From Ascension to Pentecost
The Easter season is about to come to an end. For many of my protestant friends and family, they may be surprised that we are still celebrating the resurrection of Christ (and one of the reasons I love this Church). We like to let our celebrations last; we savor every aspect of the reality.
I particularly like that way the Easter Season has such a symmetry. It begins with the Apostles waiting for a new beginning; the three days of the Triduum. The Man they had followed for the last few years was gone. Just days ago, they saw him enter Jerusalem with joy and fanfare. Now, their entire world was falling in around them. He had told them what would happen but they didn't truly understand it. They were waiting. They did not know what to do next. They were scared. But on Sunday morning, the tomb was empty and that evening He came to them. The glory of the resurrection was revealed.
They are now in a similar circumstance. They saw Him ascend into the heavens. He told them that He would send them an advocate, the Paraclete. Like the period between Jesus' death and resurrection, I think that again they were at a loss of what to do. What did He mean? Again the uncertainty crept in; they were alone again; and they waited.
I think this is a good time for us to do the same. We should take the time to sit and wait. A time to think back at our Easter Season and what it brought us. To think about how the Apostles must have been feeling, knowing that their human nature was trying to take over (i.e. maybe we should go back to Galilee and take up fishing again). And us, knowing that they needed to wait because something wonderful was about to happen.
We all go through periods of uncertainty. We all, in a sense, spend time wanting to take control of our lives rather than giving it up to His will.
What, in our lives, do we now need to wait for rather than act on now. Waiting may just lead to something extraordinary.
I particularly like that way the Easter Season has such a symmetry. It begins with the Apostles waiting for a new beginning; the three days of the Triduum. The Man they had followed for the last few years was gone. Just days ago, they saw him enter Jerusalem with joy and fanfare. Now, their entire world was falling in around them. He had told them what would happen but they didn't truly understand it. They were waiting. They did not know what to do next. They were scared. But on Sunday morning, the tomb was empty and that evening He came to them. The glory of the resurrection was revealed.
They are now in a similar circumstance. They saw Him ascend into the heavens. He told them that He would send them an advocate, the Paraclete. Like the period between Jesus' death and resurrection, I think that again they were at a loss of what to do. What did He mean? Again the uncertainty crept in; they were alone again; and they waited.
I think this is a good time for us to do the same. We should take the time to sit and wait. A time to think back at our Easter Season and what it brought us. To think about how the Apostles must have been feeling, knowing that their human nature was trying to take over (i.e. maybe we should go back to Galilee and take up fishing again). And us, knowing that they needed to wait because something wonderful was about to happen.
We all go through periods of uncertainty. We all, in a sense, spend time wanting to take control of our lives rather than giving it up to His will.
What, in our lives, do we now need to wait for rather than act on now. Waiting may just lead to something extraordinary.
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