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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When I was twelve years old, my grandfather asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told him, “A nice watch.” I wasn’t expecting anything fancy, but something sophisticated and shiny like grown-ups wear.

When we opened up our presents, there was a small box with my name on it. Inside was exactly what I asked for…or so my grandfather thought.

It was a “grown up” watch alright. It had a black leather band, a round silver face, and two tiny black hands – one that counted the hours and the other the minutes. However, there was one critical piece missing.

There were no numerals on the watch’s face. 

I had no idea how I was supposed to tell time. What was the difference between eight and nine? Ten and eleven? I wept inside. Fortunately, I held it together and tucked my watch away in my sock drawer once I got home.

Two months later, my grandfather died unexpectedly on Valentine’s Day. That watch was the last thing he ever gave me. Ironically enough, it was a gift I came to appreciate with the passage of time.

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In today’s Gospel, the disciples are given an incredible gift as they watch Jesus ascend into heaven. But it is not something they immediately understand; they will only come to appreciate what has happened with the passage of time. 

As Matthew tells us, “they worshipped, but they doubted.” 

They worshipped Jesus because they didn’t know what else to do. Worshipping him was simply muscle memory. 

Whenever the Lord healed someone, or walked on water, or raised Lazarus from the dead, they worshipped him. No one had ever done things like that before. 

But they doubted because they didn’t know where exactly he went, or what they were supposed to do now. Their miracle working Master just vanished from their midst! When would he come back again and take them to himself as he promised at the Last Supper?

Tomorrow? Next week? After another forty days?

I’d imagine Christ’s ascension caused the disciples to react a bit like I did at Christmas; they wept inside. Or maybe they couldn’t hold it together and suddenly they bawled their eyes out. 

Only at Pentecost would the disciples be given the consolation of the Spirit – and with the Spirit, the wisdom to understand and the courage to act.

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So, what did the Ascension mean for the disciples? And what might it mean for us today?

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Slowly, the disciples began to understand that they were Christ’s abiding presence on earth; that their own bodies were now his temple. That if anyone sought to hear Christ’s voice or witness his power, then they would have to turn to his disciples.

So, they stopped looking up and started looking out at each other and deep within themselves. 

Then the disciples did as they were commanded – healing the sick, forgiving sinners, and preaching salvation to all, even to the very crowds who shouted for the Lord’s death.

The disciples realized that Christ’s ascension opened the way to eternal life, which also gave them the courage to accept death in the most unimaginable ways, often dying just like their Lord. 

As Saint Paul later writes, “If we have died with Christ, then we believe that we shall also live with Christ.”

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This may not have been the storybook ending the disciples expected. It would’ve been much easier for them to tether the Lord to this earth, making him do all the work. 

But once they accepted God on God’s terms, they got down to business, continuing what Jesus started – bringing light where there was darkness, hope where there was despair, love where there was hatred, and salvation where there was death.

The Ascension points to the humbling truth that, at some point, Christ’s followers must rise up and become the leaders; his listeners must become the preachers; his converts must become the missionaries: those who were once broken and helpless must do the healing.

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Much like that watch my grandfather gave me as a kid, the Ascension is a gift from God which takes time for us to appreciate. You might say it’s a feast for “grown-ups,” who understand that time has changed, that the temporal has been replaced with the eternal.

That the bond of death has been broken as the gates of heaven are thrust open. And we who give ourselves away like Christ and his disciples did in this life will receive the fullness of life in the next. 

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Image credits: (1) Christi Himmelfahrt, Gebhard Fugel (2) Watch Connection, Movado (3) X.com, Thykingdomcome global

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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 his life would have been if he had to preach the Gospel without 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 life, as the old saying goes, “No man is an island.” We all need friends..

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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 bad times. 

Do I have that type of friend? More importantly, am I such a 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) Kids Activity Blog (2) Sts. Paul and Priscilla, Orthodoxmonasteryicons.com (3) Saint John Nepomucene Catholic Community

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Acts: 1:15-17, 20-26

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

The Word of the Lord.

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Our first reading describes what might be the first complete gathering of the Christian community after the resurrection of Christ. The days of the Apostles hiding fearfully in Jerusalem were over.

The Risen Lord had appeared to them, breathed on them, bestowed the Holy Spirit, offered his divine peace, and sent them out on mission to, “make disciples of all nations.”

The first order of business was to replace Judas Iscariot, whose betrayal and death left a gaping hole in the early Church’s leadership. So, the entire Christian community gathered… all 120 of them.

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Two candidates were proposed, Matthias and Joseph. Both of them were followers of Jesus from the earliest days of his ministry, but neither was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Twelve… until today.

One might imagine the Church had a very spiritual process of election, filled with much prayer and fasting. While that was true, the practical side of replacing Judas came down to casting lots. 

Matthias and Joseph each had their name written on a stone, then placed inside a jar. The jar shook until one name fell out: Matthias. With that, he joined the ranks of the Apostles, who were the direct successors of Christ’s authority on earth.

Tradition tells us that Matthias went on to preach the Gospel as far as Turkey, until, like his brothers and his Lord, he was martyred – literally put to death for sharing his faith.

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May Matthias intercede for us that we, too, would speak up, finding creative ways to share the Gospel, even unto death.

Saint Matthias, Apostle and Martyr, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Every Nation Church New Jersey (2) Saint Matthias, Peter Paul Rubens, 1611 (3) LDS Scripture of the Day