In the first reading, the mystery of the Trinity is explained with a beautiful and simple image: while God was creating the world, Wisdom (a frequent name for the Holy Spirit) was “His delight day by day, playing before Him all the while, playing on the surface of the earth; and I found delight in the human race.” Read that again and let it sink in. The persons of the Trinity played through creation, found delight in one another and in what and who they created. What if our w…itness to the world was that we played well together, and delighted in our families and in all of God’s people? What if Christians had a reputation for play and delight? May it be so, because we walk out of here and live it with God’s blessing and grace to help us.

As Jesus prepares to ascend into heaven, the disciples ask Him when the Kingdom will finally be restored. Jesus replies by a correction to their faulty assumptions with clarity and timelines: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.” Our job is to receive the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and be witness to the things God has done, while we wait for the promises Jesus made to be fulfilled in ways we canno…t accurately predict or know. A life of faith is radical trust in a future we cannot control. God has promised Resurrection at the end of the cross, his constant presence with us, and unconditional love, but not that these will be worked out in any particular way. We need to be cautious about our own expectations and about messages that overcommit on how God is at work.