Forty days after His Resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven. One more time He would speak to His disciples and consequently to us: “ ‘All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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: 18-20)
This solemn mandate given to us by our Lord remains firm and constant. His work is not finished at the Ascension. He promises to be with His Church always. On Pentecost (fifty days after the Resurrection), the Holy Spirit comes down upon the apostles and the Church is born, now 1988 years ago. From Him we receive the noble task of not only living the gospel but also spreading the gospel to others. Jesus entrusts to His Church the ability to teach, sanctify, and shepherd in His most Holy Name. Here is the vocation each of us shares. In Christ the priest, prophet, and king we can become holy and lead others to holiness; we can obey the truth and lead others to the truth; we can follow Christ the Good Shepherd and shepherd others to Christ. In order to do all of this we count on the same Holy Spirit that came down upon the apostles. Our faith tells us that the Holy Spirit continues to come down upon us in our day. Let us fervently call out: “Come, Holy Spirit, come!”
In the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church question 45 asks: “What does the Spirit do in the Church?” The response states precisely: “The Spirit builds, animates, and sanctifies the Church. As the Spirit of Love, he restores to the baptized the divine likeness that was lost through sin and causes them to live in Christ the very life of the Holy Trinity. He sends them forth to bear witness to the Truth of Christ and he organizes them in their respective functions so that all might bear ‘the fruit of the Spirit’” (Galatians 5:22).
The promise of Jesus remains forever true. He will never abandon His holy bride, Holy Mother the Church. We may abandon her or treat her shabbily, but the solemn promise of the Lord is that He will never rescind the new and eternal testament, the new covenant between God and man. He will be with us always in His one, holy, Catholic, Church until His glorious and triumphant return. Through the ages, He calls us to witness Him, and for His Church to radiate His love and His truth. Let us heed His personal call to turn away from sin and fully live the gospel. Jesus remains our first, last, best, and our only real hope.
Jesus, for Thee I live! Jesus, for Thee I die! Jesus, I am Thine in life and in death! Amen!
Yours in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Fr. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor