Gospel Acclamation: Ascension

Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world.

“I am with you always.” These are Jesus' words to us. He is with us always. There is never a moment when He is separated from us. He loves us continually, supports us constantly, and offers us His grace always.

Today we celebrate the Ascension, but we should not think of it as Jesus “going away” or saying goodbye. Quite the opposite is true. Jesus ascends to the Father so that He may be closer to us than ever. We receive Him Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist, taking Him into ourselves in a most intimate way and basking in His love.

Jesus also tells us to go and teach others about Him. This ability to spread the Gospel grows from the intimacy we experience with Jesus. As we grow closer and closer to Him, we can't help but want to spread the word and draw others to Him. So we allow Jesus to speak and act through us, opening ourselves to Him and becoming channels of His love.

Gospel Acclamation: Sixth Sunday of Easter

Whoever loves Me will keep My word, says the Lord, and My Father will love him and We will come to him.

What beautiful words of comfort from Jesus. He and the Father want to come to us and be with us and love us.

Will we let Jesus and the Father and the Spirit dwell within us? Will we love Jesus and keep His word? Will we open ourselves up to the divine presence? Will we take Jesus up on His incredible offer?

Gospel Acclamation: Fifth Sunday of Easter

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you.

Jesus speaks these words at the Last Supper. He is about to go to the Cross, and He has given His disciples His own Body and Blood in the first Eucharist. Now He gives them a new commandment, something that is radical, something that may even seem impossible. We are to love each other as Jesus has loved us.

Think about how Jesus loves us. He sacrifices Himself for us. First, He takes on our human nature, joining it to His divine nature. Then He dies on the Cross for us to save us from our sins and open the way to Heaven. He lays down His life completely, with no hesitation and even with great anticipation. That is how much He loves us.

We might wonder how we, small, selfish, weak people that we are, could ever love like that. Yet that is exactly what Jesus tells us to do, to love as He has loved. Jesus does not command anything impossible, so there must be a way to fulfill this commandment.

St. Therese of Lisieux figured out the way when she asked Jesus to love her sisters, her fellow nuns, in and through her. Only Jesus' own love can fulfill His commandment, so she decided to embrace that love, open herself to it, and let it flow through her freely to everyone around her.

We must do the same if we want to obey Jesus. We must let Him love others in and through us, embracing His love and allowing it to flow, so that we can truly love each other as He has loved us, even to the point of sacrificing ourselves in that love.

Gospel Acclamation: Fourth Sunday of Easter

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know My sheep, and Mine know Me.

Reflect for a few minutes on all the tasks a shepherd performs for his or her sheep. The shepherd feeds and waters the sheep, making sure they get enough to eat and drink and leading them to new pastures that are green and waters that are fresh. The shepherd keeps the sheep clean (and they tend to get very dirty) and cares for their bodies, especially when they are sick. The shepherd rescues the sheep when they get into trouble (and they do that a lot because sheep aren't particularly bright). The shepherd guards the sheep, providing a safe place for them to rest and preventing predators from coming near them.

Now think about what Jesus does for us. He does all of this and more. He feeds us with His own Body and Blood. He keeps us clean, first with Baptism and then through Confession, healing us when we are sick with sin. He rescues us when we get into trouble. He guards us from our enemies, providing a safe place for us in His arms.

So why do we not follow our Good Shepherd? Why do we stray like stupid, selfish sheep?