Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Acts: 20:28-38

At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:
“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.

The Word of the Lord.

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“They threw their arms around Paul and kissed him…They were deeply distressed, because they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.”

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For the last three years, Paul has been living with the Christian community in Ephesus, which he helped to establish. However, the Spirit has revealed to him in prayer that now he must leave for Jerusalem. “What will happen to me there,” he says, “I do not know.”

While Paul’s departure was difficult for everyone, his willingness to be on the move reveals his docility to the Spirit.

Interestingly, this was part of what inspired the compilation of the New Testament – absence.

Just as Paul used his pastoral letters to fill his absence, encouraging his Christian brothers and sisters, so Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote their Gospels to encourage believers as they awaited Christ’s return.

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What do Paul’s letters and advice reveal about the early Church? 

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From the beginning, there was the handing on of apostolic authority, which the Catholic Church has continued for 100 generations. This power was given to Paul, who writes about ordaining priests like Timothy through prayer and the laying on of his hands.

With every departure, Paul warned Christians that false preachers, or “savage wolves,” would arise in their midst, twisting the truth for the sake of personal benefit. 

But the faithful were to remain steadfast to Paul’s teachings, not being misled – just as Catholics are encouraged to listen to our shepherd, Pope Leo, today.

Finally, Paul lived a life of surrender to the Spirit, allowing nothing to shake his faith. He understood that neither absence, nor mistreatment, nor rejection, nor imprisonment, nor death could separate him from the love of God.

May Paul’s courageous spirit spurn us onward as we continue doing what he did – serving others for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Saint Paul, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Winnie the Pooh, Pinterest (2) View of a City along a River, Jan Brueghel the Elder (3) Rick Warren, QuoteFancy

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Gospel: John 17: 1-11

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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One of the most popular Catholic Saints is Francis of Assisi. He had a unique love of nature, a kindred spirit, and he received a call from God that would define his life, “Rebuild my Church.” 

Tradition tells us that Francis literally stripped himself bare before his bishop in the public square to demonstrate how serious he was about leaving a life of inherited wealth and privilege behind.

Perhaps his greatest contribution to the Church was founding a religious movement known as the Franciscans, an order of both men and women who pledge a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Lord and his Church. 

The Franciscans have been doing God’s work in this world for the last 800 years.

While lying on his deathbed at the tender age of 45, Saint Francis was surrounded by the men who became the first Franciscans. And he said to them, “My brothers, I have done what was mine to do. Now you must do what is yours to do.”

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In today’s Gospel, we continue with Jesus’ farewell discourse in which he not only prepares his disciples for his departure, but he also prays to his Father in gratitude. “Father, I glorified you on earth by accomplishing everything that you gave me to do.”

That’s something perhaps we all hope to say when our time comes – we have accomplished everything that God has given us to do.

Like Jesus and Francis, how do we know what is “ours” to do in life? And when will we know we’ve done it all?

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Perhaps it’s not a question we can answer in terms of marking off a checklist. Rather, it’s a matter of the heart, a question we might answer at the end of each day.

Perhaps we can ask ourselves, “Have I come to faith? Have I loved God with all of my heart and my neighbor as myself? Do I bear any unresolved tension in my heart or am I at peace?”

That, I believe, is the mark of a life well prepared for the next – a soul at peace. May God give us the grace to do what is “ours” to do today.

Above all, to be a soul at peace.

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Image credits: (1) Saint Jerome, QuoteFancy (2) Francis of Assisi, Philip Fruytiers (3) Third Heaven Discourse, Blogspot

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Gospel: John 16:29-33

The disciples said to Jesus,
“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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During the last few weeks at daily Mass, we’ve been reading from Jesus’ Farewell Discourse given at the Last Supper, just hours before his arrest, crucifixion, and death.

This seems odd in the Easter season when we’re focused on the joy of the resurrection. But we’re invited to hear Christ’s words in light of Pentecost, which we will celebrate on Sunday.

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As Jesus ascends into heaven and sends forth his Spirit upon the Apostles, he leaves the life – and the future – of the Church in their hands.

And with this authority, a series of lessons. Some of which are shared during the Farewell Discourse and others which are taught by his actions.

For example, as Jesus reaches the end of his earthly life at the tender age of 33, he teaches his Apostles that life is not about duration, but donation.

Time is God’s gift to us.

What matters is not how much time we’re given, as much as how well we use it. I’m all too aware of this as I celebrate my 41st birthday today; I’ve already been given eight more years in this world than our Lord was.

But consider how much good he did. He used his time to preach, to heal, to forgive, to impart hope, and to lead others closer to God. Jesus was never concerned about his own wellbeing; rather, he spent himself entirely for the sake of others.

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Like Jesus, how do we use our time to do good in this world?

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Set aside a few moments to do something beautiful for God. In some small way, may we become more like Jesus, “who has loved us and given himself for us.”

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Image credits: (1) StockCake (2) The Sacrament of the Last Supper, Salvador Dalí (3) Mother Teresa, QuoteFancy