Good morning. Today is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord! Today is celebrated as a feast of Jesus’s ascending to heaven and concludes the Easter season. The past 80 days of Lent and Easter seem to have gone by so fast. As I look back on these days there has been so much that has changed. I am excited to continue throughout the year with a renewed faith!
Our first reading reminds us of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. We also are told to wait for the guidance from the Holy Spirit; admittedly that waiting part is difficult for me. Another part of this reading I enjoy is the Apostles are asked why they are looking for Jesus in the sky and are reminded He is now in Heaven. This Lent and Easter I made an effort to focus on the Holy Spirit and to become closer to God through asking for the Holy Spirit to enter me and guide my heart closer to Jesus. I was not certain what to expect, but in reflection I am pleasantly surprised at the transformation in my life. One part I am happy to share is the ability to “let go” of more things. I do not focus on controlling things based on my expectations, but I look for the joyous gifts and signs God has for me in the daily ongoings of life. It is quite far from where I had been not so long ago. Have you felt the Holy Spirit grow in you? Take a moment to reflect, were there blessings you received that you may not have immediately realized?
The responsorial psalm reaffirms the greatness of the Lord and the celebration of Jesus completing all Gods wishes and returning to the Father. The shout of acclamation and blaring of trumpets paints a fantastic image in my mind of how Jesus must have been received in full glory.
I cannot help but smile when listening to the second reading. The immense love pouring from these blessings for us. We are human and understand things as humans and not of God.I am reminded that we cannot understand any of our faith nor what occurred through Lent and Easter without the gift of the Holy Spirit in us. Now reading this second reading again, I come back to the realization of all the gifts God has provided, all the blessings, all of the opportunities in my life are one with the Holy Spirit in me. My faith was never started from anything I accomplished on my own, but from the growth of the Holy Spirit in me and my saying “YES” to Him. How have you grown this Lent and Easter season? Are you excited for this new year and renewed with the Holy Spirit?