Promises

The first reading today (for Ascension Day) relates three promises of Jesus:

You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit;
You will receive power;
You will be my witnesses.

Of course, this is another one of those passages where Jesus doesn't say just everything. He refuses to answer the disciples directly about the time for restoring the Kingdom to Israel. Good thing! Imagine if he had said, "In 2,000 years you will still be asking the same question, and Peter's successor, Benedict XVI will be witnessing to me..." Not very motivational.

Today is also World Day of Social Communication. This is one of the first things Vatican II called for: an annual day of recognition of the influence of communications media in modern life and its potential for evangelization. Be sure to read the offical document on this year's theme.

And, of course, it is Mother's Day. God bless you all, especially my Mom and my godmother, Toodie. And my sisters and sisters in law. And my grandmothers in eternal life. And us, too. Our Mother Paula always used to remind us on Mother's Day that we were "mothers of souls," and it is an important thing to remember. Otherwise we can get absorbed in what we do making our lives sterile and pointless. Not exactly God's image, that.