June 1: The Day of the Lord

The Scriptures tell us that Jesus’ last earthly gesture toward the disciples was to bless them. In response, the disciples “did Him homage” and experienced “great joy.” This response was not to Jesus’ departure from them, but was an expression of a new relationship to Him, the risen One. Now, instead of accompanying Him in His ministry as they did previously, they were “clothed with power from on high” to be His presence and do His work. In essence, Jesus’ last gesture toward the disciples was to empower them to be “witnesses of these things.”

The late Holy Father Francis wrote: “Jesus says to His friends: ‘I send the promise of my Father upon you.’ (Luke 24, 49) He is talking about the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, He who will accompany them, guide them, support them in their mission, and defend them in spiritual battles. We, thus, understand something important: Jesus is not abandoning the disciples by Ascending to Heaven. He ascends, but He does not leave them alone. Rather, precisely by ascending towards the Father, He ensures the effusion of the Holy Spirit, of His Spirit. Christ goes to prepare a place for us and, from this time forth, He intercedes for us, so that we may always be accompanied and blessed by the Father.”

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What does the Gospel expression “you will give witness to the ends of the earth” mean to you? Is it connected to caring for the excluded, feeding the hungry, consoling the grieving? What other examples come to mind?

What “witnesses” (Saints, declared or undeclared) do you like to think about? Which ones inspire you in a special way? How do they encourage you by their “witness?” Given that you are blessed by God, too, will you wait for opportunities to “give witness” this week ... or make those opportunities?