Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As the Easter season swiftly moves forward to the Ascension (just 10 days away) we are once again transported to the Upper Room.  There the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of Eternal Life, begins, as well as the Holy Priesthood which continues sacramentally the saving work of our Redeemer.  Through these we receive the love of Christ Himself and therefore He gives the New Commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you”.  There is an inseparable bond between these three sacred words and actions of our Lord.  These are presented in the context of His Farewell Discourse.  He is preparing the disciples for His physical departure from them and so with all farewells there is the element of sadness and fear. 

No doubt the disciples wondered, “How will we get along without Him?”  In time they will come to realize that He is not really gone from their midst but rather present in a new way.  St. Luke’s account of the Acts of the Apostles is the story of our Lord’s presence now working through the preaching and acts of the Twelve and those who are empowered by them.  In a sense, the Acts of the Apostles continues to this day.  The work of Christ our Head proceeds in the Church until that day, as we see in the Book of Revelation; the New Jerusalem unites Heaven and Earth.

With great joy we will be celebrating that particular love of Christ with His little lambs who will be receiving their First Holy Communion this coming Saturday, May 21st at St John’s, and also those 8th graders who will be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, June 5th.   Please remember them in your prayers as they make their final preparations for these most important days in their lives.

Let the Easter Alleluias ring out to God!

With Blessings,

Father Langan