As Jesus prepares to ascend into heaven, the disciples ask Him when the Kingdom will finally be restored. Jesus replies by a correction to their faulty assumptions with clarity and timelines: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.” Our job is to receive the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and be witness to the things God has done, while we wait for the promises Jesus made to be fulfilled in ways we canno…t accurately predict or know. A life of faith is radical trust in a future we cannot control. God has promised Resurrection at the end of the cross, his constant presence with us, and unconditional love, but not that these will be worked out in any particular way. We need to be cautious about our own expectations and about messages that overcommit on how God is at work.

As the early Church grows, Jesus’ message of love for all expands far beyond the places where He traveled in His lifetime. By the time John is writing the Book of Revelation, the early Church understands that God’s dwelling place is in His people. Long before we have church buildings and Bibles, catechisms and canon law, we have the new commandment of Jesus: Love one another. No matter where we find ourselves this week, it is possible for us to bring love. We can listen more …deeply, offer a needed apology, let someone else go first. We can bring kindness, offer mercy, receive others’ care. This week, still well within the Easter season, practise love as a celebration of Love’s victory over violence, suffering, and death.