I came across a story in a book recently of a little girl being shown around the Church of the Ascension. Looking up at a large painting of the Ascension in the church she asked, ‘Why is Jesus up in the air?’ Children have a way of asking direct questions. The little girl’s question put me in mind of the question that is addressed to the disciples in today’s first reading, ‘Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky?’ The question suggests that the Ascension of Jesus should not prompt us to look into the sky,…

Acts 18:1-8 or Acts 1:1-11 Jn 16:16-20. There is a married couple who feature in today’s first reading, Aquila and Priscilla. They were a Jewish Christian couple who had recently come from Rome to Corinth, and when Paul came to preach the gospel for the first time in Corinth, he stayed in their accommodation. They were tentmakers like himself. Paul’s letters reveal that this married couple hosted a church in their house in Ephesus and later in Rome. They provided the space for believers in these two cities to gather for prayer, for Eucharist, for sharing together. They were clearly…

Acts 17:15, 22-18:1 Jn 16:12-15 There is only so much that people can learn at a certain stage of their lives. The great truths of life take a long time to absorb. This is certainly the case with the truths of our faith. We enter into those truths gradually, over time, with experience of life. Jesus seems to acknowledge that in this morning’s gospel reading. He tells his disciples that he has many things to say to them but that they are not yet ready to hear them, ‘they would be too much for you now’. Jesus declares that the…

16:22-34; Psalm 137; l John 16:5-11 Today’s first reading tells us of the imprisonment of St Paul and his companion Silas. They had freed a girl of an evil spirit which now meant that she was useless to her masters. These same masters had Paul and Silas imprisoned because of their lost earnings now that she was freed from possession. However, this is turned into an occasion of teaching and conversion when they are freed from their chains and the gaoler sees this. As a result, the gaoler is converted to the faith. In the gospel, Jesus tells his followers…

Since members of the public shall not be able to receive Holy Communion, let each one of us make an act of Spiritual Communion composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori; “My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You Sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.” Amen. 7. A Prayer In…

Reading Acts 16:11-15 Jn 15:26-16:4a In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus expresses concern lest the faith of his disciples might be shaken. He shows an awareness that suffering is likely to come their way, in the form of persecution and hostility, and suffering might be undermining of their faith in him. The words of Jesus to his disciples can speak to our experience. Various experiences can shake our own faith. Some personal suffering, the efforts of others to undermine our faith, the failures of people of faith whom we trusted – all of these experiences, and many others could…