The Ascension of the Lord, Cycle A - May 21, 2023

 The Ascension of the Lord

Cycle A

May 21, 2023     5pm  

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

Balance 

 

One of the things that I remember from my high school days was the emphasis on balance.

 

The Sulpician priests at Saint Charles High School really emphasized the idea of being a balanced person. The balance that they promoted included a number of elements.

 

They pushed us to work hard at our studies, to participate in some sport or get some kind of physical exercise, to pray every day, and to keep a sense of humor. They guided us to think before we did something and not to get swept away by our emotions. 

 

So, one of the main parts of our formation in those high school years was balance. The dictionary defines balance as the “stability produced by an even distribution of weight on each side.” 

 

That seems like a pretty good definition for a physical object – like this ambo or lectern or even for our own body. But for us as persons, maybe we would define balance as the well-being that comes from giving appropriate attention to each dimension of our lives.     

 

Balance in Scripture

 

I see this theme of balance in today’s Scripture passages. 

 

In the first reading, the disciples experience Jesus ascending into the heavens and going back to the Father.  They are standing there, looking up at the skies.

 

Then, two men dressed in white appear. They ask: “Why are you guys just standing there looking up at the sky?”  

 

Then, in the gospel, Jesus tells the disciples, in effect, to get to work – to spread his word to the entire world. Well, when we take these two passages together, I think we see a spiritual balance being proposed. 

 

The disciples are standing there and looking up for a while and this seems appropriate. And it is also appropriate for us at times to do this.

 

At the same time, the disciples and we must get back to everyday life. This is where we live out our faith, and that is what Jesus is telling the disciples to do in today’s gospel.  

 

Lack of Balance 

 

So, a balance of looking up, as the disciples are doing in the first reading, and of looking around us, as Jesus calls them to do in the gospel. 

 

If we think that following Jesus just means looking up, if we think that coming to Mass and going to confession and praying privately is all there is to being a disciple, we will lack balance. Our faith will become narrow and maybe even self-focused.

 

We may be neglecting others. We will not be heeding Jesus’ commission to bring his word to the world around us.

 

On the other hand, if we are looking around all the time, if we are always busy and on the go, we might lose our moorings. We might lose our sense of God and sense of direction.  

 

We might be living on the surface and end up feeling very empty. We certainly will not be looking up and staying centered on Jesus.

 

A Holy Balance 

 

So, positively, we need to take time for looking up to God and Jesus.

 

We need time for Sunday Mass. It gives us a sense of God’s presence and some centeredness for our lives. 

 

It gives us strength for doing our jobs and all the everyday things of life. And it keeps fresh in our minds the big picture and the long-term vision of life.

 

At the same time, besides looking up, we also need to look around.  

 

We need to look around at our family and friends and neighbors and co-workers and classmates. We need to see how we are called to be there for them.

 

And we need to look around at people in need whom we will never know, maybe in Appalachia or Baltimore City or Central America. This keeps us glued to real life and to an authentic living of the gospel. 

 

Conclusion

 

So, balance or spiritual balance is important for a healthy and holy life.  

 

My high school faculty and mentors had a pretty good point – a point tucked into todays’ Scriptures. 

6th Sunday of Easter, Cycle A - May 14, 2023

 6th Sunday of Easter

Cycle A

May 14, 2023      5pm, 8:30 and 11am 

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

Loneliness

 

Within the last two weeks, the Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a report on loneliness. 

 

The report states that even before Covid, 50% of adults in our country admitted that they experienced some level of loneliness. A key statement in the report is that loneliness is not about the quantity, but rather about the quality of connections that we have.

 

I remember reading something on this about ten years ago. A university of Chicago study found that college freshmen are particularly lonely in their first quarter of school.

 

They have roommates and plenty of peers around them. But they don’t have a good quality of connections and the result is some degree of loneliness.

 

But now, back to the Surgeon General’s report. The findings are that we, in all age groups, are spending less time with each other in-person than we did two decades ago, and this is one of the factors for increased loneliness. 

 

Loneliness, or having poor connections with others, has harmful physical effects, like a higher risk for heart disease or stroke. It also has the effect of increased risk for dementia in our older population.

 

Loneliness causes anxiety and affects how we see others. We are likely to stop thinking that they have our interests in mind.

 

So, how are we to deal with loneliness? For us, the most important strategy in the report is that we cultivate a culture of connection – cultivate a culture of connection.

 

This means that we personally place high priority on our connection with others, especially in-person connections. And it means that our institutions, like our parish, cultivate a culture of connection in our programs and services.   

 

“I will not leave you orphans.”

 

I am focusing on this topic because in today’s gospel, Jesus addresses the very human issue of loneliness.

 

Jesus knows that he is about to return to the Father. He senses the apostles’ anxiety about being left alone, without him.

 

And so, Jesus says, “I will not leave you orphans. [You will realize that] I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.”

 

So, Jesus promises to be with us. And then he eventually makes his presence concrete in two ways: 1) sacraments and 2) community.

       

1. Through Sacraments

 

First, our sacraments are visible, physical ways for Jesus to be with us.

 

We have the physical experience of Jesus’ presence through the water of baptism. We have a physical experience of the Holy Spirit through the anointing at Confirmation.

 

And then, here at Mass, the Eucharist is the supreme experience of God’s presence. In the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest prays Jesus’ words at the Last Supper over the bread and wine. 

 

These gifts become the means for Jesus to be with us. The result is that when we eat the consecrated bread, we have this intimate closeness with Jesus. 

 

We are drawn into the life of God and God lives within us. As Jesus says today, “you live in me and I live in you.”   

 

2. Through Community

 

And then the second way that Jesus remains with us is through community.

 

Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there.” Sometimes we can be tempted to go it alone in life, to think that we do not need or should not need others.

 

It is so important not to fall into this. This attitude easily leads to isolation and loneliness.

 

Maybe this is why God’s action throughout the Bible is always directed to us as a people, as a community. Jesus draws the first disciples together as a community and makes this his primary way to be with us.

 

And so, when we connect with other persons of faith here at Mass, in faith sharing groups, in service programs, in conversations in the gathering space or over at Holy Grounds, when we do this, we are enlivened. And this happens because we are drawn out of ourselves – out of our aloneness or loneliness – and into community, into connection with one another.

 

Conclusion

 

So, Jesus addresses a troublesome human feeling – loneliness.

 

This is a significant issue today. And Jesus gives us some concrete help and direction for dealing with this. 

3rd Sunday, Cycle A - April 23, 2023

 3rd Sunday of Easter

Cycle A

April 23, 2023     5pm  

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

Emmaus and Eucharist

 

Maybe we have never thought of it this way, but today’s gospel helps us to appreciate the Mass.  

 

There are five moments or steps in this Emmaus story, and we have these same moments or steps in the celebration of the Eucharist. Let’s take a look at these.

 

1. Loss

 

The first moment is what we can call loss.

 

The two disciples walking to Emmaus are talking about what has happened to Jesus. They have suffered a great loss, and they feel very disappointed.

 

I believe that in some way, we can all identify with their loss. The loss I am thinking of here is that at some times we lose the ways of God, or maybe we feel that God has left or abandoned us.

 

And so, usually right at the beginning of Mass, we express this loss when we say, “Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.” With these words, we confess our need for God’s assistance or forgiveness in dealing with this loss.

 

2. Presence

 

That admission of loss opens us to the second moment in our celebration of Mass, and this is presence – the presence of God in the Word.

 

Traditionally, we think of Jesus being present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. But the Emmaus story tells us that Jesus is first present to the two disciples in the Word as he breaks open the Scriptures to them.  

 

The same thing happens here at Mass. The Eucharistic presence is first a presence of God in the Word.

 

God is present here – sometimes comforting us, maybe challenging us, and often motivating us. So, just as Jesus is present in opening up the Word on the way to Emmaus, he is also present here at Mass in the Word.

 

3. Invitation

 

Then, touched by this presence of Jesus, we come to the third moment in our celebration of Mass, and this is invitation.

 

The disciples on the road to Emmaus invite Jesus to stay with them. We also need to do that here at Mass.

 

I suggest we do this when we offer the Profession of Faith and when we bring the bread and wine to the altar. In the Profession of Faith, we affirm Jesus’ presence in the Word that we have heard.

 

And in the presentation of the bread and wine, we are saying that we want him to stay and that we even want more of his presence. These are our ways of inviting Jesus to be present.

 

4. Communion

 

That takes us to the fourth moment in our celebration of Mass, and this is Communion.

 

Jesus stays with the two disciples in Emmaus, but he reverses things and, in effect, he becomes their host at the meal. He does what he did at the Last Supper and gives himself to them in the bread and wine.

 

So, here at Mass, as soon as we invite Jesus to stay with us, he becomes our host and offers us the sacrament – the gift of Holy Communion. In fact, maybe this is why Jesus left the earth and returned to the Father.

 

Through Communion he can be even closer to us, so close to us that there is nothing between us. We have this intimate communion with him in the Eucharist and yet, this is not quite the end.

 

5. Mission

 

Communion leads to the fifth and last moment in our celebration of Mass, and this is mission.

 

The two disciples at Emmaus immediately go and tell the others about their experience with the risen Jesus. We are to do the same thing.

 

This is why we conclude Mass with words like, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” So, the final moment in Eucharistic life is mission.

 

We are to bring the presence of Christ to the lost and broken spaces of human life. We are to live out of the light and hope of Easter.

 

Conclusion

 

So, I see this Emmaus story as rich!

 

It is a great teaching about the Eucharist! From 1) loss to 2) presence to 3) invitation to 4) communion to 5) mission – this is what the Mass is all about.