FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
My Dear Parishioners
Today’s gospel reading is the conclusion of St. Matthew’s account. In many ways, it is the summation of the entire gospel. Jesus reminds us of His authority, noting, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” But He does not stop there. Through His authority, Jesus grants the disciples power to baptize and make disciples of all nations. Jesus also gives us the same instruction: GO!
There is an urgency in Jesus’s command. There is work to be done. There is good news to be shared. Fortunately, we do not do it alone, for Jesus promises, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Things will look different going forward, but as St. Paul prays in the second reading, “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of Him.” Christ is always present within us, and our relationship with Christ informs all we do.
Like the disciples, we are called to make disciples, baptize, and teach in the name of Jesus. What Jesus instructs the disciples to proclaim is that God holds out to all people the priceless raiment of divine forgiveness and asks only in return that they let themselves be clothed with power from on high to turn away from anything that stands between them and the divine clothier. Disciples are not to stand looking at the sky, gazing at the One who has now been taken up. Their work, our work is to teach others that same trust in the power of the word to uphold them and cloth them with power. This “Great Commission” gives the disciples and us a decisive direction after Jesus’s Ascension, all with the promise of His continued presence with them and with us. May we all continue to follow and continue Jesus’ invitation to bring others to Him.
Peace,
Fr. Monteleone
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