SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION, A

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RISING UP… WE WILL FLY!


photo from the internet



In the middle of the corona virus lockdown a friend asked me: Father, do you think we can still rise after all this destruction?



I heard not only her question but the sadness and the fear behind it. Deaths, business closures, unemployment, hunger, insecurity – name it, we’ve had it and some people lost their bearings over these things!



Immediately I gave my answer: a resounding “Yes!”. We can do it!



Of course, I just wanted to console my friend. The truth however, is that I do not know how we will recover… or when we will recover.



Deep in my heart, I just know we will.



My former student shared with me a trend some historians see in past epidemics. They said that since the 1700s an epidemic occurred almost every 100 years. And after each epidemic, there followed life blossoming and prosperity shooting up.



Today, Feast of the Ascension, we know the reason why we will rise up from the ashes of coronavirus… as we have risen from the many other travails of life we encountered in the past.



More than will power, more than economic planning, more than better health services, more than social discipline, we will rise up because our faith in Jesus will give us power to overcome and surpass all obstacles and troubles in life.



Imagine how the Lord Jesus suffered… his unjust arrest and condemnation, his torture and maltreatment, his crucifixion and death. To one without faith, it was the end!



In the first reading today (Acts 1:1-11), we see him not only risen from the dead but ascending to the glory of heaven. He promises his disciples that they will “receive power when the Holy Spirit comes,” and that he will be with them always (Mt 28:16-20), in a mysterious, but very real way!



What better inspiration, what stronger encouragement, what stronger promise can we have in a time like this, when we are slowly moving back to rebuild our lives.



Our God is in heaven guiding and protecting us. He gives us the power of His Spirit. He is truly with us, in our hearts, giving us courage to fight and to hope for better thing.



My cousin stayed in the hospital due to the corona virus for close to two months. He was mostly sedated that time but when his tube was removed and he was fully conscious, his told his wife his first wish – to go home, NOW! When the doctor asked him if he knew what day it was, he said he didn’t know, but he knew he had to report back to work!



When we heard those stories, we knew we had a survivor in our midst. He will rise up and fight for his right to live and to enjoy his life again!



Life is beautiful but is not always easy. There will be bumps on the road and we will fall in one of those. But with the Lord Jesus Christ, we will rise up from where we fell.



A coffee commercial has an inspiring song: We will rise up… we will move forward…



Jesus tells us today: We will rise up; we will move forward. And we will soar and fly because of our faith in Him.



Pls share with a friend…




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