“May we praise God always in word and deed.”
Christ has ascended to heaven and is no longer visible to us. But He is still present through His Body the Church. He feels pain when the Church suffers.
There are two seasons centered on the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. Lent is a time when we recognize the trials and troubles we experience here and now, and we repent of the pain we cause Our Lord. Easter however is a time of praise. We praise the Lord for the great good He has done for us. By ascending with His physical body, he has honored us above the angels. His resurrection and glorification show us the life that will one day be ours.
And so we praise Him by singing Alleluia throughout the Easter season. Alleluia is a song of praise.
Saint Augustine helps us out
It may sometimes seem that we praise God on Sunday when we attend mass, but forget about Him the rest of the week. This is not necessarily so. St. Augustine tells us,
“Provided we do not cease to live a good life, we shall always be praising God. You cease to praise God only when you swerve from justice and from what is pleasing to God. If you never turn aside from the good life, your tongue may be silent but your actions will cry aloud, and God will perceive your intentions; for as our ears hear each other’s voices, so do God’s ears hear our thoughts.”
A Story of Praise and Love
Internationally known speaker and author Jeff Cavins tells this story.
He had just finished a seminar and was sitting on a plane in first class (because that’s how disciples roll) when the pilot announced they would be delayed for 20 minutes as they were waiting for one more passenger. The passengers groaned and complained and rolled their eyes, Jeff admitted that he too was a little annoyed, after all, airlines don’t usually hold planes for one person, they had never done so for him.
After about 20 minutes a young girl in her 20’s rushed on to the plane with her head down and took the only empty seat, the one next to Cavins. She was greeted by a round of applause from the passengers, a sarcastic type of response, similar to the applause you hear when a poor waiter or waitress drops a tray full of food. Jeff himself made a point of looking at his watch and then looking at her as a sign of disapproval.
The young girl did not respond she just kept her head down and remained silent as the plane took off.
Jeff resumed reading his magazine but after a few minutes he realized the young girl was crying. Sniffling turned into sobbing and it was obvious that she was quite upset at something. As much as he tried, Jeff could not ignore the young girl so he leaned over and asked if he could help. She just shook her head, no, holding her head in her hands and continued her crying.
But Jeff persisted. “No,” he said, “I really want to help you. My name is Jeff, what’s yours?”
“Sarah,” she said between sobs.
“Sarah, why are you upset, what has happened?”
Sarah then told Jeff that her parents were on a cruise to Alaska and that her only sibling, her brother, was just killed in an automobile accident. She had just received the call about an hour ago.
Jeff’s first thought was of the applause that greeted this woman as she boarded the plane, steeped in sorrow.
Jeff took Sarah’s hand and said, “Sarah, look at me.” He had to repeat it several times, each time more forcefully, before she looked up at him. “You are not alone here. Are you a Christian?”
“Yes,” she admitted, “I am Catholic.”
“So am I,” said Jeff. “Sarah I am your brother in Christ. You are not alone. I will be with you for this entire flight. I will hold your hand, I will not let go, and I will pray with you.”
And that is what he did. He prayed with Sarah, taking her pain upon himself and helping her carry her burden.
When the flight landed and the people disembarked, Sarah ran off. Jeff stood there in the terminal a moment thinking about the encounter. Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw Sarah who had returned to give him a hug, before running off again.
May we praise God always in word and deed.
Pax Vobiscum
7th Sunday of Easter