Efren Tomas

The Ascension of the Lord is not the loss of a leader, nor the end of a promise when He said, “I will be with you until the end of time.”

Jesus gives us a new commandment to “love one another.” St John reminds us that our greatest task as Christians is to love one another. It was something John himself did not always find easy to practice.

Christian leadership looks for people who are shepherds. Jesus was a shepherd. We are all called to be shepherds. The priests are shepherds of the flock but by far not the only one. The role of the father in the family is not any different.

The apostles went back at their original place of calling, as fishermen. It gives the impression that they felt more the pain than the joy of being Christian.

The news of Jesus’ resurrection had not removed the fear from the hearts of the disciples. On the evening of Easter Sunday, they were assembled in a room with the doors closed.

The Lord is Risen, Alleluia! The feast of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus is the greatest feast of
the year, even greater than Christmas and any other religious feast.

Today, we commemorate the entry of Jesus in the city of Jerusalem. He is the person who decided to go to Jerusalem notwithstanding the advice to the contrary of his disciples. He knows very well what awaits him there.