Weekend Reflections for 5/6/19
What makes a good appetizer? Chips and dip, carrots and ranch dressing, toasted ravioli? A good appetizer should be tasty, and it should stir my appetite. It should actually make me hungry and eager for the main course. Sunday's Gospel should stir my spiritual appetite.
The Father raised Jesus from the dead-- Body and Soul. This is what the Father wants to do with us. At the Ascension, the Father raises Jesus into the glory of Heaven. This is what the Father wants to do for us, too. This is what we celebrate on Sunday.
Life on earth is a taste: sweet joy mingled with sour sorrow. Heaven is the banquet: there we feast with the saints on "juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines" [Isaiah 25]. When I encounter Jesus in my life, He stirs my heart and makes me hungry for more: deeper communion with Him and the fullness of redemption. The Eucharist should have this effect on me: it is the food that makes me hungry to know, love, and serve Him.
After the Ascension, the disciples "returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God." Though imperfectly, they grasped the glories that God had in store for them through Christ. This taste of eternal life made them hungry for more. They are not bloated and sleepy. Rather, this taste stirs them to action: preaching and teaching, serving and singing. The same Jesus who encountered them now works through them in marvelous ways.
God has great things in store for us. He desires to share His eternal life with us. This is why Christ became a man, preached and suffered, died and rose, and ascended into Heaven. He did this for us. He has built a royal road for us-- for me and for you. This road leads us back to our true Home. May our hearts be hungry and restless until they rest in Him!
Fr Joe Laramie, SJ
PLEASE PRAY FOR THOSE ON RETREAT THIS WEEK AS WELL AS OUR DECEASED RETREATANTS.
PLEASE PRAY FOR PEACE IN OUR COMMUNITY
UPCOMING RETREATS WITH SPACE:
Women: 5/19, 5/26, 8/4
Men: 5/12, 6/9, 6/20
CoEd: 9/2
314-416-6400