May 17, 2026
Dear Friends,
Last year, a group of parishioners from St. Maria Goretti generously funded the commissioning of a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe that now hangs in the chapel used for daily Mass. The painting was done by the Peruvian artist Diana Mendoza and is 4 feet by 6 feet in size. When we first unrolled the canvas, we knew right away that the artist had exceeded our expectations. But, before we could hang the canvas in the chapel, we had to have it framed. We took it to a local framing shop and looked at several options. We knew the frame had to compliment the painting, without taking attention away from it. When the painting was delivered and hung, the frame made the painting even more beautiful.
I share this anecdote with you because today’s gospel reading for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord forms part of a “frame” for the entire Gospel of Matthew. As such, it can help us recognize and appreciate the power and beauty of the whole of that gospel. Today’s passage comes at the very end of Matthew’s gospel. The evangelist tells us that the Risen Jesus met the eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.”
Those are not random details or words that Matthew recounts; they are meant to recall something that happened at the very start of Jesus’ public ministry, when he was tempted in the desert, after his baptism. We heard about that back in February, on the First Sunday of Lent, when Matthew told us that “the devil took [Jesus] up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, ‘All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.’” Jesus resisted that temptation and ended up receiving “all authority in heaven and on earth” by being obedient to his Father.
But there is more to Matthew’s “framing” of his gospel. At the end of today’s passage, Jesus said to his disciples, “And, behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Again, those are not random words. Rather, they are the fulfilment of the prophetic message that Matthew cited at the start of his gospel, after the angel announced to Joseph Jesus’ true origin. As we heard back in December, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Matthew wrote, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’” On the mountain in Galilee, Jesus announced to the eleven that he would be with them always, thus fulfilling the prophets’ promise.
By “framing” his gospel with the revelation that God is with us always and the proclamation that Jesus has universal power and authority come from his Father, Matthew helps us to see how we can fulfill our vocation as disciples and our commission to make disciples. The whole focus of Matthew’s gospel is on what it means to be a disciple. The disciples of Jesus must remember that the Master is always with them, and that he shares with them his power and authority in order that they might call others to become disciples of the Masters. The Ascension of Jesus is not the end of Jesus’ relationship with his disciples, but the start of a new way for him to be with and empower disciples all over the world.
And that includes us in our corner of Northwest Indiana. During this time of transition, when we are preparing to make significant changes about the way we worship, grow, and evangelize with our fellow disciples, we are invited to rediscover what it means for us that Jesus is with us always, and that he has ultimate authority over us and our world. While we are being asked to make sacrifices for the sake of the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us, we cannot lose sight of the Lord’s presence and power among us. We need to let the Lord guide us during the coming weeks, months, and years, so that the new parish we will form will be a living frame that reveals to the people around us the good news that the God of heaven and earth is with us, and that he also desires to be with them.
Peace,
Father Leo