Hearing The Word

A weekly newsletter delivering context and insight into the Sunday Gospels.

The Spirit of Life

~ Deacon Joseph Boyle

Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church + Media, Pa.

The Lord's Ascension ushers in the end of his earthly life and mission. The time of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Life – begins. It is through his passion, death, resurrection, and Ascension into heaven that new life is found for his followers in the Spirit of Life. The Paschal mystery, the central event of salvation history, is not just a story of suffering and death, but a powerful narrative that connects us to a larger plan of redemption. It is celebrated through the liturgy of the Church, particularly during the Eucharistic celebration of the Mass.

Luke mentions the Old Testament foreshadowing of the Paschal mystery when he states: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” Images of Abraham and Isaac, Jonah and the whale, and his covenant with us if we follow his will, come to mind when hearing “I am sending a promise of my Father upon you.” The promise of salvation and the promise of the Spirit of Life. Before our Lord’s Paschal mystery, there was a twofold death to sin: there was a spiritual death and a physical death as a result of sin, which we all experience.

The central point of Luke’s Ascension narrative is that the Spirit of Life promised is for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. The salvation promised is for all, and it begins in Jerusalem and with Jesus's chosen people, the people of Israel. Jesus' disciples were instructed to “stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Once clothed in the Holy Spirit, their job was to go to the ends of earth.

Joy resulted from the disciples' witness to our Lord’s Ascension. They are now responsible for sharing the joy of the Gospel with the world.



When the Plan Changes



~ Linda Davis

Saint Mary's Catholic Church + Lancaster, Pa.

In today’s gospel, Jesus gathers His disciples one last time. He speaks truth, blesses them with peace and a mission, and then He ascends to His Father’s house. It’s a powerful, holy moment — but it’s also a goodbye. Not only to Jesus’s humanly presence, but to the trajectory the disciples thought their lives were going to have.

As a mom, this hits me deeply. Motherhood has been full of moments when I’ve had to let go of what I thought life would look like. The birth plan that changed. The job I left behind. The dreams reworked by the needs of little ones. Sometimes the letting go is dramatic, but more often, it’s quiet and daily ... like laying down control, perfection, or timelines I once held tightly to.

Jesus’ Ascension reminds me that letting go isn’t always about loss; it can also be about release. The disciples could have been devastated by the change. Instead, they returned with joy  to Jerusalem. They trusted that even though the plan was shifting, the presence of Jesus hadn’t gone. He had simply made room for something greater: an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and an abundance of trust.

Maybe that’s what God is doing in my life, too. In the letting go, He is making space for new growth, deeper trust, and unexpected joy.

So today, I’m opening my hands to welcome what will be, with faith that He is already there.