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| THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD. Image from senseofthesacred via google.com |
On Thursday [Sunday in other places] we shall already be celebrating the Ascension of the Lord to heaven. That occasion was at the same time the sending off of the Apostles to proclaim the Gospel to all the nations [see Acts 1:9; Matthew 28: 19-20].
The Mission of the Apostles is to make disciples of all nations and to baptize these new disciples in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them everything that the Lord has taught the Apostles. This is their Mission, which is also the Mission of the Church, and of every member of the Church.
For us, the Mission is to make friends of all nations, sharing with them the Gospel of Holy Friendship, John 15: 12-17. We fulfill this Mission primarily through the Internet but we also must do it in the actual and diverse areas of our respective lives.
We are not to make friends in accordance with human understanding of friendship but of the divine friendship and of the evangelical friendship: of being ready to offer one's life for one another, of loving one another, of washing each other's feet. It is a friendship based on the Gospel, founded upon the Lord's love and His grace, and ultimately meant toward union with the Father. It is a friendship which anticipates heaven by living for the sake of heaven here on earth. It is a friendship which is zealous for God and conforms us to the Lord. It is a friendship which aims toward salvation and finally enjoying the fullness of life in the Father's house. Hence, a purely worldly friendship is much less than what we aspire for.
This friendship requires steadfast faith, great hope and ardent love. It is a love which aims to fulfill God's works, animates the various ministries in the name of the Lord, and is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Anything contrary to these are therefore unworthy of the Lord's call to holy friendship.
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