In one of the annual preached retreats I was subjected to as a young Jesuit the director presented a vivid picture of the ascension long before the age of shuttle launchings As Jesus rose heavenward he saw Jerusalem Nazareth Galilee Asia Minor Greece and finally Rome This is precisely what

As the Easter cycle moves to Ascension and Pentecost the readings foreshadow the ongoing life of the church Acts describes an early conflict in the community and the choice of seven men filled with the Spirit One is Stephen who immediately afterward is put to death This leads to the spread of t

Today’s Gospel and Luke’s whole theology of the Spirit, which will unfold in Acts, is a chronicle of the way God can walk with us in surprising, often unknown ways, reversing our path from fear and disappointment to make of us bearers of the power of the risen one.

The shepherd imagery is deeply rooted in biblical thought.

People frequently ask, “What is the church?” Today’s readings provide foundational images for God’s own people.

Dic nobis Maria quid vidisti in via sepulchrum Christi viventis et gloriam vidi resurgentis Yes tell us again Mary what did you see on your journey I saw the tomb of one who still lives and the glory of the risen one The core of Easter faith resounds through these words from the poetic Easter