Jesus’ Final Words of Consolation: Family Reflection Video

Several times while reading the Scriptures today I asked myself what must be going through the minds of Christians as Jesus shares these final words with God the Father the night before he dies. His words are so different from what we ordinarily hear from many people who face death.

Jesus does not dwell on past mistakes or failures. Nor do we hear him ask pardon for any human weakness he may have demonstrated in his relations with others. Fear is noticeably absent from his final words all of which should tell us that our endings should include gratitude, concern for others, expressions of love for others and God. In other words, Jesus is telling us to think about all that we got right and did right instead of what we did wrong.

            I heard a graduation speaker tell a graduating class, “they didn’t come to the university to stay. They came to go”.

            These past fifty days we learned that Jesus did not come among us to stay. He would have to go, and we celebrated his going on the Feast of the Ascension. In our Scriptures these past few days Jesus has been sharing with us his final moments and at the same time teaching us some extraordinary lessons.

            In his concern for us and all humanity he spoke of how he had to go but asks God the Father to look after the twelve who stood by him; but added and  those who will come to believe through the words and teachings of the 12. He had us in mind. His concern was for us.

            There is a retreat house on this property that my congregation sponsors and for the most part there are Matt Talbot retreats and Cursillo. A retreat director was famous for his parting words to the Cursillistas, those who completed the four-day retreat. At the end he would tell them “you don’t have to leave, but you can’t stay here”. In others words he was saying to them the same thing said to the graduating seniors. You didn’t come to stay; you came to go.

            We heard Jesus ask God the Father to take care of all those who would come to know Jesus and the Father through the preaching of the apostles. Jesus needs us today to go and tell others about this incredible man, the son of God who came among us, who wants us to experience a love so profound that it can be likened to  what Jesus and his Father felt for one another; that the love the Father had for Jesus may also be in us. Jesus asks us to go, to tell people that unity is possible, that people can love on another.

He ends on a personal note, that people would come to believe that he did not choose the Father, but that God the Father chose him to come and live among us and be God’s presence with us.

            Holy Spirit, help us better understand that Iike Jesus we have been put on this earth not to stay but go and make God known, loved and served.

• Father Leo's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)

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