May 16th

Post date: May 18, 2021 3:10:47 PM

May 16, 2021 Homily by Fr. Karl Schray

Our Lord’s Ascension into heaven, His Exaltation at the right hand of the Father. As He prepared to leave the Apostles

he gave them His GREAT COMMISSIONING:

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold,

I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19)

The relay team passes a baton. The conductor communicates to the

orchestra with the wave of his baton. The Father, through Jesus’ request,

will send a powerful wind—the sign of his presence, His Holy Spirit,

down on the Apostles, Mary and 120 other disciples in Jerusalem next

Sunday—Pentecost. Tongues of fire will electrify Jesus’ praying followers.

This past Easter, Jesus breathed on his Apostles,

not unlike our act of artificial respiration.

This was a sign of passing on Jesus’ mission and ministry

to his first disciples and now to us day after day.

How did the Apostles and other Disciples prepare?

By prayer, constant, consistent, expectant prayer. We pray

not to tell God what we need or want. He already knows better than we do.

We pray to make ourselves ready to receive what God gives.

We are to continue Jesus’ mission; like deployed troops we have

our orders. We cannot be mere spectators at our own salvation.

First Holy Communion- Your first and please God not your last.

Remember last week Jesus said “I am the true vine…you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in them will bear much fruit.”

This is the role Jesus wants to play in our lives.

He wants to share with us, not only his strength and courage,

but also, his very life. And how do we share in Jesus’ very life?

By sharing in the gift of the Eucharist with one another.

When we partake of the one Bread and drink from the one Cup,

we become one, not two, not two hundred, but one.

Think about it. When we receive Holy Communion,

we become one with Jesus and one with one another.

When St. Augustine, 1500 years ago, gave out Holy Communion,

he said, “Receive who you are—the Body of Christ.”

And his parishioners said, “Amen”—meaning ‘we believe’.

That is what we are—the Body of Christ. Not the bodies of Christ,

not separate individuals, not apart…alone…or estranged.

But One body, in Christ, of Christ.

As members of the Catholic Christian community, we do not come

to worship at Mass because it is our duty but because

we want to give thanks for all we have received. We want

to be in communion with Jesus and our brothers and sisters.

We want to offer our lives to God for the good of our families, our world.

In this Holy Eucharist,

we celebrate belonging to Jesus and belonging to each other.