Try to imagine what the disciples of Jesus might have been feeling after the Ascension. The Gospels are unanimous in recording that after the disciples encountered the Risen Jesus he led them out of the city and "ascended" out of their sight. So while they might have been overjoyed to encounter Jesus after the Resurrection, now they were alone. I suspect that all of us can understand their...
While the jury is still out, it may be that the most enduring image of the Pope's recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land will be the picture of the Holy Father embracing a rabbi and a Muslim imam in front of the Wailing Wall. They are quoted as having said, "We did it." These three men had known each other in Argentina where they had established a relationship. Coming together in Israel and...
Get up, let us go (John 14:31c).
These are the last words of chapter fourteen of St. John's Gospel, the first of four chapters regarded by Scripture scholars as the "Farewell Discourse" of Jesus. These words seem to indicate that the discourse is over. Jesus seems to indicate that it is time for them to proceed to the Garden of Gethsemane.
Today's Gospel begins chapter...
At yesterday's Sunday liturgy we were introduced to the beginning of the "Farewell Discourse" that appears in chapters fourteen through seventeen of St. John's Gospel. It is obvious from the very beginning that one of the purposes of this discourse is to calm any fears that the community might be having as the time between the Ascension and the Second Coming begins to lengthen beyond their...
Chapters fourteen through seventeen of St. John's Gospel are often called the "Farewell Discourse." Such discourses are not unusual in Scripture. The Scriptures record such farewell addresses for Isaac, Moses, Joshua and St. Paul. Though each of these personalities have something different to say, they also have something in common; namely, they urge their followers to proclaim the message...