he is with us because of our faith in him. We believe that he is true to his word. We believe that he is the only begotten Son of God and that he is faithful to his promises. It is this knowledge that he is indeed with us, that enables us to face each day and not be crushed by all the stress suffering and deaths around us.
Panic steps in or will occur whenever we no longer know that he is with us. In fact, he is with us not just for a moment but until the end of time which in fact is timeless. So, he is always with us because of, and through, our faith. That explains why in the Mass the words “The Lord be with you” are repeated many times. His presence is the grace that keeps us focused in hope. And that hope is not wishful thinking but confident expectation that life to the full will be ours one day. One day coming, we will greet and hug and celebrate in a new way.
In the meantime, let his promise keep echoing in our minds and hearts:
“And know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time.”
Have a blessed week.
Fr. Clement Paul Rev. Stephen Joseph
Parish Priest Parish Deacon.
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Today’s celebration of the ascension of the risen Jesus, has Jesus making this profound promise, “And know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time.” Yes, although Jesus is risen and has ascended, he is with us through his Holy Spirit living in us.
But how is this happening and yet we are struggling with a pandemic and the threats of a more active hurricane season than usual. How do we know that he is with us? And what does that mean in reality? We know that he is with us because of our faith in him. We believe that he is true to his word. We believe that he is the only begotten Son of God and that he is faithful to his promises. It is this knowledge that he is indeed with us, that enables us to face each day and not be crushed by all the stress suffering and deaths around us.
Panic steps in or will occur whenever we no longer know that he is with us. In fact, he is with us not just for a moment but until the end of time which in fact is timeless. So, he is always with us because of, and through, our faith. That explains why in the Mass the words “The Lord be with you” are repeated many times. His presence is the grace that keeps us focused in hope. And that hope is not wishful thinking but confident expectation that life to the full will be ours one day. One day coming, we will greet and hug and celebrate in a new way.
In the meantime, let his promise keep echoing in our minds and hearts:
“And know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time.”
Have a blessed week.
Fr. Clement Paul Rev. Stephen Joseph
Parish Priest Parish Deacon.
RSS Feed
