Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 28: 16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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We’ve entered the season of graduations, weddings, and ordinations. It’s a beautiful time of year.

Some parents are watching their children graduate from kindergarten (my niece graduated this week!). Others are preparing to send their children off to college or down the aisle. I myself am celebrating eight years of priestly ordination on May 23!

These milestones – graduation, marriage, ordination – are transitions: endings and beginnings.

And with every transition, there is grace.

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Today’s Feast of the Ascension was a major transition for the Church – a type of graduation; an ending and a beginning.

Jesus has done what was his to do. Now that he’s been raised from the dead and appeared to his disciples for forty days, the time has come for him to return to his Father. He’s entrusting the life of the Church and his ministry the Apostles. 

What’s their reaction to this transition?

“They worshiped but they doubted,” the Gospel says.

The Apostles received their divine mission – to make disciples of all nations – then they see Jesus ascend into heaven, and, “they worshiped, but they doubted.”

They’re so overwhelmed by what has happened that God sends them two angels to awaken them from their shock. “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” the angels say in our first reading. “This Jesus has been taken up into heaven.” 

Meaning, “Go, do something! Share the good news!”

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Although worship and doubt can seem incompatible, it may be an accurate description of where many Christians are at. “Doubt” does not mean being skeptical about who Jesus is; the disciples know who Jesus is. 

We know who Jesus is.

What they “doubted” was whether or not they could offer themselves wholeheartedly to this divine mission. Could they teach with the same clarity, pray with the same vigor, heal with the same love as Jesus?

I’m sure we’ve all felt that sense of unworthiness. We’re Christ’s representatives on earth, but can we really teach the faith to others – to our family, our spouse, our friends? Can we love others the way Jesus did?

Something tells me the disciples also had an inkling of what their mission might entail: rejection, imprisonment, even death. Things that Jesus experienced.

“They worshiped, but they doubted.”

Still, it was to thiscommunity of imperfect believers whom the Lord entrusts his mission, a mission that has been given to every one of us.

Go, make disciples in your family, in your social circles, in your workplace, in every nation on earth.

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The word, “disciple,” comes from the Latin, discipulus, meaning, “learner, student, follower.” A true “student” never stops learning. They’re constantly seeking the truth.

Christ’s command is to make students, learners of the Christian faith who live it and share it with others daily.

Do I consider myself a disciple of Jesus? Do I know people whom God is asking me to help “make” a disciple?

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So many of you can say, resoundingly, “Yes.” You come here week after week; you listen attentively; you pray sincerely; you invite others to, “Come and see.” I witness it all the time.

We are grateful for the tremendous good God has brought to our community, while also recognizing there’s still work to be done. 

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This is a season of transitions: endings and beginnings – the most important transition being the handing on of our faith.

How might we continue laboring together, to make disciples of all nations, even here at St. Pius X?

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Image credits: (1) Family Radio 316 (2) Eugene Christian International Church (3) Grace Lutheran church, Denison, TX

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Acts: 18: 9-18

One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,
“Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”
He settled there for a year and a half
and taught the word of God among them.

But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews rose up together against Paul
and brought him to the tribunal, saying,
“This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law.”
When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews,
“If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud,
I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews;
but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles
and your own law, see to it yourselves.
I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.”
And he drove them away from the tribunal.
They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official,
and beat him in full view of the tribunal.
But none of this was of concern to Gallio.

Paul remained for quite some time,
and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria,
together with Priscilla and Aquila.
At Cenchreae he had shaved his head because he had taken a vow.

The Word of the Lord.

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“Paul sailed for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila.”

In our first reading, Paul is on the move again. He’s been preaching the Gospel across Greece, Syria, even as far as Asia.  

Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Luke, Priscilla and Aquila — are just a few of the people who accompanied him on his journeys. 

Imagine how much harder Paul’s life would have been if he had to preach the Gospel without these companions. Those sleepless nights on ships, in tents, in a stranger’s home, even in prison, could have been terribly lonesome otherwise. 

Paul understood an important lesson in ministry: friends are essential.

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True friends support us; they listen to our struggles, they pray for us; and stick by our side through the good and difficult times. 

Do I have that type of friend? Is the Lord calling me to be that kind of friend for another?

As it’s written in the Book of Sirach: “Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter. Whoever finds one finds a treasure. Faithful friends are beyond price; no amount can balance their worth.”

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May Paul and his companions, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) First Church Coral Springs (2) Mission Bible Class (3) Pinterest

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Gospel: John 16: 16-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“A little while and you will no longer see me,
and again a little while later and you will see me.”
So some of his disciples said to one another,
“What does this mean that he is saying to us,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me,’
and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks?
We do not know what he means.”
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,
“Are you discussing with one another what I said,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me’?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m we all know the story of Cinderella. There’s something incredibly Christian about it, as one of the major themes is the reversal of fortunes.

In the beginning, Cinderella is held prisoner in her own home. Her evil stepsisters force her to scrub the floors, to wash their clothes, to make their beds, and to serve them dinner. But, in the end, Cinderella’s fortune is reversed. 

She becomes a princess.

That’s the type of story anyone can root for, when the poor become rich, the underdog wins, a servant becomes a princess.

Cinderella’s evil stepsisters also experience a reversal of their fortune. After Cinderella becomes a princess, they are forced out of her home, ending up with nothing.

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This same idea is at the heart of our Christian faith.

In the Gospel, Jesus has reached the final night of his life on earth. He’s done nothing but good; he’s healed the sick, forgiven sinners, even raised Lazarus from the dead. But hours from now he’ll be nailed to a tree. 

Jesus promises his disciples, his fortune will be reversed. Three days later, he’ll rise from the dead. Then he promises his followers the same blessing if they remain faithful to his teachings.

Jesus instructs his disciples to forgive their enemies; to turn the other cheek; to serve their neighbor; to share blessings; and to pray for those who persecute them.

“You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices,” Jesus says. “You will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

Your fortune will be reversed.

So, embrace whatever life has in store for you today with joy, knowing our best days are ahead.

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Image credits: (1) Ivanrest Church (2) Cinderella, Disney Inc. (3) Lake Park Lutheran church