I want to return to an older post I had about the Ascension of Jesus. I think it is important to talk about because many people in the world think that Jesus is only in heaven and not present to us today. As Catholics we believe that he is present in the Eucharist, the consecrated host and wine. But it is also important to note that not only did Jesus give us the Holy Spirit to guide our lives, He is also always ready to interact with us. That means we can speak to Him at any time and He will listen. What a marvelous God we have. Loving and present and always ready to listen and forgive. "Although Christ ascended into heaven, he remains present in a new form through the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit in order to accompany and guide people in their daily lives. Because by ourselves, without Jesus, we can't do anything," he said at his Regina Coeli address to those gathered in St. Peter's Square. We celebrate the fact of Jesus's ascension into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God. Pope Francis said Jesus returns to heaven to open the way and "show us that the destination of our journey is the Father." Take a minute to really reflect on that thought. But Jesus still "remains present and operates in human history with the power and gifts of his Spirit; He is by the side of each one of us; even if we don't see Him with our eyes," he said. I hope this bring comfort to you today. We are constantly bombarded by the things of the world but we can always reject those temptations with the help of the Holy Spirit.
The spiritual climax of the Gospel of John, as Father John Waiss points out, occurs at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus utters his parting words: “Woman, behold, your son!” and “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27). While these words were addressed to the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Church has long understood this moment as a universal adoption. To truly image Christ, we must share in His parentage; if we embrace God as our spiritual Father but reject Mary as our mother, we treat Christ as a half-brother rather than our "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). As Origen noted as early as the third century, the profound depths of the Gospel are only accessible to those who, like John, rest their heads on Jesus’ breast and receive Mary into their own homes. This maternal role is deeply rooted in biblical typology, positioning Mary as the fulfillment of the great mothers of the Old Covenant. She is the New Eve , the mother of all the living according ...
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