FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD
May 21, 2023 ASCENSION OF THE LORD
WORD of the DAY
The eleven disciples
went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw
him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I
am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 16-20)
How shall I live this Word? 
Today, Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, the liturgy offers us, with the words of the conclusion of the Gospel of Matthew, the image of an imperfect Church sent on mission. It is to the Eleven, to the inadequate Church that Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” It is precisely to this Church, formed by each of us, that the Lord entrusts the task of speaking about true love. Yes, because you can love even like this, maybe just like this, in imperfection. Because that void is the space that God comes to fill. The Eleven return to Galilee for a new beginning; to proclaim God’s love.
This is the history of the Church from the very beginning, an imperfect, incomplete, inadequate Church, marked by wounds but supported by the only certainty, “I am with you every day.” I, the Lord, come every day to complete your inability to love; I come to heal your limitation.
God does not despise our human imperfection, but values it, because it is precisely the place that allows Him to be present, to continue to incarnate Himself. God loves our imperfect humanity so much that He gives us, with great confidence, the missionary mandate, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
Lord Jesus, make us heralds of Your Kingdom of Love Peace Justice.
The voice of Pope Francis, Discourse on 5/6/2015
Humanity has so much need of the Gospel, a source of joy, hope, and peace. […] The proclamation of the Gospel is the first and constant concern of the Church. It is her essential commitment, her greatest challenge, and the source of her renewal.
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E-mail: srmterzo@gmail.com Website: www.sanbiagio.org info@sanbiagio.org Blog: livingscripture.wordpress.com Comment: Sr. Vilma Colombo, FMA
