6th Sunday of Easter 

Acts 15:1-2,​22-29

Psalm 66(67):2-3,5-6,8

Apocalypse 21:10-14,​22-23

John 14:23-29

Peace is participating in the divine life

In just a few days, we will be celebrating the magnificent feast of the Ascension! This incredible event fills our hearts with anticipation as we reflect on the words of Our Lord in today’s gospel: "I go to the Father." The time has come for the Church to wrap up the liturgical celebration of the resurrection appearances, bringing us to the climactic moment of the Ascension—the most awe-inspiring of all the Resurrection appearances! 

At the Ascension, with the light of faith illuminating our path, we catch a glimpse of the glorious journey that the Redeemer will take, guiding humanity back to where we truly belong: deep within the embrace of the most Blessed Trinity. Christ was sent by the Father with a vital mission—to save the entire shipwrecked human race! And now, after His Passion and Resurrection, that mission is triumphantly complete. He has established His Holy Church, a divine society with Peter at its helm, equipped with everything we need for salvation. The doctrines have been revealed, the sacramental economy is in place, and the fountain of sanctifying grace is flowing. The time has come for Him to return to His heavenly throne—the very throne from which He has never been apart in His divinity!

As He ascends to the Father, something remarkable happens. This moment is rich with profound theological truth. When the Son returns to His Father's throne, He carries with Him the brilliantly transformed image of humanity! The human nature He embraced at the Incarnation now rises to heaven, redeemed and elevated to a status even above that of the seraphim. Yes, the angels gaze in awe at the transformation of our humanity! The nature that fell from grace in Eden has now been restored, making it worthy of heaven. At the Ascension, the apostles witness their Lord enveloped in a cloud of glory, longing to follow Him into the heights!

Dazzled and awestruck, the Apostles realize this is His final appearance to their mortal eyes. From now on, they will encounter Him only by faith, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament. As they await His return, as promised, they daily experience a taste of His presence in the Eucharist. Each moment they partake draws them closer to His anticipated Second Coming. As they receive Him in the sacramental elements, their hearts might awaken to the transformation He works within them. It’s a thrilling paradox! The Eucharist quenches their hunger for the risen Lord while intensifying their yearning to join Him at the Father's side. Each time they celebrate, they connect to the same Body and Blood they revered during His earthly life. As they feast on Christ, He calls them—and us—to look upward, to pierce the cloud that has veiled Him from our sight.

At the Ascension, He has opened a breathtaking horizon before us! In the Blessed Sacrament, that horizon is perpetually in sight, yet just out of reach. He comes to us in the Eucharist, inviting us—paradoxically—to transcend even that moment, to chase after the horizon to which the Real Presence leads us: to come to where He has gone before—to the Father!

As we approach this final Sunday before the Ascension, let us prepare for the feast with great excitement! Join the Apostles in awe, gazing at the Ascension of the King. But amidst the wonder, let us also be wise not to stare too long into the dazzling glory of that noon-day sun. Instead, let’s lower our gaze and turn inward, especially when the King approaches us, veiled in the Eucharist. How attentively should we listen for the whisper of His voice? In the silence and stillness of the Eucharist, we can unlock the boundless wellsprings of the Spirit that dwell within us. Get ready to be amazed!