Streams of Mercy

This Thursday, May 10, we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. The Day of Ascension, the 40th Day of Easter, is God’s tremendous act of faith in us! Jesus, in leaving us, tells us that we are ready to be the Body of Christ, the church on earth.

Christ has no body now, but ours – we are to be his hands and feet, his heart and mind, his love at work in the world. The Day of Ascension draws us into a new season on our journeys of life and faith. We have not been abandoned. We have, perhaps, in that leaving, been given the gift of ourselves in new, deeper and more lasting ways.

I read a new book last week, Leaving. Leaving is the long-awaited sequel to The Tree That Survived the Winter, by Mary Fahy. As the young tree in this new story makes her unique journey through the difficult transition of her first autumn, her tree-friend Faithful journeys with her. The young tree discovers that the turn of seasons brings loss, yet also healing and growth, meaning and purpose, and ultimately, the mystery of new life. “Letting go is not a decision the young tree can make or put off. It is a quiet surrender to grace…….You must wait for the moment of grace,” Faithful tells her.

In Jesus’ “leaving,” the disciples, too, wait for the moment of grace- Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, when the gift of the Holy Spirit will be given, empowering them for ministry. The disciples, too, experience healing and growth, find meaning and purpose, and the joy of new life in Christ. In Jesus’ leaving, they were given the gift of themselves in new, deeper and more lasting ways.

Giving thanks for all the “leavings” of this life that lead to new beginnings, and for streams of mercy to carry us through.

Elizabeth