Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. Actually this Feast was celebrated last Thursday in Rome and in some other parts of the world, but Ascension Thursday has been transferred, by means of the decision of the Canadian Conference of Bishops, to today.
The scriptures for today speak of Jesus giving some special directions to his disciples, and then departing from them, leaving them gazing with wonder at the place where he once had stood. I wonder whether we sometimes gaze in wonder as well at all the God-given beauty that surrounds us, and whether we take the time to appreciate all that is around us.
We often hear stories of people searching today for answers to questions about things spiritual, about the truth regarding the afterlife, about the debate between science, evolution, faith and creation ... and I can't help wondering whether in the midst of all that questioning, there is still room for God's truth to be spoken.
When we look longingly at the gifts of creation, and marvel at the beauty that surrounds us, we are filled with gratitude. This is a very different reality than the blank questioning look that might be present if we were merely searching for something that was lost. On starlit nights, and on cloudless days, in the midst of rainstorms and the blinding experience of a snowstorm, do we look longingly into the heavens, gazing with wonder or do we simply stare at the sky, impervious to the reality that surrounds us?
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