God is with Us Every Moment of Every Day – 24/7
Dear brothers and sisters in the Risen Lord,
The glorious Easter Time continues and we go back over the last days of the life of the Risen Lord Jesus. We are particularly very keen to know where Jesus went, where he is now and about the special relationship he had with the Apostles.
There happened a conversation between two little students. One of them asked:
“But if I always look at the sky, can I see Jesus? Or
Is there a particular hour when he appears?“.
The other readily replied: “What are you saying!
Did you not hear what the religion teacher said today?
Jesus appears only to the disciples! To those who lived with him two thousand years ago!”.
“So Jesus lives in the past?“, asked the other.
In effect, we all think that the house of Jesus is heaven and the heaven (the Kingdom of God) is there up above, somewhere beyond the clouds – far far away. Is it really so? Even the apostles, who last saw Jesus climbing to heaven, remained with their faces looking upwards, because they saw a cloud taking him away! Two angels (mark the words) point out that it is useless to continue to stare at the sky, because Jesus will return to be among people! Actually, they do not say where he went, but they guarantee that one day he will return to be among people.
The Gospel explores other aspects as well, but in Jesus’ last address to his faithful collaborators he says “… I will be with you till the end of the world.”. At this point, one may ask :
In what way will he be present with his friends?
Does he simply look at them from his abode from heaven?
Does he check to know if they really carry out the things he told them to do?
Well, to answer these questions, let us just remember how he was with them and the times when he forgave them their unfaithfulness … I think this itself is enough to say that he is not someone like a controller and that he is not so far away from people. In fact, Jesus not only promises to be always with his Apostles, but he assures them of his support through the Holy Spirit.
And who is the Spirit – if not God himself who works among us guiding our actions, suggesting thoughts that lead us to God.
So we feel the closeness of Jesus, when we forgive others or when we help people in need.
We experience similar joy, when we pray each morning or each night before falling asleep.
Certainly, each of us and all of us feel Jesus is close to us, especially when our heart is full of joy, graceful without bitterness. Therefore the dwelling of God, the place where Jesus lodges is indeed our heart, where he often finds great and welcoming accommodation, sometimes narrow and inhospitable. He never gets tired, for sure, and stays with us always, for we are his creatures that he loves deeply.
Another point is the special relationship of the Master with the Disciples (Apostles). Before going back to the Father he asked them to baptize all the people and to teach them everything they had learned from him! Yes, Jesus gave his Disciples, who traveled and lived with him, an assignment to fulfill. In fact, he asked them to continue his mission, that is, to announce to everyone the love of God for all. But there is a special relationship, as said in the beginning, between the Apostles and the Lord: Jesus trusts them and counts on their help. All of us, who are his disciples, have been invested with such a job: to make known the Lord and His message – which means that He trusts us!
Dear brethren, today on the solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus, the Church celebrates the promise of God that he always stays close to all of us and we rejoice for the trust he places in all of us. Great is our God!
Fr Sagayaraj Devadoss
Pastor
