Dianne Bergant

The meaning of the feast of the Ascension is found outside human history but its implications touch the lives of all believers We might wonder just what really happened on that Ascension Day Was Jesus actually lifted up And if so where did his body go The space travel that this generation know

Many of us take great pride in our ability to recognize faces Or it may happen that we are on a street or highway and we come upon a particular turn in the road or a distinctive landmark and we realize that we have been in that place before At times like these floods of memories return What see

Generation after generation the Christian community re-examines its teaching regarding the resurrection of Jesus Carefully developed explanations continue to clarify the most minute details of this doctrine Many of us are so familiar with these details that we may have ceased to be amazed at thei

The Gospel for today which recounts the passion and death of Jesus includes elements of intrigue betrayal and murder A careful reading shows that the victim was not ignorant of the plots devised against him Even before the horrendous onslaught began Jesus announced ldquo My appointed time dr

Key concepts in today rsquo s Gospel reflect how many of us still face difficult issues Like the disciples some of us maintain that misfortune is indeed a punishment for sin Like the man rsquo s parents we too may be loathe to stand in support of another if we fear our own status may be in jeopa

We are children of the earth The fact that we live on the land has been reinforced by the biblical story of how God formed the first man out of the clay of the earth Gn 2 7 It might be more accurate to say that we are children of the water Life on earth began in the water and then developed ou