Sometimes we identify this small world of ours as the final horizon of our lives. The feast of the ascension invites us to breach the ceiling of our prejudices and belief systems that trap us into a small world. Once we break the ceiling, we are able to see the sky of divine possibilities and of living our life to the fullest.
On May 1, the parish of St. Joseph the Worker in Macau celebrated its 25th anniversary with reflections on the significance of Christ’s Ascension. The parish, founded in a once-unsafe area, has grown into a vibrant community, embodying the Church’s mission to be a sign of unity and communion with God.
This Sunday, we reflect on Jesus’ analogy of pruning the vine as a metaphor for the Christian life. Just as pruning promotes growth and yields better fruit in a vine, our faith must be rooted in Christ and lead to acts of charity.
In this reflection, we focus on the concept of leadership and education inspired by the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. We will further explore the importance of sacrificial service and nurturing care in leadership roles, whether in religious vocations or everyday professions like teaching and parenting.
Recognizing the sacredness of our everyday existence, both its joys and challenges, enables us to live more fully and purposefully. Rather than merely passing through life like “ghosts,” we are invited by the Risen Christ to embrace it with passion and meaning, as He did.
Every time we entrust our fear to God, and strive to overcome the forces of division and isolation through acts of mercy, we fully live the Grace we received at our Baptism. This Grace is stronger than the chaos we experience both within ourselves and in the world around us.
A kingdom has some features. Most significantly, it has a king, some subjects, a territory, and laws and regulations to govern. In the case of the kingdom of God, we know clearly that Christ is the king. His territory is the whole universe and is not limited to the divisions on the face of the earth drawn by people. What we need to do to belong to his kingdom is to live by the laws of his kingdom, which most predominantly is love. He enlists into his kingdom those who are willing to DIE FOR LOVE.
During Holy Week, we too, far from being holy, want to stand at the foot of the Cross with the un-haloed centurion and fix our eyes on Jesus. We too, like him, desire to discover God’s presence and mercy in the darkest corners of our hearts and of our world. And by doing so, step-by-step, as Mark taught us and as the catechumens have done in their journey toward baptism, we will enter Christ’s Resurrection.
Crucifixion was a punishment given to them by the governor. In contrast, that voluntary decision made by Jesus to undertake the suffering is what made it salvific. For suffering to become salvific, it must be voluntary and for love!
The passage today includes what is known as the golden verse in the Bible. The whole plan of redemption is summed up in John 3:16—God so loved the world as to give up his son to redeem humanity, to give us eternal life!