TIt is only with the heart that one sees rightly. Little Prince

May the eys of your hearts be enlightened that you may know the hope that belongs to his call. Eph.1:18

The Feast of the Ascension is not so much about Jesus going away as it is in us seeing him in a new way.

The apostles were with Jesus for three years and yet mst of the time they failed to see the whole picture.

Thy saw a miracle worker, a healer, a person they would like to have seen as a king who would seat them also on thrones.

They would have  to wait for Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit to be enabled to finally see. But sight is not limited to the eye. The heart has its own way of seeing.

I am writing a book about dogs and I just finished a segment about Balko a Huskey who led a pack of sled dogs through raging blizzards to bring desparatly needed serum to the children of  Nome threatened by an outbreak of diptheria. He is honored today by a statue in Central Park.

He and his dog team were called uppn to trudge an extra 50 miles when their relief team was not ready to take to the trail. There were times when total white outs occurred with blinding snow. Yet it was his  heart that knew the way and kept punging ahead.

Today the priest will urge us to:

"Lift up your hearts!"

Jesus Ascension, his lifting up enables us to lift up our hearts too

And Paul in these beautiful words proclaims:

"May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened..."

"Enlighten" means more light....and lighten means to make lighter.

Too many hearts are not  light, hard to lift up.

Paul tell us our hearts should be enlightened because of "thehope that belongs to his call."

In my book: Living in the Shadow of Terror I wrote this about Hope:

The New Century ushered in uncertainty

and thus an opportunity for hope to thrive.

Hope comes when we are not  sure.

When we encounter doubts and fears.

It is then that we need hope.

And she comes always valiant

to walk by our side.

Hope doe not flourish

on the brightes day.

Hope comes alive:

on the darkest of nights."

May the eyes of your heart be enlightened that you may know the hope that belongs to his call.

Eph. 1:18