My Dearly Beloved in Christ;

It has been 40 days since we celebrated the Solemnity of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead. Since then, He has been appearing to His Disciples and speaking to them about the kingdom of God. Eventually, the time came for Him to return to His Father in heaven from whence He came. It is this event of His return to the Father that we celebrate this weekend as the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.

My Dearly Beloved in Christ;

Whenever we read the about the beginnings of the Church and the life of the early Jewish Christians, especially as contained in the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2:42 – 47, we cannot but admire the mutual love, unity and fraternity that existed among them. They lived a communal life that bound them together in body, mind, soul and spirit. This exemplary living won them the admiration of many people especially the gentiles (non-Jews) who eventually joined them and increased their numbers. However, their lives at that early beginning of the Church was not without the controversies and disagreements that could be found among people.

My Dearly Beloved in Christ;

As we continue in joyful thanks to God for the gift of the new Pontiff; His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, today’s f irst reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 14: 21-27 recounts the missionary exploits of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas. Their missionary adventure among the inhabitants of Derbe, Lystra, Iconum and Antioch brought them a mixed bag of admiration and praise but not without the rejection, persecution and stoning that followed shortly after.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is always called Good Shepherd Sunday and is a traditional day of Vocations awareness. This image of The Good Shepherd is the enduring and shows God’s care, love and mercy for all of us.

Nobody wants to be called a sheep. It has some strange connotations. But in the eyes of God, we are these most profoundly gentle and pastoral creatures.

“Yes, Lord, I love you.”

We know that St. Peter did follow Jesus and that he was martyred by crucifixion in Rome. The eyes of the world are on Rome this week. St. Peter did as Jesus asked; as the first Pope, he fed the lambs, tended the sheep, fed the sheep. We see in the Gospel, how Jesus in His tenderness and love, called Peter to turn completely toward Him and to follow Him.