For the readings of today’s mass, go to
https://www.livingwithchrist.ca/images/article_images/pdf/May_27_Pages_from_LWC_May2020-lowres-3.pdf
A reality of the Diocesan priesthood is that one has to be prepared for the possibility that you will be transferred to another parish. This has happened to me 5 times in my 29 years of preisthood. When the date of departure finally did arrive, I would address the parishioners in my Sunday homily. While delivering a short message on the readings, the primary task of the homily was to say goodbye.
Memories of those goodbyes came to mind when I considered our first reading from Acts today, as St. Paul has to say goodbye to the church community at Ephesus. All present knew that they would never see Paul again. As St. Luke shares, there were many tears, embraces and kisses in this gathering. And they were not the only ones filled with emotion. So was Paul. He expresses his love for them, but also his hopes and fears for them. As hard as it is, he fully understands it is time to go, it is time to move on to the next chapter of his ministry. In today's reflection from Faith ND, Tierney Vrdolyak recalls a mass at the end of his final undergrad year, led by Fr. Pat Reidy, C.S.C. at Notre Dame University in the USA. Quoting Jesus in today’s gospel (John 17: 11b-19), Fr. Reidy said, “Jesus is right; He sends his apostles into the world, after sanctifying them in truth. He does the same for you. You didn’t come here to stay. You came here to go.”
We have all had experiences in our lives when it was time to say goodbye. And that saying goodbye was particularly poignant if the time we spent in that setting – at home, at work, at school – was a place of blessing. But we can’t stay forever. We know we do have to go. As Mr. Vrdolyak reminds us, Jesus’ first invitation to His Apostles was to “come”. His last invitation is to “go”. We go because God has more plans for us. And we need to do our own part to bring that plan to fruition. But we do not do so alone. We go, doing so with the strength of our faith, and the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
4 more days until Pentecost. Veni, sancte Spiritus.
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In our parish pilgrimage back in March, upon arrival in the Holy land, we learned with both sadness and understanding that Bethlehem had been closed to all pilgrims due to the pandemic. This week, there was good news that our mother church, the Church of the Nativity, had just reopened.
A reminder again that this Friday evening, beginning at 7 pm, we will be holding a livesteam Adoration and Benediction Prayer service with Praise and Worship music in our parish church. Please join us as we come the end of the Easter season and look forward to this Sunday’s great feast of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost. Stay tuned to our parish website for the posting and link for the livestream.