Please, bare with me while I tell you a story.
It wasn't very long ago that Puccini composed. He became ill while writing arguably his most famous work, Turandot. He toiled day and night on his work, but it became clear to him that he wasn't going to finish in time. He died of lung cancer before completing it; but bade, before he left, his students finish the work for him.
Some time later, a few years after Puccini's death, this work was performed for the first time. The production was going on as expected when the opera reached the middle of the third act at which point the conductor stopped. There was a silence in the hall which lasted for at least two minute when the conductor turned to the audience and, with tears streaming down his face, said, "Thus far, the master wrote, but he died." After a brief pause, the conductor raised his baton and said, "But his disciples finished his work." At which point, the opera continued.
Sunday was the day we recognised Christ being taken up and away from us in time. The work, the finishing of His opus, has been left to us. To us belongs the continuing work of Salvation in the world. His last commandment to the Twelve and to us were this: Love one another as I have loved you. And He loved us enough to die for us, and no greater love is there than that.
So let's reflect on whether we have loved one another as Christ has loved us. Are we willing to try to love someone so much you would willingly die for them? Are we willing to die for our enemies--even forgive our enemies? How often to we work toward His mission of Charity and Kindness toward those who are downtrodden in our society? To we welcome the marginalised? We are all human beings and are all the creations of God, made in His image: Do we try to see That of God in other regardless of their relative sinfulness?
I'll leave you, in light of the Ascension, with a quote from St. Teresa of Ávila:
Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
It wasn't very long ago that Puccini composed. He became ill while writing arguably his most famous work, Turandot. He toiled day and night on his work, but it became clear to him that he wasn't going to finish in time. He died of lung cancer before completing it; but bade, before he left, his students finish the work for him.
Some time later, a few years after Puccini's death, this work was performed for the first time. The production was going on as expected when the opera reached the middle of the third act at which point the conductor stopped. There was a silence in the hall which lasted for at least two minute when the conductor turned to the audience and, with tears streaming down his face, said, "Thus far, the master wrote, but he died." After a brief pause, the conductor raised his baton and said, "But his disciples finished his work." At which point, the opera continued.
Sunday was the day we recognised Christ being taken up and away from us in time. The work, the finishing of His opus, has been left to us. To us belongs the continuing work of Salvation in the world. His last commandment to the Twelve and to us were this: Love one another as I have loved you. And He loved us enough to die for us, and no greater love is there than that.
So let's reflect on whether we have loved one another as Christ has loved us. Are we willing to try to love someone so much you would willingly die for them? Are we willing to die for our enemies--even forgive our enemies? How often to we work toward His mission of Charity and Kindness toward those who are downtrodden in our society? To we welcome the marginalised? We are all human beings and are all the creations of God, made in His image: Do we try to see That of God in other regardless of their relative sinfulness?
I'll leave you, in light of the Ascension, with a quote from St. Teresa of Ávila:
Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
