{"id":11548,"date":"2025-05-30T09:00:55","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/?p=11548"},"modified":"2025-05-29T13:11:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T17:11:41","slug":"seventh-sunday-of-easter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/2025\/05\/30\/seventh-sunday-of-easter-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Seventh Sunday of Easter"},"content":{"rendered":"

GROW AS A DISCIPLE<\/strong>
\nEvery day the world urges us to place our trust in countless things: money, brands, self-improvement methods \u2014 all with instant results! As Christians, however, we know that only God\u2019s promises are worth betting everything on, and they are not fulfilled on our self-determined timelines. Today\u2019s readings portray Jesus, the wounds of his crucifixion still visible, accompanying his followers for 40 days after his resurrection. Now the Apostles, some with questions of their own, are asked to wait once more for \u201cthe promise of the Father\u201d of which they heard Jesus speak: baptism by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. For the Apostles as for us, following Christ is not an easy path, the Apostles likely were wondering what to expect in this \u201cbaptism.\u201d The fulfillment of God\u2019s promises doesn\u2019t always happen quickly, nor are we usually able to grasp the big picture at the moment of fulfillment. Nevertheless, it is in these periods of waiting that faith takes root and deepens. Uncertainty makes room for faith, and as the Holy Spirit descends into our life and makes things clear, we see the beauty in God\u2019s mysterious and loving plan for us.<\/p>\n

GO EVANGELIZE<\/strong>
\nThere\u2019s a saying, \u201cIf you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.\u201d It is often a matter of timing and expectations around life that can sew doubt into our faith. In the first reading, the Apostles ask the resurrected Christ if now he would restore the kingdom of Israel. He responds, \u201cIt is not for you to know the times or seasons.\u201d We are reminded that our faith never obligates us to know what events are to come, and which date in our calendars to mark. Our role, as the second reading says, is to let our \u201chearts be enlightened, that [we] may know what is the hope that belongs to his call.\u201d We wait in faith for the Holy Spirit to move and enlighten us to what God wills. We can rest secure in the assurance that we will be given all we need.<\/p>\n

PRAY<\/strong>
\nIs your prayer sometimes full of questions about God\u2019s timing and intentions, or are you able to wait in faith for God to act? Ask the Holy Spirit for the faith and hope you need to remain at peace as you wait. Then, keep your eyes fixed on Christ, and be not afraid.<\/p>\n

By The Faithful Disciple<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Catholic Q & A – Ascension of the Lord<\/b><\/p>\n

Question:
\nCouldn\u2019t Jesus have done more good if he stayed on earth, rather than ascended into heaven?<\/p>\n

Answer:
\nThis is an interesting question! During his earthly life, Jesus gave sight to the blind, healed paralytics, drove out demons, and fed thousands with only a few loaves of bread. Imagine what he could have done if he\u2019d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 never ascended into heaven! Imagine what our world could be! It\u2019s an interesting thought to consider, especially as the world faces challenges that only seem to deepen and expand. Yet at the Last Supper, Jesus says, \u201cIt is better for you if I go.\u201d Why? His response must have seemed strange to the Apostles at the time. In his place, Jesus says, he will send the Paraclete, the Comforter, the Advocate. He promises to send the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 departure allows the Apostles to become the leaders he has formed them to be. Jesus is no longer situated in only one geographical location, and his Church will never be a political kingdom. Soon after the Ascension, we celebrate Pentecost \u2014 the descent of the Holy Spirit and the radical empowerment of the followers of Jesus. We share in that empowerment and in that mission. Jesus is present in the sacraments, and he is present in us. Through our faith, hope, and love, we are called to be the good he does here on earth!
\n\u00a9LPi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GROW AS A DISCIPLE Every day the world urges us to place our trust in countless things: money, brands, self-improvement methods \u2014 all with instant results! As Christians, however, we know that only God\u2019s promises are worth betting everything on, and they are not fulfilled on our self-determined timelines. Today\u2019s readings portray Jesus, the wounds…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[143],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parish","ctfw-has-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11548"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11554,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11548\/revisions\/11554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgenevieve-stmaurice.org\/parish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}