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As we celebrate the feast of the Ascension today, we are reminded that the task of Christians is to preserve the dynamic, enriching, and salvific memory of Jesus. Mission permeates the entire New Testament; some important mission texts are simply listed here: Matthew 28:16-20 (today’s Gospel); Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:45-48, 10:1-16; John 20:19-23, 13:12-15; Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:2-5. All these passages contain Jesus’ “mission commands.”

The Ascension of the Lord Mt 28:16-20Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Today’s Scripture readings all speak of God’s continuing and abiding presence with us. The first reading narrates how God remains with the people of Samaria as they receive the Holy Spirit. Next, the Apostle Peter speaks of Christ’s presence in people’s hearts. In the Gospel Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, assuring his followers: “I will not leave you orphans” (Jn 14:18). God’s loving presence has been shown to us in numerous ways. Personally, since today is Mother’s Day, I think of how we have experienced genuine love from our dear parents.https://maryknollsociety.org

Veronica Mary Rolf is an independent scholar of medieval studies and comparative literature, educated at Columbia University. She has spent her life in the professional theatre, as a playwright, performer, and artistic director. For over two decades, she trained and directed professional actors as a Master Teacher of Dramatic Arts in New York, London, and Berkeley.Currently, she presents a popular lecture series, Mornings with Julian of Norwich, and writes frequently on her website: www.JuliansVoice.comThe Book: https://orbisbooks.com/products/julians-gospel-paperbackMore From Orbis Books: https://orbisbooks.com

“Its a good feeling knowing that the universal church is recognizing his life as a prophet, as a priest, and as a martyr.”This is how Franciscan Br. Octavio Duran describes soon-to-be canonized Archbishop Oscar Romero.Br. Octavio personally knew Bishop Romeo, often interviewing him at the Catholic Radio Station in San Salvador, accompanying him in pastoral visits, and documenting the Bishop’s life and work in photographs.In addition to this episode, you’ll be able to read more about Br. Octavio’s time and work with the soon to be canonized Archbishop in Romero: Saint for the World found in our September/October issue of Maryknoll Magazine.Brother Octavio is a dear friend of Maryknoll and we’re honored to have had him on “Among the People” and hope you enjoy his unique story and tales of Bishop Romero.

Monday of the Fourth Week of EasterJn 10:11-18Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Join Orbis Books Publisher, Robert Ellsberg, as he discusses "Ecomartyrdom in the Americas: Living and Dying for Our Common Home", with Elizabeth O'Donnell Gandolfo , author, in this One On One Interview.This book lifts up the witness of women and men in the Americas who have been murdered for their commitment to environmental justice and ecological liberation. The central claim here is that murdered environmental activists can and should be understood theologically by Christians as eco-martyrs.Therefore, their witness should challenge the church, especially in the Global North, to enter into solidarity with the ecological struggles of poor and indigenous communities not only in the Americas, but around the world.Get The Book: Ecomartyrdom in the Americas: Living and Dying for Our Common HomeCheck out more One On One Interviews with Orbis Books,

The narrative from Luke’s Gospel of the journey of two disciples to Emmaus is well known and loved (Lk 24:13-35). We can imagine the scene: two men are walking; they are dejected, sad, and overwhelmed by recent events. Jesus, their dear friend and presumed messiah, met with a terrible end: an ignoble death by crucifixion on Calvary. There is nothing else to do: leave Jerusalem; return home to Emmaus; begin life all over again. That chapter of life has been permanently closed!

It’s a beautiful September morning. Maryknoll Fr. Ray Nobiletti had just celebrated 8 o’clock Mass in Transfiguration Church in Lower Manhattan. The primary election for the Mayor of New York City was that day and the elementary school at Transfiguration was buzzing with the start of brand new school year. In fact it was the children’s 2nd day of school. The date is September 11, 2001. After Mass Fr. Nobiletti received a phone call and was informed that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, a building he always enjoyed looking at from his bedroom window, and he was asked if he could go immediately to the burning building to help minister to the wounded. Barely having time to collect his thoughts, let alone his stole, prayer book, and holy oils, Fr. Nobiletti proceeded into the chaos of what would become known as one of the worst tragedies the United States has ever seen. As tens of thousands of people are trying to escape Lower Manhattan, Fr. Nobiletti is walking in that direction. With people grabbing on to him, screaming, and crying it didn’t matter whether you were Catholic or not that day. He didn’t know it at the time but his presence became a beacon of light in the blackness, dust, and tragedy of that day.

With deep faith and courageous hope, Saint Maximilian Kolbe endured the extreme horrors of Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi concentration camp in Poland. He proved that self-giving love and compassion can thrive even in extreme darkness and cruelty. His heroic life inspired other prisoners, giving them hope that kindness and self-sacrifice were possible—even in Auschwitz. This “factory of death” functioned from 1940 until 1945; studies demonstrate that between 1.1 and 1.5 million people perished there.

Allow me to tell you about a unique celebration of Easter from the Philippines, where I happily served as a missionary for over five decades. Filipinos celebrate a ritual, known locally as the “meeting” (encuentro); it dramatizes the encounter of the risen Lord and his mother Mary on Easter morning.

On September 7, 1918, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers sent four Missioners to China, including Maryknoll co-founder Fr. Thomas F. Price, Fr. James E. Walsh, M.M., Fr. Francis X. Ford, M.M., and Fr. Bernard F. Meyer, M.M.This year as we prepare to celebrate 100 years of Mission Sending on September 7th, we had the privilege of sitting down with Fr. John Cioppa, M.M., an 86-year-old Maryknoll Missioner, who knew one of the original 4 Maryknoll Missioners to China - Bishop James E. Walsh. In fact Fr. John was there in 1970 when Bishop James E. Walsh was released from a Shanghai prison after spending 12 years of his 20-year sentence primarily in solitary confinement.   After the Communist takeover of China in 1949, Bishop Walsh was arrested on charges that he had spied for the Vatican and the United States in 1958.  It is believed that he was the last of 7,000 foreign Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries to have been expelled from China.   Most of Fr. John’s Missionary career was spent in Hong Kong, a former British Colony, and in 1978, he was the first Maryknoll priest to be able to re-enter China since the communist takeover. Join us as we learn more about Fr. John’s adventures in Hong Kong and China in this episode of Among the People! 

Good Friday of the Lord’s PassionJn 18:1—19:42But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe.

Today on Palm Sunday as the second reading, the Church gives us a beautiful Christological hymn from Saint Paul. Philippians 2:6-11 speaks about the kenosis, the “self-emptying” of Jesus. While maintaining the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus, Paul says that Jesus voluntarily condescended and “emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave” (v. 7); he did this in profound humility and freely accepted death on a cross. God the Father has exulted Jesus through the resurrection: Jesus is Lord and Savior of the world.