Today a promise was made…….”And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high”…And Jesus keeps his promises

Today at Holy Mass the Universal Church commemorates the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven…Jesus’s earthly mission has ended, only to begin another one in and through the Holy Spirit…”And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high…As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven”……Now under St Peter’s leadership this uneducated band of common men were left with a herculean task - To proclaim the message of God by word and deed to the entire world…Notice the words St Luke used in the Gospel today….”but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high”….This is a direct reference to the Holy Spirit but this sentence also implies something…..”stay in the city UNTIL”…This implies that without the Holy Spirit - You can and will do nothing - Do you believe that?……As we all know the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity….And as Baptized Catholics each of us was given the Holy Spirit….So why do we not see this “power from on high” that St Luke is talking about?….In order for the Holy Spirit to work in our life, we must “make room for it”….We fill our lives with “things”, “stuff”, and “agendas”….When we empty ourselves of those “things”, we make room for God…And then that “power from on high” will be seen and felt by the world through what we do……We see this in the lives of the saints….men and woman, like you and me…Who emptied themselves only to be filled with the Holy Spirit…These men and women shake the foundations of the world…..But what about us?…..What keeps us from allowing the Holy Spirit to act in and through us?……The same Spirit that animates the saints can also animate us......Our world needs to encounter Catholics fully alive…..For those committed Christians who read this - Take note!….Words don’t cut it…..Our world needs to “see”…..In order to give such a witness, we must die to ourself…..”Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”……This is how it works!…And this is what we must strive to do….Then the Holy Spirit can “do what it does" - Set the world on fire!

“Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world”

Before I was married for seven years I drove Mother Teresa’s sisters every Saturday all over New York City, the Bronx and Brooklyn…..I have seen with my own two eyes what St Luke wrote about today, which was read to us in the Gospel at Mass….”But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high”…..When Mother Teresa’s sisters would enter places that no rational person would go….Walk the halls of violent housing projects…..Live in neighborhoods filled with crime….etc…..The people would not only respect them but the crowds would part when they walked down the side walk….Part of that comes from respect for what they do…But also there is an element of the divine at work…The Holy Spirit is tangibly felt in and through the Sisters - Anyone who has serviced with them will tell you that…That is why violent and dangerous people leave them alone - Even the worst of the worst can feel the presence of God in the Sisters and when push comes to shove - People don’t want to “mess” with God!……Many people today want to be social justice warriors…We see activism on social media, in government and on the streets of our country….The most effective way to impact the world…Is allow the Holy Spirit, which is VERY REAL - To animate our life…Why do we not see this happen?….Because as we just noted…In order for that to happen we must "die to ourself"….”Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”….This is what Mother Teresa’s sisters do before they do anything else…And this is why the crowds part when they walk down the most violent of streets….Because the Holy Spirit animates them….If we want to be effective in our families, in our neighborhood and in our work place - In our circle of influence…This is what we must do…”Die to ourself” before we do anything else….Only then can the Holy Spirit fill us…..A cup of water must be emptied before milk can be poured in…We are that cup of water…We must be emptied before God can fill us with his Spirit…And once we do that…We will “bear fruit that will last” - And not until we do that - That by the way is a promise from God - And God keeps his promises

“Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy”

Today the Church commemorates the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven….However, the work of Christ continues…It continues in and through us….However, if we do not allow the Holy Spirit to animate our life, which Jesus promised today would be sent to us - Nothing we do will last - Our world does not believe that sadly….Are we more confident in our own natural gifts?…..Are we convinced that the Holy Spirit is even real?….Have we ever encountered a person who allowed the Holy Spirit to animate their life?…..Seeing is believing…Our world needs witnesses….And “this kind of witness” that I am writing about ONLY happens when the Holy Spirit is fully alive in a person…We can be that person - Do you realize that - You can be that person!……Do not be afraid to “empty yourself”…..This is what prevents us from “being that person”….We are “holding on to dust”….........”Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”….Today a promise was made…….”And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high”…And Jesus keeps his promises