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There is a liturgical principle stated in Latin, “Lex orandi statuat legum credendi,” which means, “the law of prayer establishes the laws of belief.” Today’s liturgy gives us a great example of this principle. The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord invites us to believe in more than the fact that the glorified body of Jesus ascended from earth to heaven. The prayers of the liturgy invite us into a much higher reality, to contemplate the relevance of the Ascension for ourselves. Let us review these prayers for our edification.

The coming of the Holy Spirit is connected with the gift of peace in the Gospel of John (cf. 20: 19-22). It is good for us to ponder this during the last two weeks of the Easter Season as we prepare for the Solemnity of Pentecost (June 9). Jesus came to bring His peace which is unlike that of the world because His peace starts in the human heart, not in the rooms of worldly leaders trying to get the best deal for themselves while their armies and drones keep attacking.

Can you complete the above sentence? If so, then you know this famous teaching of Jesus. “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13: 34). This condition, “as I have loved you,” could mean many different of things. Love one another by preaching like Jesus, healing like Jesus, forgiving like Jesus, serving and washing feet like Jesus, suffering and dying like Jesus, etc. No one can imitate Jesus perfectly in all these areas. But since we are focusing on priestly vocations this weekend, I’d like to mention another condition which is sometimes overlooked: Love one another by serving the Church through the gift of celibacy.

This weekend we focus on our Stewardship of Creation. This has nothing to do with political agendas or scientific theories. It’s as simple as this: God created a beautiful world and placed human beings within it to cultivate and take care of it (see Genesis 1:15). Stewardship of Creation invites us to do two things. 1) Be thankful to God for the gift of creation, which includes ourselves. And 2) Express our gratitude to God by doing what we can to cultivate and take care of creation. I pray that this reflection will inspire us to grow as good stewards of creation.

Today’s gospel passage describes the transition of Peter from a fisherman to a shepherd through the graceful call of Jesus (John 21: 1-19). As fishermen, he and his six companions worked all night but caught nothing. At the break of dawn, we can imagine their disappointment as the only thing filling their submerged nets was the rays of the rising sun. Then the risen Son appeared on the beach inviting them to “cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” Indeed! Their net is stunningly filled with so many fish that they cannot even pull it into the boat! They realize that “It is the Lord!” and Peter jumps into the sea toward Jesus, while the others drag the net through the water towards the beach.