Mass Reflection: Sunday, 16th May 2021

As we celebrate Christ’s ascension into heaven, we recall that He is not of this world and we were not made for this world. We were made for eternal life. Our readings today remind us that we are called to be set apart as disciples of Christ.
 
In our Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that as Christian disciples, we do not belong to the world. He prays to God the Father, “I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.” 
 
We must stop and ask ourselves, "Who do we belong to?" The answer is that we belong to our Loving and Gracious God, “that they may be one just as we are one.” But, do we act like we belong to God? How we spend our time, what we do with our talents and how we spend our treasures are a good reflection of who or what we belong to.  
 
Does our time reflect time with God, our families and friends? Are our talents used to serve our families, friends, fellow parishioners and those in need? Does the way we spend our treasure glorify God? Is it put to good use? Our lives should be a direct reflection of Whose we are. 
 
Being a disciple of Christ will not always be easy. As our early disciples experienced, “I gave them your word, and the world hated them.” But it is because we were not made for the world. We were made to be saints, truly a calling that is out of this world. 
 
Although we do not belong to the world, Jesus clearly prayed, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.” We are called to live in this world and to not become consumed by it. We need to keep our minds and hearts fixed on our goal — eternal life. 
 
In order to not become consumed by the world, we need to be on guard from the evil one. As Christian stewards, we must be aware of what we bring into our homes, what we watch on television or social media, what we read, what we listen to and who we call friends. And when we keep a disciplined prayer life and remain close to the sacraments, we will increasingly become aware of the areas of our lives that are becoming consumed. 
 
In our Second Reading, St. John expresses that he, along with others, “have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” Living set apart from the mainstream world becomes much easier when we recognize, experience and personally encounter Christ’s love for us. His love is radical and His home for us in heaven is unthinkable. If we only knew the reality of both those things, we would do anything to love the Lord and be with Him. 
 
Jesus’ ascension is a good reminder for us that we, too, are called to heaven. Let us strive to live our lives as a reflection of this goal in mind. And let us pray for the grace to understand just a fraction of God’s Perfect Love for us and for the grace to express our love in return.