These are the words of the Pope in introducing the Marian prayer, today at St Peter’s Square:

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today, in Italy and in other countries, the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated. The Gospel passage ( Mk 16: 15-20) – the conclusion of the Gospel of Mark – presents us with the last meeting of the Risen One with the disciples before going up to the right hand of the Father. Usually, we know, farewell scenes are sad, they give those who remain a feeling of bewilderment, of abandonment; instead, all this does not happen to the disciples. Despite their detachment from the Lord, they do not appear disconsolate, on the contrary, they are joyful and ready to leave as missionaries in the world.

Why aren’t the disciples sad? Why should we also rejoice to see Jesus ascend to heaven?

The ascension completes the mission of Jesus among us. In fact, if it is for us that Jesus came down from heaven, it is always for us that he ascends there. After having descended into our humanity and having redeemed it – God, the Son of God, descends and becomes man, takes our humanity, and redeems it – now he ascends to heaven taking our flesh with him. He is the first man who enters heaven because Jesus is man, true man, he is God, true God; our flesh is in heaven and this gives us joy. To the right of the Father now sits a human body, for the first time, the body of Jesus, and in this mystery, each of us contemplates his own future destination. It is not at all a question of abandonment, Jesus remains forever with the disciples, with us. He remains in prayer, because He, as a man, prays to the Father, and as God, man and God, He makes Him see the wounds, the wounds with which he redeemed us. The prayer of Jesus is there, with our flesh: he is one of us, God man, and he prays for us. And this must give us certainty, indeed a joy, a great joy! And the second reason for joy is the promise of Jesus. He told us: “I will send you the Holy Spirit”. And there, with the Holy Spirit, that commandment is made that He gives precisely in the farewell: “Go into the world, proclaim the Gospel”. And it will be the power of the Holy Spirit that takes us there in the world, to bring the Gospel. It is the Holy Spirit of that day, which Jesus promised, and then nine days later he will come on the feast of Pentecost. It is precisely the Holy Spirit who has made it possible for all of us to be like this today. A great joy! Jesus has gone to heaven: the first man before the Father. He left with the plagues, which were the price of our salvation, and pray for us. And then he sends us the Holy Spirit, he promises us the Holy Spirit, to go out to evangelize. For this the joy of today, for this the joy of this day of the Ascension.

Brothers and sisters, on this feast of the Ascension, as we contemplate Heaven, where Christ has ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father, we ask Mary, Queen of Heaven, to help us to be courageous witnesses of the Risen in the world in the concrete situations of life.

Vatican News – [00660-EN.02] [Original text: Italian]
Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary

In the first reading, Peter’s words to Cornelius are so important for us in a world consumed by polarized responses to pretty much everything: “Stand up; I am only a man.”

We are tempted to worship many things, even when it is hard for us to see this. If we are deeply honest with ourselves, what makes us feel most secure? A full savings account? A job where someone asks us to stay late? A TV show or social media account to binge on? Pleasing people? Believing you are right? A package arriving in the mail?

Jesus is asking us to love him first so that everything else in the world will lead us back to him.

Spend some time naming the things you put between you and Jesus. With the help of grace and guidance from our communities, Jesus puts us back into the right relationship with everything and everyone else.

Loving God, you have loved us into being. Our joy is complete only when we live our lives in your love. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, help us remain in your love by keeping your commandments. For gratitude to be called not servants but friends, we pray to the Lord.

Taken from CCCB-Reflection
Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary

Gospel Reading – John 15:1-8
Jesus teaches that he is the vine and that his disciples are the branches.

Today’s Gospel reading is taken from middle of the Last Supper discourse. Jesus speaks about his relationship to his disciples. In his metaphor of the vine and the branches, Jesus is referencing the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel is the vineyard, and Yahweh himself tends the vineyard. One of the primary themes of John’s Gospel is to show Jesus to be the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.

In this passage, Jesus teaches his disciples that his relationship with them will not end after his death; he will remain with them always. This unity between Jesus and his disciples is the basis for their ability to continue to do the work that he began. Similarly, Jesus’ presence with us through the Gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to continue the work of love and reconciliation that he began.

Jesus also teaches his disciples about the importance of the words he has taught to them. Just as Jesus will remain in the disciples, so too will his words. We come to know Jesus through the Scriptures, the living Word of God. Our commitment to be Christ’s disciples is sustained through God’s Word. This commitment is also strengthened by our life of prayer and nourished by the Eucharist. Through the Eucharist, Jesus dwells in us, remains with us, and transforms us so that we might bear fruit in his name.

We observe many people who act in ways that show their commitment to serve their neighbor. Christians and non-Christians feed the hungry, care for the sick, shelter the homeless, and give alms to the poor. These actions become acts of Christian discipleship when they are motivated by our relationship with Jesus. Whatever the immediate results, Jesus promises us that these actions will bear fruit when we undertake them in his name.

Taken from Sunday Connection – Loyola Press
Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary

The Gathering 2021: Seek First the Kingdom
To watch the gathering, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjkSTuTrCaI
00:00​ Pre-Event Praise
14:40​ Welcome (Ralph Martin)
16:33​ Sr. Ann Shields Video
19:37​ Intro
21:52​ Praise & Worship
42:18​ “A Church in Crisis: Where Do We Stand?” (Ralph Martin)
1:32:40​ Ralph and Peter – How Do We Seek Him?
1:48:20​ The Renewal Ministries’ Story
1:55:18​ Peter Herbeck, Prophetic Words, Worship, Prayerful Listening

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https://www.cccrs.com/1791-2/

Today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis spoke these words to the faithful and pilgrims that gathered in St Peter’s Square.

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

On this fourth Sunday of Easter, known as the Sunday of the Good Shepherd, the Gospel ( Jn 10: 11-18) presents Jesus as the true shepherd, who defends, knows, and loves his sheep.

He, the Good Shepherd, is opposed by the “mercenary”, who does not care about the sheep, because they are not his. He does this job only for pay, and he does not bother to defend them: when the wolf arrives he flees and abandons them (cf. vv. 12-13). Jesus, on the other hand, a true shepherd, always defends us, saves us in many difficult situations, dangerous situations, through the light of his word and the strength of his presence, which we always experience and, if we want to listen, every day.

The second aspect is that Jesus, the good shepherd, knows – the first aspect: he defends, the second: he knows- his sheep and the sheep know him (v. 14). How beautiful and consoling it is to know that Jesus knows us one by one, that we are not anonymous to him, that our name is known to him! For him we are not “mass”, “multitude”, no. We are unique people, each with his own history, [and He] knows us each with his own history, each with his own value, both as a creature and as redeemed by Christ. Each of us can say: Jesus knows me! It is true, it is like this: He knows us like no one else. Only He knows what is in our heart, the intentions, the most hidden feelings. Jesus knows our strengths and defects, and is always ready to take care of us, to heal the wounds of our errors with the abundance of his mercy. In him the image of the shepherd of the people of God is fully realized, that the prophets had outlined: Jesus takes care of his sheep, gathers them, wraps up that wound, heals the sick one. Thus we can read in the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (cf. 34: 11-16).

Therefore, Jesus the Good Shepherd defends, knows, and above all loves his sheep. And for this he gives his life for them (cf. Jn 10:15). L ‘ love for the sheep, that is for each of us, leads him to die on the cross, because this is the will of the Father, that none should be lost. The love of Christ is not selective, it embraces everyone. He himself reminds us of it in today’s Gospel when he says: «And I have other sheep that do not come from this enclosure: those too I must lead. They will listen to my voice and become one flock, one shepherd “( Jn 10:16). These words attest to his universal anxiety: He is the shepherd of all. Jesus wants everyone to be able to receive the love of the Father and meet God.

And the Church is called to carry out this mission of Christ. In addition to those who frequent our communities, there are many people, the majority, who do it only in particular cases or never. But this does not mean that they are not children of God: the Father entrusts everyone to Jesus the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for all.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus defends, knows and loves us all. May Mary Most Holy help us to be the first to welcome and follow the Good Shepherd, to cooperate with joy in his mission.

[00537-EN.02] [Original text: Italian] – Vatican News – Bulletin
Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary