"We know God always has eyes open for us when it seems to be dark.

GOD IS OUR FATHER.. even MORE GOD IS OUR MOTHER." JOHN PAUL I

"TO BE OR NOT TO BE. THAT IS THE QUESTION."

WILLIAM SHAKESPHERE

We have been watching expectantly a quail nest hidden in a neighbor's patio flower box. Its hiding was brilliant, and we know from a couple of observations that the mother had been sitting on the nest.

 Ten eggs were laid. Then they began to disappear. At last look there were only 4 forlorn eggs and it appears the nest has been abandoned.

"To be or not to be?"

In this case, not to be. Each person who reads this came from a friendly and warm nest. We came from a mother who said "yes" to nine months of patient waiting, and endured minutes or even hours of pain to bring us forth into life.

We did not "have to be."

Each of us was a gift accepted, not denied.

For this simple, yet profound truth we owe our deepest gratitude.

May God bless our mothers, living or deceased.

 ASCENSION

The Ascension is more about Jesus remaining with us through his gift of the Spirit than his leaving us as orphans.

"May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,that yu may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are he riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones."

The Ascension is all about Hope. What the eyes of our faces can no longer see, the eyes of our hearts perceive.

So what does it mean to be "a hopeful person?

It means to eschew cynicism.

It means to expect surprises.

Recentty watching the championship basketball game between Villanova and the perennial favorite North Carolina, the Tar Heals scored on an increible shot with four seconds left.

I groaned. I despaired.

And Rosemary exclaimed: 'BUT WE HAVE THE BALL!"

WORDS SPOKEN FROM A WELL SPRING OF HOPE.

And sure enough, we DID have the ball. We brought it downcourt, and with one second left:

SWISH!

We won!

Life is not a basketball game, but having hope we must be aware that God can surprise us. God's ways are not our ways.

And so we pray in today's post Communion prayer:

Almighty and ever living God,

who allows those on earth

to celebrate divine mysteries,

grant we pray:

that Christian Hope may draw us onward,

to  where our nature is united with you,

through Christ our Lord.

Amen

 

We are to sense this living Spirit with the eyes of our hearts. In tody;s Second readifg, Saint Paul offer these beautiful words: