Thoughts about the Apostles at the Ascension and Practical Prep for Pentecost!

Woah! What must the day after the Ascension have been like? What a wild roller-coaster the Apostles have been on!

No matter how much Jesus tried to teach them, nothing could have prepared them for the Passion of our Lord! He had told them about the Resurrection, but how much could they have possibly understood this unprecedented event!? Hidden in the Upper Room, no doubt wallowing in their shared grief, Jesus appears to them in His New Glorified Body! The telling holes in His Hands and His Feet keep the Miracle fresh and irrefutable in their already blown-away little minds.

Appearing through locked doors and sharing meals with them when they least expect Him, these 40 days are incredible... surreal! I bet those Apostles eagerly held on to each moment as tightly as they could!

Then, they watch Him ascend into the Heavens, right before their eyes! Surely no words could describe this vision! Happy for Jesus to be reunited with His Father, they no doubt feel the shock of devastating grief and loss all over again, uncertain of what it all means.

They must have wondered "what now?"

Not yet empowered by the Mighty Holy Spirit, they must have huddled together once again, praying the first Novena (before anyone had a name for the 9 days of concentrated prayer). Little did they know of what was in store for them on the Feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church!

What can we do to ready ourselves for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? How can we renew our enthusiasm...our Lent-ridden relief on Easter Sunday that He. Has. Risen!

How can we participate in the New Evangelization?

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