The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven

In the Scripture reading for this Sunday, Jesus tells his disciples what to do as he was about to leave them.

He puts before them (and each of us) the lifelong task of keeping God’s commandments.

Gospel Reading: John  14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him.

But you know him, because he remains with you,and will be in you.

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live.

On that day you will realise that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.

Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me.

And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Keeping the Lord’s commandments means loving the Lord and loving our neighbour. Love is the mark of Christians. When one accepts Jesus and his commandments, one will be filled with love and live in the faith and hope that they are truly loved by God.

Jesus assures that  even though his earthly body is no longer here on earth to guide and help us, the Holy Spirit will always be with us.  All of us are loved by God. Have you felt it? The fact that one experiences love, one shares that very love of God. Do you demonstrate your concern and care for others with love? Do you choose and select whom to love?

The love of God is beyond restrictions and boundaries. One shall not only love the person of his or her choice but everyone. Even those whom one does not like. More than ever, one is compelled to love anyone without “ifs or buts,” including one’s enemy. This is what the good news is all about, the love of God is shared, thus, our turn to love others like God is our task. This is not always easy.

Followers of Jesus are called not simply to believe in His resurrection and the promise of new life, but to live it through the quality of their daily lives, through how they treat each other and speak to each other. Actions will speak louder than our words.

As St John of the Cross reminds us, ‘at the end of our lives, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions and our human achievements but on how much we have loved.’

Let us strive for excellence in taking up Jesus’ call to truly love one another – as He loved us!

Mini Vinnies

Our Year 6 Mini Vinnies students launch the Vinnies Winter Appeal next week!

Every year the St Vincent de Paul Society runs its Winter Appeal to collect items to assist people through the coldest time of the year.

A study titled “Poverty in Australia 2018” which was released last year showed that more than 3 million Australians are currently living in poverty. This figure includes more than 739,000 children aged 12 and under. The St Vincent de Paul Society is able to provide not only emergency assistance to these people – but also a hand up to a better life.

By supporting the 2020 Vinnies Winter Appeal, you are helping provide support to more than 40,000 people from the Canberra/Goulburn region who are currently living in poverty.

Donation of the following items would be greatly appreciated:

• New thick socks
• New gloves/mittens
• Coats and scarves
• Sleeping bags
• Blankets/doonas    (please make sure any used items are in reasonable condition)

Many thanks from St Mary’s Mini Vinnies Team