Trust in Christ's Promises and Focus on Daily Sanctification
Offertory
"Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice..."
Summary of Headings
- Introduction: The Apostles Post-Ascension
- The Apostolic Mission and Our Call
- Lessons from Church Fathers
- Focus on Daily Sanctification
- The Role of Private Revelations
- Trust in Established Authority
- Concluding Reflections and the Virgin Mary's Guidance
Introduction: The Apostles Post-Ascension
The emphasis of the epistle today, or the liturgy in general today, is what the angels tell to the apostles. Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into the heavens? This is a common refrain, actually, all throughout the time of the ascension of the Lord. We know that after 40 days, he rose into heaven. Then 10 days later, he sent the Holy Ghost upon them. So for us, of course, it's a time of, shall we say for the apostles, the same as for us, it's a time of certain amount of sadness. Our Lord is no longer among them, and so therefore, there is a lack, a fault within them. They feel sad, they feel confused, and they still also are not perfectly confirmed in the faith, not having received the Holy Ghost yet.
The Apostolic Mission and Our Call
They must learn to trust in the word of our Lord that they will receive the Holy Ghost, but their faith is not yet confirmed. They are not yet confirmed in the Holy Ghost, but they are not yet confirmed in the Holy Ghost, but their faith is still unconfirmed. So they wait. But rather, when our Lord ascends into heaven, rather than actually going and starting the process of actually waiting, they stand below and just keep watching, waiting for him to come back, waiting for one last glimpse of him. Whatever it was that they were looking for, staring up into the heavens, and they had to be pushed by the angels. He's gone. He's gone. He will come again, and he will come in the same way that you have seen him go, but he is gone. It's a not-so-gentle push to get on with life, and it's something we should take to heart, too.
Lessons from Church Fathers
It's easy for us, especially in our day and age, especially being traditional Catholics in our situation, to fall into the same kind of stupefied glancing up to heaven, wondering and waiting, hoping for the coming of the Lord. The coming of Christ, and whatever else that it is we are trying to do. Getting lost in other things than other than what the work of the apostles was at this moment. Preparing themselves to receive the Holy Ghost. Our job isn't too different from that in and of itself. We are supposed to prepare the way for Christ and for the Holy Ghost. In our lives, with the grace that God has given us, we are supposed to proclaim the gospel in every corner of the earth.
Focus on Daily Sanctification
We are supposed to be the missionaries of the church. We are supposed to be the ones who spread the message of Christ, wherever it is that we go. This is our job, but we can't do so if we're stupefied, looking up, waiting to see a little glimpse of Christ. There is a great father of the church named Tertullian, who is not a saint. He's one of the few fathers of the church, who is a Christian, who's not a saint. The reason for that is because even though he wrote magnificently about our Lord Jesus Christ, even though he was a great and holy man, he got himself lost into a certain group and organization at the time that was absolutely convinced of the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. So he went to the beach and just waited and waited and waited until he died. And so the church cannot canonize him because he lost his faith. Even though he was waiting for Christ, he lost his faith insofar as he got lost in something that had nothing to do with the faith.
The Role of Private Revelations
Christ is going to come back again. We know this. This is of the faith and we have absolute confidence of it. But we are, meanwhile, we are supposed to live our lives. There's a great story in the life of Saint Benedict where his monks during their free time, or during their work time, excuse me, they were out in the garden and the conversation was, what would we do if at this moment the end of the world were to occur? And all the monks said, oh, I'd go to my father for confession or I'd run to the chapel and receive Holy Communion. I'd do one last visit to the Blessed Sacrament. All these beautiful and pious things. And when they asked, say, Benedict himself, who of course wrote their rule, what he would do, he said, I'd continue gardening because that's what the will of God asks me to do at this moment. That is what the rule tells me to do. That is what I shall do because that is the way I shall best please God.
Trust in Established Authority
With everything that is going on in the world and in the church, it gets easy for us to lose ourselves in the expectation of God's justice and the expectation for his coming. We get lost, waiting for the end of the world or trying to discern exactly which church of Asia in the book of the Apocalypse we are in, which prophecy about the popes we are in, which whatever else may be the case, which apparition promised us which thing at which point in which year, trying to read the book of Daniel to try to understand, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. It's easy for us to get caught up in that. It's also very easy to get caught up in the conspiracies of the day, to listen, to all the noise and distractions about everything.
Concluding Reflections and the Virgin Mary's Guidance
Everybody is preaching an opinion about everything. And it's easy for us to get lost in that too. This is one of the cautions that the church puts, especially on private revelations. They're perfectly good and beautiful when they are approved by the church. But unfortunately, they are also with a big warning sign attached to them. This is not, this is not part of the faith. Even the greatest apparitions, even the greatest messages by Our Lady, these are not part of the faith and we should not treat them as such. They are good for our personal devotion. They are good to encourage us to see the hand of our Lord Jesus Christ and to bolster our confidence and hope in God. But we are not supposed to get lost in them.
We are not supposed to get lost in the news and gossip. We are not supposed to get lost in everything that is going on. We are supposed to as the angels say, go about our business. Why do you keep staring up to the heavens? Jesus of Nazareth is gone. He is here because he sent the Holy Ghost to the apostles. But the apostles work was not to sit on that Mount and wait for him to come back. Or for one day to come back. One final glimpse of him. Or to mourn his loss. Their work was to prepare their souls. For the coming of the Holy Ghost. Our work. Is what Christ has given to his apostles. To carry that on. To live our faith. To sanctify ourselves. According to the state of life that we are in. According to whatever the. Our. Our particular grace of state may be. We are supposed to sanctify ourselves. In that sense. And we can't let ourselves get distracted. By everything else.
Everything is at the service. Of that single great action. To sanctify ourselves. Through our day to day. Mundane. Small little things. That we are supposed to do. To live the life of grace. That he calls us to. And nothing else. We are not. We are not supposed to. Figure out. The exact date and time and place. Of the coming of Christ. We are not supposed to figure out. Who the antichrist is. Or the antipopes. Or whatever else. We are not supposed to know. The exact everything about everything. We are not supposed to know. Every gossip and conspiracy theory. That has ever occurred.
We are not supposed to. Live according to that standard. It does not exist. And this is not. What the Catholic Church has ever taught. But rather. We. Rather than stare up. And look for signs from heaven. Rather than. Let our mistrust. Although. Righteous. Although. Shall we say. Righteous mistrust of authority. Not let it. Overcome us to the point. That we need to hear everything. Straight from the source. If I don't get it from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Herself. It doesn't really count. We can't live that way. That is not the faith. We have to still trust. In the authority. That our Lord Jesus Christ. Established. Through his apostles. And. With. The guidance. Of the Holy Ghost. We still have to live. The life of the church. As it was given. To the apostles. And commanded. By our Lord Jesus Christ. And enlivened. By the Holy Ghost.
We still have to carry out. The mission. Of the church. As it is mandated. By the Holy Ghost. And in ten days. We'll be the source. Of all. We'll be the source. Of the conversion. Of thousands. On the same day. Of Pentecost. We need to have trust. In the faith. Trust. Trust. In doctrine. Trust. In the message. And mission. Of the church. Trust. In the commandment. Of Christ. Trust. In the power. Of the Holy Ghost. This is where. Our faith. Must reside. Because. The more we look. For it. The more we're missing it. It's right there. In front of us. Christ has given it. To us. The Holy Ghost. Has manifested it. To us. And taught it. To us. We don't need to go. Looking for him. He is all around us. And most specifically. He is here. And that is what we must focus. All of our attention on.
Not letting all the noise. And all the confusion. And all the doubts. And all the fears. And all the. Everything else. Confuse us. Let's stop looking for the solution. When we already have it. Let's stop. Thinking that. We should run to the church. When God is calling us to garden. Let us stop. Waiting on the beach. For his second coming. And let's get to work. With the salvation of our souls. And the souls of our neighbors. And stop focusing on everything else. And just give ourselves to him. And every little aspect of our day. Every little particle of our being. Every little detail. That seems so insignificant. Can do tremendous good. If we give it with true love. And confidence. In our Lord Jesus Christ. Regardless of what we know. And what we can guarantee. Or predict. Or understand. We just hand ourselves over to our Lord Jesus Christ. And trust in him.
Regardless of everything else. That shakes the very foundations of the earth. We know that we can believe. In the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we know that his mission. Will be carried out. If we just are simply faithful to him. And not to everything else. Let's beg the Blessed Virgin Mary. Who was the Apostles. Guide during this time. During their retreat. She was present at Pentecost. She was present for these 10 days. In the Chinakulum. Waiting and hoping. And helping guide them. While they were lost. Waiting and trying to trust. And believe in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Before they could receive the Holy Ghost. Let's turn to her. That she may be our comfort. And our guide. During these times of confusion. To help us stay on point. And to always follow the will of God. And not try to control it. In any way shape or form. In the name of the Father. And the Son. And the