In celebration of the Fourth General Congress of the Union of the Catholic Apostolate, the Catholic Apostolate Center will share weekly homilies from the Congress. Homily for July 10, 2024 “Grant us to be instruments of peace and love, reflecting the love of Christ in every situation” The theme for our reflection and prayer today is, once again, taken from the Prayer in Preparation for the UAC General Congress. It is a very sincere prayer from our hearts: “Grant us to be instruments of peace and love, reflecting the love of Christ in every situation.” Every Pallottine is called to be an instrument of peace and love, by reflecting the love of Christ in every possible situation.
This prayer reminds of the famous prayer of the great Saint Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” It is a timeless expression of humility, love, and service to others. The prayer captures St. Francis’s commitment to peace, love and compassion, emphasizing virtues like forgiveness, understanding, and selflessness. It is also a reminder for all the members of the Union that they have to be genuinely involved in the affairs of the world. They have to be instruments of peace and love, fraternal communion and solidarity, through the exercise of forgiveness and compassion. They have to be healers and protectors of the widows and orphans. But all these things are to be done not on their own merit; they have to only reflect the love of Christ in every situation. The first reading from the book of Hosea reminds us that we can cease to be instruments of peace and love. Israel became like a luxuriant vine producing a lot of fruit. “The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; the richer his land became, the richer he made the sacred pillars. Theirs is a divided heart; now they will have to pay for it. He himself will hack down their altars and wreck their sacred pillars.” (Hosea 10:1-2) God destroyed the arrogance and the symbols of immortality. “Sow saving justice for yourselves, reap a harvest of faithful love; break up your fallow ground: it is time to seek out Yahweh until he comes to rain saving justice down on you.” (Hosea 10:12) Hence the invitation is to reap a harvest of love. In the Gospel passage of today, we see Jesus empowering the twelve disciples to reap the harvest of love, and proclaim the Kingdom of justice and love. “He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness.” (Matthew 10: 1-7) Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, the source of division and conflicts. The Kingdom of God will be marked by the values of communion, justice and peace. In this context the words of Saint Pope VI in Populorum Progressio (n.76) are very appropriate: “When we fight poverty and oppose the unfair conditions of the present, we are not just promoting human well-being; we are also furthering man's spiritual and moral development, and hence we are benefiting the whole human race. For peace is not simply the absence of warfare, based on a precarious balance of power; it is fashioned by efforts directed day after day toward the establishment of the ordered universe willed by God, with a more perfect form of justice among men.” Speaking of the mission of the Union of Catholic Apostolate in cooperation with all people of good will, living images of charity itself, n.16 of the General Statute identifies a number of areas for our engagement with the world, such as: protecting the values of human life and the family, working for the promotion of justice, solidarity, peace and protection of creation, encouraging inter-religious dialogue, and caring for the poor and needy. We have innumerable examples of our commitment to the needs of the people of God in our Pallottine Family. What we do for the poor and needy will be most meritorious before God. Without genuine commitment to acts of fraternal charity, the Union will always remain just a concept without flesh and blood. I conclude with these words of hope expressed by Pope Francis in his Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti: “I invite everyone to renewed hope, for hope 'speaks to us of something deeply rooted in every human heart, independently of our circumstances and historical conditioning. Hope speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a longing for a life of fulfillment, a desire to achieve great things, things that fill our heart and lift our spirit to lofty realities like truth, goodness and beauty, justice and love… Hope is bold; it can look beyond personal convenience, the petty securities and compensations which limit our horizon, and it can open us up to grand ideals that make life more beautiful and worthwhile.' Let us continue, then, to advance along the paths of hope.” (n.55) Amen. Fr. Jacob Nampudakam, S.A.C. UAC President
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When I was a young adult, my mom and I would discuss politics. When the discussion got heated, mom would say, “I totally disagree with you, but I will defend to my death your right to say it.” I was baffled; annoyed that she ended the debate but also affirmed. A close read of the Declaration of Independence helps me understand the depth and significance of what my mom meant. The Declaration of Independence is 1,337 words long, written by a committee of five with Thomas Jefferson, a delegate from Virginia, as the principal author. It was 1776; the Continental Congress had convened in Philadelphia and Jefferson drafted the declaration in his boarding room. Independence is not declared until the last paragraph. As the summation of the rationale for independence, this paragraph is worthy of our attention and consideration. 1. The delegates declare they are representatives of the colonies assembled “in congress.” 2. They appeal to “the Supreme Judge of the world” for the moral rightness of their action. 3. They speak in the name, and with the authority of, “the good People of these Colonies.” 4. They declare the colonies “free and independent states” severing all ties to the King of England and “the State of Great Britain.” 5. They declare that they have all the rights of an independent state. 6. Finally, in support of this declaration, our founding fathers, “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence,” mutually pledged “to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” I believe it was this mutual pledge, a pledge of life, fortune, and sacred honor, that my mom was getting at in our debates. We can disagree and debate vigorously if, and only if, we have a bond that connects us to each other deeper, and greater, than either of us. It is this mutuality that we must reclaim as citizens of the United States of America. When our founding fathers unanimously approved the Declaration of Independence on July 2nd, and then signed it on July 4, 1776, they were committing treason. They shifted their allegiance from the King of England to each other. Our founding fathers were far from perfect, but they were people of faith and principle. They had a clear, even reluctant, rationale for independence. Most of us know the beginning of the second paragraph, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” God gives all individuals equality and the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these God-given rights, humans create governments that derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The divine “right” is given to each person, not to a king. Consequently, when a government no longer secures these rights, then it is the right of the people; “it is their duty,” to “throw off” the abusive government and create a new one. Based on these principles, the founding fathers – as if they were prosecuting a case before a world court of independent states – identified 27 charges against the King of England. They concluded this list of charges with two additional paragraphs. One where they chronicle the many ways they attempted to address these grievances directly with the King. The second is on their efforts to engage their “brethren.” So, the second paragraph is the rationale based on the rights God gives to everyone, then the 27 grievances, paragraph three chronicles their appeal to the King, fourth is an appeal to their “brethren,” and the fifth and final paragraph is the declaration of independence. What about the first paragraph? It serves as a preamble. Independence breaks the bond with one country and establishes a new one, which “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them.” Respect for the “opinions of mankind” require that this new nation “declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” This review of the Declaration of Independence helped me appreciate what mom taught me fifty years ago. It has renewed my faith in the founding principles of our country – faith in God, equality, unalienable rights, the responsibility to create a government that secures those rights, and our pledge of mutuality. As Catholics we understand mutuality through the principle of solidarity which is grounded in the incarnation itself, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Pope Francis, in Fratelli Tutti (no. 66), encourages us to “rediscover our vocation as citizens” because we are “called to direct society to the pursuit of the common good.” Our bishops, in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (2023), applied this truth to our country. “The perennial role of the Church in public life is proclaiming timeless principles: the infinite worth and dignity of every human life, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiary.” Democracy is not for the faint of heart. As Catholics, we wholeheartedly embrace the challenges and the promise of democracy because we believe it is only possible through faith – in God and each other.
In celebration of the Fourth General Congress of the Union of the Catholic Apostolate, the Catholic Apostolate Center will share weekly homilies from the Congress. Homily for July 3, 2024 “Rekindle in our hearts the commitment to be tireless missionary disciples of Jesus Christ” (From the prayer for the fourth General Congress) Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Pallottine Family,
We have taken the theme for our reflection today from the prayer for the fourth General Congress: “Rekindle in our hearts the commitment to be tireless missionary disciples of Jesus Christ.” This theme is very relevant today as we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle of India. He was indeed a tireless missionary disciple of Jesus who expressed his total commitment to the Risen Lord through his confession “My Lord and My God.” Saint Thomas the Apostle, also known as Didymus, meaning "Twin," was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus who is best known for doubting the resurrection of Jesus and demanding to feel Jesus' wounds before being convinced (John 20:24-29). This story is the origin of the term "Doubting Thomas." After seeing Jesus alive, Thomas professed his faith in Jesus, exclaiming "My Lord and my God!" presenting one of the first clear declarations of Christ's divinity. Southern India had maritime trade with the West since ancient times. Egyptian and Roman trade with India flourished in the first century. There existed flourishing trade in spices, pearls, diamonds and silk between Rome and Southern India. According to tradition, St. Thomas landed in Kodungallur, Kerala, India in 52 A.D. It is believed that St. Thomas established the "Seven and Half Churches." Here is the beginning of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church in India. I myself come from this Church, following the Syriac liturgical tradition. The tradition holds that St. Thomas was martyred during prayer by a spearing on the “Big Hill” near Madras, and was buried in Mylapore, on the east coast of India. Ultimately, St. Thomas’ remains were transported to Ortona, Italy, where they reside today. Thus, the so called "doubting Thomas" died a martyr for his faith. He became a messenger of the Gospel to India, a missionary who shed his own blood for the Master whom he encountered on that day. His insistence on touching the Holy Wounds presented the Disciple John another opportunity to explain for all of us the implications of the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thomas's response in his beautiful encounter with the Risen Lord, "My Lord and My God" reveals the heart of prayer. It also speaks to the essence of faith. His proclamation is a call to adoration and a living communion with God. St. Thomas was not a doubter, rather he was a believer. Pope St. Gregory the Great who occupied the Chair of Peter between 590 and 604 preached a marvelous homily on this encounter between Thomas and the Risen Lord. In it he asked: "What conclusion, dear brethren, do you come to? Surely it was not by chance that this chosen disciple, was missing in the first place? Or that on his return he heard, that hearing he doubted, that doubting he touched, and that touching he believed? God's Mercy worked wonderfully, for when that doubting disciple touched his Master's wounded flesh he cured the wound of our disbelief. So this doubting disciple, who actually touched, became a witness to the reality of the resurrection." Thus St. Thomas teaches us how to become a tireless missionary disciple of Jesus. The foundation to missionary discipleship is Baptism. As Pope Francis says, “Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are 'disciples' and 'missionaries,' but rather that we are always 'missionary disciples.'” (Joy of the Gospel, n. 120) The history of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, like many other Congregations, shows that it was the missionary venture of one or two missionaries that led to the development of our charism in an entire country or even continent. Just one missionary went to Cameroun and Poland and today we have big Pallottine communities in those countries. Two German missionaries arrived in India in 1951 and today the Pallottines are a strong presence in this country. The Gospel is preached and millions of people are served. This is the story also of the entire Church. When the Union of Catholic Apostolate is composed of such missionary disciples of Jesus, who “are determined to remain united with the crucified and Risen Christ ever present among them,” (cfr. General Statute, n.19) it will truly be a spiritual, apostolic force in the Church. As members of the Union of Catholic Apostolate, we are all called to be missionary disciples of Jesus. We become a missionary to the extent we have experienced the love of God in Christ Jesus. Once we have touched the wounds of the Risen Lord, we go out as missionaries like St. Thomas the Apostle to bear witness to the power of the Resurrection and become healers of a broken humanity. I conclude with this prayer of St. Vincent Pallotti: “My Jesus, anyone who does not love you cannot live. May all the love of eternity, and if possible, all the love of infinite eternities, be mine in every moment for all eternity. For infinite eternities, be mine in every moment for all eternity. I be nothing but all the flames of love. My the passion of my Jesus and the sorrows of Mary be my book of all eternity, and fire and flames.” (OOCC X 226-227) Amen. Fr. Jacob Nampudakam, S.A.C. UAC President It seems that there is something innate in our yearning for summer. As a child and student, I longed for the last day of school when I could trade in my early morning alarms and textbooks for sleeping in and spending time with friends. While summers in adulthood do not usher in quite the same change of schedule or freedom from responsibilities, I nonetheless eagerly await them. What is it that stirs this desire for summertime within us? What lessons of summertime can we bring into our spiritual lives? In the bustle of daily life it can be hard to find time for any rest, let alone that which truly restores and invigorates us. It is good that we work and labor, but we were not created for that alone. Jesus tells us, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) We can find this rest firstly in times of silence and prayer with our Lord. And, I think we can also find it in the long days of summer. The extra hours of sunlight or the extra days of vacation provide opportunities to lay our burdens of busyness down at the Lord’s feet. Far from eschewing or running away from responsibilities, these times of rest create opportunities to live out the rhythm of work and rest God desires for us. If summer affords you a bit more time to slow down, take some of these moments to reflect on how you can reorder your days to find a balance of work and rest to live throughout the year. How is the Lord calling you to deeper rest this summer? For many people the shorter, colder days of winter can be difficult to endure. The desire for the light of summer is tinged with a spiritual longing for a reprieve from the dreariness of winter. We can lift our faces to the sun after months of bundling up and hunching our shoulders against the cold. As composites of body and soul, these changes in the seasons do not just affect our activities, but translate to our emotional and spiritual lives too. While winter may have lent itself to a quiet reflectiveness or melancholy, the light of summer can incline our spirits towards a renewed levity. Even in the heaviest days of winter we know that summer will indeed come; just as in the heavy days of life we know that Christ’s promises of joy will be fulfilled. Have you noticed that your mood or prayer shifts with the seasons? What hopes are you bringing from the winter depths into this new season of light and warmth? In all the seasons we experience, whether naturally or interiorly, we are invited to praise and give thanks to God: a task we all know is easier said than done. One beauty of warm, sunny days is that they make that praise a bit easier to offer. It seems to me that we do not have to look quite as far to find joy as we may in the colder months. Summer wells up in us an awareness of God’s goodness. We can simply listen to the waves crashing at the beach, take in a perfect summer sunset, or revel in an afternoon spent outside with good friends. While the earth sings its summer song to the Lord, we can sing our song to Him too (see Psalm 96). As we continue through the summer months, take time to slow down and praise God in the goodness of the season. In what splendors of summer do you receive God’s love and glimpse His care for you? Despite all our longings for summer, it can often feel like it slips by too fast. This summer, which only just began seven days ago, I invite you to slow down and rest, shed the layers of life that can weigh us down, and open your heart to notice and receive all the goodness the Lord has in store for you in this season. In celebration of the Fourth General Congress of the Union of the Catholic Apostolate, the Catholic Apostolate Center will share weekly homilies from the Congress. UAC – In view of a New Horizon Homily for the Holy Mass on June 26, 2024 “You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48) Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Pallottine Family,
It was Saint Pope Paul VI who wrote down these words in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandii (n.41) “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” Evangelization becomes most powerful when one is able to witness to the Risen Lord through his or her very life. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to bear witness to the power of the Risen Lord. These words were spoken by the Risen Jesus to his disciples just before his Ascension into heaven: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) In his message for World Mission Day 2022, based on the Scripture theme “You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8) Pope Francis said: “They are sent by Jesus to the world not only to carry out, but also and above all to live the mission entrusted to them; not only to bear witness, but also and above all to be witnesses of Christ. In the moving words of the Apostle Paul, 'we are always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.' (2 Corinthians 4:10) The essence of the mission is to bear witness to Christ, that is, to his life, passion, death and resurrection for the love of the Father and of humanity.” Pope Francis added in the same message, “In the final analysis, then, the true witness is the “martyr,” the one who gives his or her life for Christ, reciprocating the gift that he has made to us of himself. “The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 264) In our own Pallottine Family, the martyrdom of Blessed Jozef Stanek, Blessed Jozef Jankowski, Blessed Richard Henkes and our five Argentinean Martyrs are touching examples of witnessing to Christ and his Gospel by shedding their blood. As members of the Union, how do we witness to the Risen Lord? As individuals and as a Spiritual Family, how can we respond to this theme of the Congress? As today’s Gospel passage (cfr. Matthew 7:15-20) tells us, a sound tree produces good fruit; any tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown to fire. We can always know a tree by its fruits. What kind of fruits do we expect from the members of the Union? We are going to organize an international Congress in Rome. Certainly that is a good fruit. We support many social projects around the world. We have spread the charism of Pallotti in as many as 56 countries around the world and are serving God’s people. These are all good fruits. What does our founder teach us about the most fundamental spiritual principles that should inspire and guide our personal lives and apostolic activities? “You have the Gospel and this is enough.” These words of St. Vincent express his whole attitude and approach regarding spiritual life. His simple message is to follow Christ as presented in the Gospel. Meditating on the Gospel, St. Vincent was inspired by the mission of Jesus who was sent by the Father for our salvation. So, “Jesus as the Apostle of the Father” was the center of Pallottti’s meditation and imitation. The interiorization of Christ led to holiness of life and a generous involvement in the universal apostolate which is the disposition of Christ towards his mission. For perfection and apostolate interpenetrate one another so much that there is not one without the other. The best example of living them together is Jesus, Apostle of the Father. Thus Pallotti’s spiritual tenets and teachings aimed at forming the “apostolic man,” in that unity of contemplation and action achieved by the model Jesus. He proposed the Daily Practical Memorandum to help his followers to have their eyes fixed on Jesus, daily and practically. The motto “The Love of Christ impels us” must give us Christlike motivation. As members of the Union, “we are witnesses of these things.” We are witnesses of Jesus, Apostle of the Father and His work of salvation. As the entire Church is engaged in the synodal journey, as Pallottines, we are all the more called to witness to a Church of participation, a community of communion and a group of missionary disciples. These are core elements of our charism as well. Finally, I share with you a very concrete example of Christian witnessing from a member of the Union. Mr. Gerard Joseph, of 56 years old, died of a massive heart attack on 13 June 2024 in Bangalore India. He was an active member of the Union for years. As per his wish and supported by his family, his eyes were donated, giving sight to four persons. His skin was also offered for drafting for needy persons. There are many members of the Union in Bangalore who have signed such organ donation contracts. These are concrete actions of fraternal charity, motivated by the love of Christ and inspired by St. Vincent Pallotti. Let’s pray today that we may all become witnesses to the Risen Lord and his Gospel in our daily lives. Amen. Fr. Jacob Nampudakam, S.A.C. UAC President In celebration of the Fourth General Congress of the Union of the Catholic Apostolate, the Catholic Apostolate Center will share weekly homilies from the Congress. Holy Eucharistic Celebration in Preparation for the UAC General Congress Church of San Salvatore in Onda, Rome, June 19, 2024 Theme: “With Christ, our hope, we set out again together with joy and hope renewed.” Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Pallottine Family,
As we gather together to pray for the entire Pallotttine Family, and for the forthcoming UAC General Congress in particular, I wish to begin by sharing with you two quotations about the power of prayer. “Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness,” said St. John Chrysostom. Pope Francis once said: “Our strength is prayer and the prayer of the humble person is the weakness of God. The Lord is weak only in this one sense. He is weak before the prayers of His people.” We are very busy with the preparations for the IV General Congress of the UAC scheduled to take place in Rome from 25th to 31st July 2024. Naturally, there are many practical things to do and some of us are really working hard for its successful conduct. However, we realize that the most powerful spiritual tool before us is prayer for the blessings of God for the Union and for the Congress in particular. Following the words of St. Chrysostom, and knowing that prayer is the place of refuge for every worry and the foundation for cheerfulness, we wish to celebrate the Holy Eucharist at the altar of St. Vincent on every Wednesday until the 24th July 2024, together with the entire Pallottine Family, and pray for the success of the General Congress. We pray that this international event may contribute to the life of the Union by creating the sense of communion among us and by producing good apostolic fruits for the Universal Church. Today we reflect on the main theme of the Congress itself: “With Christ, our hope, we set out again together with joy and hope renewed.” This is a theme chosen after a long process of discernment during the last General Coordination Council Meeting of the Union in 2022. The Biblical text that inspired the participants was the Emmaus experiences of the two disciples, as described by the Evangelist Luke (24: 13-35). The two disciples were running away from Jerusalem, totally disappointed and disillusioned after the death of Jesus. The Risen Lord came into their midst, walked with them, and explained the Scriptures about the true mission of the Messiah. Finally during the breaking of the Bread, they recognized the Risen Lord. They were filled with joy and a renewed hope and returned to Jerusalem to recount all that happened. They declared that Jesus was Risen Indeed. Their sadness turned into joy; their disillusionment turned into the Easter hope. Addressing the moderators and delegates of the Associations and Ecclesial Movements during the meeting on 13 June 2024, in which three of us from the Union also participated, Pope Francis spoke of three “synodal virtues that can derive from a spiritual conversion: thinking as God thinks, overcoming exclusiveness, and cultivating humility.” I share with you the thoughts of Pope Francis that can help us also to have the correct vision and spiritual attitudes within the UAC, leading to a renewed hope and a greater development within our Spiritual Family. The following are the thoughts of the Holy Father. First: thinking as God thinks. This is the primary interior change that is asked of us: to move beyond “merely human thought” to embrace the “thought of God.” Before making any decision, before starting any program, any apostolate, any mission within the Church, we should ask ourselves: what does God want from me, what does God want from us, at this moment, in this situation? Is what I envision, what we as a group have in mind, truly aligned with the “thought of God”? Let us remember that the Holy Spirit is the protagonist of the synodal journey, not we ourselves: he alone teaches us to listen to the voice of God, individually and as a Church. God is always greater than our ideas, greater than prevailing mindsets and the “ecclesial fashions” of the day, even the charism of our particular group or movement. Therefore, let us never presume that we are “in tune” with God: rather, let us continually strive to rise above ourselves and embrace God’s perspective, not that of men and women. This is the first great challenge. Thinking as God thinks. Second: overcoming exclusiveness. Please, let us be wary of the temptation of the “closed circle.” These are challenges for us: limiting ourselves to what our “circle” thinks, being convinced that what we do is right for everyone, and defending, perhaps inadvertently, positions, prerogatives, or the prestige of the “group.” Alternatively, we could also be impeded by the fear of losing our sense of belonging and identity by opening up to other people and differing viewpoints, which stems from failing to recognize diversity as an opportunity rather than a threat. These are “enclosures” in which we all risk imprisonment. Let us be attentive: our own group, our own spirituality are realities that help us journey with the People of God, but they are not privileges, for there is the danger of ending up imprisoned in these enclosures. Thirdly and finally: cultivating humility. Here we understand that the starting point of spiritual conversion must be humility, the gateway to all virtues. It saddens me when I encounter Christians who boast: because I am priest from this place, or because they are lay people from that place, because I am from this institution... This is a bad thing. Humility is the door, the beginning. It compels us to scrutinize our intentions: what do I really seek in my relationships with my brothers and sisters in faith? Why do I pursue certain initiatives within the Church? If we detect a hint of pride or arrogance within us, then let us ask for the grace to rediscover humility. Indeed, only the humble accomplish great things in the Church for they have a solid foundation in the love of God, which never fails, and therefore they do not seek further recognition. This phase of spiritual conversion is also fundamental for building a synodal Church: only the humble person esteems others and welcomes their contribution, advice, inner richness, bringing out not their own “I”, but the “we” of the community. It is the humble who safeguard communion in the Church, avoiding divisions, overcoming tensions, knowing how to set aside their own initiatives in order to contribute to joint projects. In serving, they find joy and not frustration or resentment. Living synodality, at every level, is truly impossible without humility. I want to say once again, in order to emphasize the role of ecclesial movements: ecclesial movements are for service, not for ourselves. Ecclesial movements are meant to serve the Church, they are not a message in themselves, an ecclesial centrality. They are for service. Always think about this: my membership in an ecclesial movement, is it in the association or is it in the Church? It is in my movement, in my association for the Church, as a “step” to help the Church. Movements closed in on themselves, however, should be eliminated, they are not ecclesial. The above words of the Holy Father resonate the mysticism of St. Vincent Pallotti. He prayed: “Lord, destroy my life and let your life be my life.” He loved the Church and wished to form missionary disciples impelled by the love of Christ. Pallotti was the man of humility, poverty and service. Ego clash, domination, prejudices, exclusiveness etc., destroy the works of the Union. Hence the great need for spiritual conversion in all of us. There is an interesting episode mentioned in today’s first reading which can also give a key to a renewed hope within the Union. Elijah was about to be taken up to heaven. At that point Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” And Elisha received a double share of the spirit of Elijah. He took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When Elisha had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other; and he went over (cfr. 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14). On this day, trusting in the great power of prayer, we too ask God for a double share of the spirit of St. Vincent Pallotti, that is the spirit of Jesus, the Apostle of the Eternal Father. May the UAC General Congress be an occasion to relive and celebrate this spirit and charism of St. Vincent in great humility, always in service of the People of God. Amen. Jacob Nampudakam, S.A.C. UAC President ![]() God provides. Relying on Jesus means that we trust that God provides. Provides what? Not everything we want, the way we want it, and when we want it. No, God provides what we need, the way we need it, and when we need it, even if we cannot see it at the time. Living life for a length of time often teaches us to see and trust in this way. The alternative is simply reliance on self which can lead to bitterness and damage to ourselves and others. Relying on Jesus means that we trust that he, as God, is working 100%, offering us the grace to persevere, even during times of great challenge. He laid down his life for us on the Cross, so that we might experience the fullness of God providing for us, the opportunity for Eternal Life. We are called to trust in God who provides. While presented here as seemingly simple, it is not. We like to feel as if we are in control of our lives and destiny. It is hard to surrender ourselves to Christ and rely on him. Faith gives us the ability to do it. The charity of Christ offers us the grace of faith, since God always wills our good in ways that we often do not expect or imagine. God provides. Let us rely on Jesus Christ. May the charity of Christ urge us on! In God, the Infinite Love, Fr. Frank
Like many of us, one of the prayers I learned growing up was the prayer to St. Anthony – “St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around. Something is lost and must be found.” I put St. Anthony on the back shelf through my teenage years and into adulthood, but as I aged, I realized more and more that I need help and guidance to live a good and faithful life. One day, while I was traveling, I left an expensive set of headphones on a plane. I did not realize it until later in the day when I was checking my briefcase in preparation for a meeting. It would be days before I could return to the airport. I trusted those earphones into St. Anthony’s capable hands. Three days later, I arrived late to the airport, went to my gate, remembered my prayer to St. Anthony, had time to go to the lost and found, and there were my headphones. Since then, I have relied on St. Anthony numerous times to find my phone, keys, or that elusive book. I must confess, I am a bit shy sharing my emerging devotion to St. Anthony. It borders on superstition, no? Superstition is when I believe that what I do – say a prayer – causes St. Anthony to act. The saints contemplate God, praise him, and “constantly care for those whom they have left on earth.” (CCC 2683) Evoking St. Anthony does not change God. It changes me. The more I learn about St. Anthony (1195-1231), the more I want to know. He was born into wealth and privilege, joined the Augustinians at a young age and, at 19, was ordained and served as the guest master. That is how he met the Franciscans. He was drawn to their life of mission to the poor. He immersed himself in scripture and, just by happenstance, was discovered to be a remarkable preacher. Eventually, St. Francis (1181-1226) himself entrusted the formation of the Franciscans in theological studies to Anthony – balancing the rigors of the academy with the simplicity of the Franciscan life. After the general chapter in 1226, he was made Provincial Superior of northern Italy and settled in the city of Padua. In 1228 he served as the Franciscan envoy to Pope Gregory IX. His preaching was so amazing, he was commissioned to produce a collection of his homilies. There are many miracles attributed to St. Anthony. There are two that I find particularly compelling. Anthony had a book of psalms that was very important to him. He wrote notes in it to help him instruct his students. A novice, who decided to leave the order, took it. St. Anthony prayed for its return. Not only did the thief return the book, but he also returned to the community. The Eucharistic miracle attributed to St. Anthony occurred when he was challenged by a heretic about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The heretic brought a hungry mule and showed him fresh fodder. St. Anthony brought a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament. The mule ignored the fodder and bowed before the Blessed Sacrament. St. Anthony became ill with ergotism, a disease caused by a fungus found in rye and other cereals. He went to a woodland retreat to recover and died on his way back to Padua on June 13, 1231. More and more I am asking St. Anthony to “come around” to guide me in my own ministry within the church, my family life, and my daily life in these uncertain times. My prayer is that we will take the time to “come around” to St. Anthony and learn from this remarkable saint. He can guide us in rooting our lives in the scripture, cultivating a deep love for the Eucharist, and living a life spent in service to others. I will still ask St. Anthony to help me find my headphones – but I will also ask him to help me “hear” the word of God and act on it. **This photo is from: https://aleteia.org/2019/12/21/why-is-st-anthony-of-padua-depicted-holding-the-child-jesus**
My fiancé and I have been planning our wedding since we got engaged in February 2023, and we are soon approaching our June wedding. We are so excited to begin our lives together and get married! As we were making important decisions for our wedding, we knew that it was important for us to have a Catholic ceremony in a church. We are both very active in our faith and felt that our wedding would not be complete if we chose to have a secular ceremony. We have found, through our wedding preparation process, that our faith has grown together. As we are planning our wedding, we have begun traditions that we would like to carry onto our own family one day. For example, always saying Grace before meals, making sure to attend weekly Mass, and being more vocal about our faith and our beliefs. We did most of these things before we got engaged, but now, it feels like these small tasks are the building blocks for the foundation of our family. In the Archdiocese of Washington, a couple must attend a marriage preparation course that is held by the Archdiocese. To be honest, we were not exactly thrilled to have to attend, as we are fairly active Catholics, and we had been dating for close to five years before getting engaged. We felt that we had all the difficult conversations before we got engaged, such as finances, living situations, and children. But, we knew that it was a task that we had to complete, so we obliged. We spent two full days in these sessions, and while there were a handful of sessions that felt less applicable or engaging to us, we did end up enjoying the course. As both of us lost all our grandparents before the age of 25, it was really great to hear from the older couples on their experience through their own marriages. It is not something that I would have thought to ask my grandparents before they passed when I was in high school, so hearing from the older perspectives was a joy. We loved hearing about how they have made their faith a priority throughout their lives, during good times and bad, and how their faith is the foundation of what makes their marriage so successful. It also made me think “Wow, that is (God willing) going to be us someday; what do we want our marriage to look like now, at the beginning, so we can get to this point someday?” Another part of our marriage preparation has been completing the FOCCUS Survey. Both of us filled out the questionnaire separately, and in a meeting with our priest, we went over the responses to see where we agreed and disagreed. It was insightful as we really had to think about our partner and about their qualities - good and bad. We did agree on a lot of the same things, and those where we disagreed, we were able to discuss our viewpoints and come to an understanding as to why we answered one way or another. It was a good affirmation of our relationship and values, and that while similar, we can have different opinions, but as long as we are in understanding of them, and respect each other, it is good to think differently. We have enjoyed our marriage preparation process and really have felt that it has brought us closer together in our relationship with each other, and also in our relationship with the Lord. As we are in the final stretch before our wedding, please pray for my fiancé and I as we enter into our marriage covenant together!
Have you ever considered what it would have been like to be a member of the Church in the first few centuries? Jesus would have been fresh in peoples’ memories, but the rich Christian tradition we have today would have only just been taking shape. Those early followers of Christ would have been interpreting what Jesus’ teachings meant and figuring out how to live them out in their daily lives, both individually and communally. It was in this context that St. Justin Martyr, an early Christian convert and apologist who lived in modern day Israel from about 100-165 AD, lived. St. Justin is well known for his First Apology, which he wrote to the Roman emperor, Antoninus Titus, as a defense and explanation of Christianity. This text not only gives us insight to what it was like when the Church was taking shape, but it also provides a rich insight into how we can live as Christians to this day.
1) Being Christians in name and deed St. Justin knew as well as anyone today that it is much easier to say you are a Christian than it is to truly live as one. He wanted the emperor to truly understand what Christianity was and Who it was founded upon, to not base his opinions on the popular zeitgeist: “For from a name neither praise nor punishment could reasonably spring, unless something excellent or base in action be proved.” (Ch. IV) For us today, we live in a world where the name “Christian” can carry so many different connotations. It depends on each of us to “prove something excellent” in our actions. Besides claiming the name Christian, are we living and worshiping in a way that reflects this privileged name? 2) How to live as Christians Whether Christians in the first century or in the 21st century, we are called to live for God and His eternal kingdom above all else. With his eyes focused on Heaven, St. Justin was able to accept persecutions because he understood that his earthly life was temporary. He encouraged others to “imitate the excellences which reside in [God], temperance, and justice, and philanthropy.” (Ch. X) Rather than the material offerings sacrificed at the time, St. Justin wanted to make an offering of his life by setting aside his own will and taking up God’s ways. Rather than imitating the pagan gods, he wanted to become deified by “living near to God in holiness and virtue.” (Ch. XXIII) While our settings may be different today, we can still practice the patience, love, and charity towards others that St. Justin encouraged. 3) Christian Community Throughout the Apology, St. Justin is not just preaching about individual Christians, but the whole Christian community. From the beginning, the necessity of community was always understood. It was through one another that they would receive the faith, be converted, and persevere in the faith. Rather than worship alone, the early Christians understood the need to come together. The faithful would gather to offer prayers for one another to be “found good citizens and keepers of the commandments.” (Ch LXV) They would celebrate the Eucharist in remembrance of Christ’s passion and for their own nourishment. They would collect money to be distributed for the needs among them. Rather than seeing this early form of the Mass as a Sunday obligation, it was the fitting response to their new life in Christ. We too can embrace this view of community as the place we offer God fitting worship and truly practice our faith. While today most of us are blessed to not fear extreme persecution or martyrdom, we do still have the freedom and responsibility to make the choice for God and the good daily. Through the intercession of St. Justin, may we be strengthened to boldly profess and live out our faith. **This image is from: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/contributors/st-justin-martyr-on-the-eucharist-and-the-ancient-mass/ Growing up in the 90’s meant a lot of time with family movie nights, being ridiculously goofy before social media was a thing, and quoting some classic cartoons. There is one that stands out: Peanuts. Some of the characters include Charlie Brown, Sally, Linus, Lucy, and, of course, there is Schroeder. Although those are some of my favorites, the cast was big and the movies and episodes covered a variety of topics and seasonal fun for all. We’d sometimes quote various parts (as one does) in our regular conversations, like when Charlie Brown says, “Good Grief” anytime he is dismayed, or when Sally asks for gifts for Christmas, “Just send money, how about 10s and 20s?” The music, written by Vincent Anthony Guaraldi, is catchy and helps tell a story, plus the character that plays the piano, Schroeder, provides the friends a chance to dance to the theme song. My brother learned that song when we were kids and he played it every single chance he had - just like his favorite character Schroeder. You see, Jon Kirby was the type of musical genius that, once he learned to play piano, could hear a song and teach himself to play it. He read music, saw music, and felt music, and Peanuts songs were some of his favorites to play. Later, when he began writing music of his own, he penned something so whimsical, that it required 21 hands to play it. Every pianist who had the honor of playing it told him how fun it was to play something so silly yet jazzy, and I am certain that was some homage to Guaraldi. Tragically, my brother passed away in November of 2023 from an unexpected heart condition, and I have been grieving his loss every day since then. I am coming to terms with accepting it more as time goes on and I am seeking help for healing, but it has been hard and sad and terrible to endure. Someone full of so much life to live, suddenly gone and taken.
Grief is a weird thing, it makes people act differently and no one quite knows how to do it “right.” Am I grieving enough? Is my grieving showy? Should I take time to spend on how I am feeling or do I keep pushing through? Do I talk about it or not talk about it? How can praying help and if it helps, how will I know? What is up and what is down, and why do people care about ridiculous things when my loved one is gone? These are all thoughts and feelings one might have, and when you peel away all these questions, it reveals the sad human who has been met with an atrocious reality. There has been a tragic loss and we are sad, angry, anxious, scared, heartbroken, and scarred from it. Our mind tries to make sense of it, but we cannot. Our hearts seek answers and we are often left without any. Our bodies are here while our focus is stuck on this tragic loss and it is hard to turn our fixated selves to other things. For me in this time of grief, I have been letting myself cry whenever I need to. I have been reaching out to family and friends to talk and share stories, but where do I go from here? A friend of mine Sarah Frances, who has had her share of grief in the past decade, lost both of her parents and still maintains a life of joy and fun and work and remembering. She is inspiring. I asked what advice she had for me and I thought her words were profound: “When you lose someone it is never the right time. But one of the greatest connections that we have to every single person is that we all go through this at some point and [someone] knows almost exactly what you are feeling.” She went on to say, “It does not matter if you lose someone you love, hate, tolerate, are related to…loss hurts, but you are not alone.” You are not alone. She is right that I am not alone, even if the pain feels like no one else could understand. Some people understand. I have been surrounded by so many loved ones and friends and acquaintances who have checked in and offered support. I have heard from people who I have never met, but who knew Jon. It’s been humbling and lovely, but painful and heartbreaking too. The community that has surrounded not just me, but my dad and my sisters, and his wife and her family, is just so full of love and I cry thinking about how grateful I am for all of it. The love from others is what got me through some days, like my husband who lets me just sob some nights and I know he will always hear me out when I am having a hard time with it, comforting me with a warm embrace. Even my little 4 year old has now experienced grief, and keeps me moving forward while remembering happy times. It is all hard, but it is good to have a village to go through it with. Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This connects it all for me. I have felt Christ in so many people. I feel strengthened in knowing that I am not alone in not only my grief, but my grieving journey, my faith journey, and the people walking alongside me in life. I am seeking God and finding God in the people and the kindness, and to me, this feels like “good grief” if that could be a thing. Life is hard. We can do it. Good grief! ![]() Cascia, the city of St. Rita, whose feast day is today, is a beautiful mountainous place in the region of Umbria in Italy. Its natural beauty obscures a violent past, which St. Rita experienced in her own life through the violent deaths of her husband and sons. Violence continues in our world in many different ways. One way is the violence that is done through lack of care of our common home, all of creation, including human beings. Pope Francis tells us in Laudato Si’: “Sin is manifest in all its destructive power in wars, the various forms of violence and abuse, the abandonment of the most vulnerable, and attacks on nature” (66). St. Rita forgave those who killed her husband and sons. She worked for reconciliation. Today, in Cascia and shrines in honor of her throughout the world, the work of reconciliation is a hallmark. We need to ask ourselves how we are reconciling the sins that Pope Francis identifies. The Pope reminds us that “everything is related, and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother river and mother earth” (Laudato Si’, 92). May the charity of Christ urge us on! In God, the Infinite Love, Fr. Frank
“This [the Feast of Pentecost] was to show that just as God in creating man had, as Holy Scripture expresses it, breathed into him the breath of life, so too in communicating a new life to his disciples to live only by grace, he breathed into them his divine Spirit to give them some share in his own divine life. The Spirit of God also ought to come and to rest upon you on this sacred day, to make it possible for you to live and to act only by the Spirit’s action in you. Draw him within you by offering him a well-disposed heart.” — St. John Baptist De LaSalle, Meditation 43.1 Every year at Pentecost, the Church celebrates its birthday, and this year — assuming Christ died in 33 A.D. — the Church will be celebrating its 1,991st birthday. That is 1,991 years of preaching, teaching, and pastoral care for the many and diverse people of God. Each day, I work with ninth and tenth graders in a Catholic high school, teaching them about Sacred Scripture and the Catholic Church. While teaching my sophomores about Church History, I continually receive similar questions: “How did the Church care for its people?” “Why did the Church do that when it seems so wrong by today’s standards?” These questions got me thinking about the Church’s choices in caring for the people of God across history and led me to teach Church history by contextualizing Pastoral Decisions within the historical context of the time period. This led my students to a deeper understanding of the ancient, medieval, and modern ages of the Church. I began this blog post with a quote from St. John Baptist de LaSalle on the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles at Pentecost because the same Spirit and gifts have guided the Church since that day. In the early Church, the Holy Spirit guided the Apostles to go out from Jerusalem and preach to the people where they were already living their daily lives. Acts of the Apostles discusses Peter and other Apostles preaching in the Temple in Jerusalem, entering the homes of Gentiles, and traveling to cities across the Roman Empire to speak in public spaces. These first missions sought to bring Jesus’s Gospel message to people in their own cultural context, made possible by the Holy Spirit’s gift of being able to speak various languages from Pentecost. The early Church focused its sacramental life on the “breaking of the bread” or Mass, most likely occurring in people’s homes and dining areas in their preferred language, as seen in the Road to Emmaus story. These personal invitations to the Faith yielded great results and the founding of Christian communities across the Roman Empire. These localized communities, however, soon began to consolidate with new pastoral goals and programs in the aftermath of Constantine’s Edict of Milan which legalized Christian worship, and the subsequent shift of Roman religion from paganism to Catholicism. With Catholicism becoming the state religion of the Roman Empire, the Church gradually became a more established institution. Part of this was the adoption of the use of Latin in public liturgy. Since Catholics could now worship in newly founded Basilicas and Churches, a common liturgical language was needed to cater to all members of Roman society. Additionally, when the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D., effectively breaking up the empire into states ruled by different ethnic groups across Europe, the Church stepped in as a stabilizing institution to help govern and rule a fractured continent. The necessities of common liturgical practices and a united Faith leadership led the Church to influence secular medieval and Renaissance rulers. Many in society today — including my students — look at this era of the Church as the height of Catholic control and corruption, and there were several corrupt leaders within the Church. Nevertheless, when shown as a unifying agent of society — with positive and influential leaders like St. Francis of Assisi, St. Dominic Guzman, and St. Thomas Aquinas — the Church’s evangelization and catechesis efforts come to the forefront. Even today, the Church references the documents and principles of medieval and Renaissance theologians to explain how the Church continues to live its authentic witness to the Gospel in the modern age. The Church of the modern age has naturally progressed from its ancient, medieval, and Renaissance roots. The Holy Spirit continues to guide Pope Francis, the Bishops, and lay leadership across the Church to pastorally respond to the modern needs of the Body of Christ. One of the most notable moments of a pastoral shift in the modern era was the Second Vatican Council, allowing greater expression of cultural diversity in the Church, Liturgy, and personal spirituality. Each Pope since Vatican II has continued to further explain and open the documents of the council for consideration and application among the faithful. In 2019, in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation to Young People in the Church, Pope Francis challenges the reader to “above all, in one way or another, fight for the common good, serve the poor, be protagonists of the revolution of charity and service, capable of resisting the pathologies of consumerism and superficial individualism” (Christus Vivit, No. 174). While addressed to young people to be agents of change in society, this is one of many challenges of Pope Francis that beg the faithful to continue witnessing to the Truth of the Gospel and Jesus’s Mission in their own life. Similar messages have been given throughout the long history of the Church, with the only difference being in language and historical context. The singular unifying agent of the Church’s Pastoral Care throughout history has been the Holy Spirit. Today, we must continue to ask the Holy Spirit for help and inspiration in our daily life to help us go forward with the love of Christ to be positive witnesses of the Church today. **This image is from: https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/the-movements-of-pentecost/**
![]() We are in the time of the Upper Room, the Cenacle. The days between the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost are liturgically the time when the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and the disciples were together in prayer, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit. They did not really know what to expect. In fire and wind, the Holy Spirit came, and their lives were transformed forever. The world is also transformed and is transforming. The mission continues in the name of Jesus Christ! We are sent as apostles, as missionary disciples, out into the world. Hiding in a room, in our homes, even in a church is not our call. Instead, we go forth, going where the Holy Spirit moves us to go. We can do amazing things in the name of Jesus Christ. There is no need to wait until someone invites us. No, if we are baptized, and especially if we are confirmed, then we can go forth! We need to recognize, though, that we do not send ourselves. We are sent by Christ, in and through his Church. The community of faith that we call Church is where we go forth from and to which we return. The Church teaches us, forms us, heals and nourishes us through the Sacraments, and sends us on mission. The mission is not ours; it is Christ’s. We, as members of Christ’s Faithful, are called to live his mission until he comes again, just as the Apostles were told to do. In all of this, Mary, Queen of Apostles, is with us as our Mother and Queen. Her feast day is the day before Pentecost. She was the perfect disciple of Christ. St. Vincent Pallotti said of her: “We have most holy Mary, after Jesus Christ, the most perfect model of true apostolic zeal, and of perfect love” (OOCC I, 7). The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity of the Second Vatican Council echoes this sentiment of Pallotti: “The perfect example of this type of spiritual and apostolic life is the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Apostles, who while leading the life common to all here on earth, one filled with family concerns and labors, was always intimately united with her Son and in an entirely unique way cooperated in the work of the Savior… All should devoutly venerate her and commend their life and apostolate to her maternal care” (4). Mary, Queen of Apostles, pray for us! May the charity of Christ urge us on! To learn more about Mary, Queen of Apostles, please click here. **This blog was originally published on May 19, 2021.**
“Why are you standing there?” The angels who spoke these words to the astounded disciples now turn to ask us this question today. Perhaps, like the disciples after the Ascension, we too have been stuck looking up at the sky, wondering where Christ is. Our answers to the angels’ question are probably very legitimate. “I am standing here because I lost my job, because of isolation, because of sickness, because of racial and social discord, because of people’s differences, because I don’t know what else to do.” In this passage from today’s Gospel reading, which is the same as this upcoming Sunday’s, I remind myself that at least the disciples were looking up. They at least had their eyes fixed on Christ. That, in and of itself, is a good thing. But what God wants to convey through the angels after Jesus’ Ascension is that just seeing Christ or believing in him is not enough. A relationship with Christ results not in paralysis, but in action. “You will be my witnesses,” Jesus tells his disciples moments before he ascends to the Father. And it is by living out our relationship with Christ as witnesses that the world comes to know him and that our faith comes alive. Witnessing to our faith and accompanying others on their faith journeys shake us out of our paralysis and help us overcome our fear. Jesus is not conveying that hardship, suffering, or unrest will be absent from our lives, but that these no longer have the power to paralyze and trap us. His Resurrection has changed the narrative. And as the Easter season comes to a close, Jesus is calling us not only to believe in him, but to act— to have our lives transformed by the knowledge of the Resurrection and to live boldly and faithfully as a result. At this point, however, the disciples are still focused on earthly things. Just before Jesus’ Ascension, they ask him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Many of us have similar questions. “Lord, at this time will I get my job promotion? As this time, will my addiction be healed? At this time, will our family be reconciled?” These are valid, important questions of the human heart. Questions that long for answers, for resolutions, for miracles. Jesus’ response seems mystifying and even unrelated: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” While the disciples are still caught focusing on the restoration of Israel and victory over their oppressors, Christ promises more. So much more, in fact, that they are unable to grasp it without the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose coming we celebrate on the Feast of Pentecost on May 23rd. It is why Jesus chose to ascend at this time. He had spent 40 days teaching and opening the Scriptures to his disciples after his Resurrection, but they still could only fathom human goals and objectives. Jesus knows his ministry has come to an end and that a new chapter of the Church will begin with the promised Advocate, the Holy Spirit. After he answers them, Jesus compels his disciples to look up to the heavens as he begins to ascend to the Father. He is physically showing them the needed disposition of their hearts and minds in order to receive the Holy Spirit: they should be considering heavenly things and a heavenly goal. But then, moments later, they are startled to hear: “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?” It can be tempting at times to separate ourselves from the reality of the here and now by over-spiritualizing things or being preoccupied with the past or future. The disciples are left looking up (very understandably), but this looking up and clinging to Jesus in his physical form distracts them from the action to which he has called and chosen them: to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. This balance between living in the world but not of it can be difficult to grasp and practice. It’s important first to consider where you find yourself today. Are you asking the Lord to restore the kingdom to Israel? Are you standing looking at the sky? Many of us are somewhere in between. Below are 6 practices that help ground me in Christ and deepen my ability to witness to his love:
By considering these practices, it is my hope that, renewed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we will enter into Ordinary Time ready to be Christ’s witnesses to the ends of the earth. Christ calls us each to so much more than simply remain standing. For more resources on living as missionary disciples, please click here. **This blog is a repost from May 13, 2021.** **This image is from: https://young-catholics.com/3256/the-feast-of-the-ascension-year-b/** |
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