Cloyne Diocesan Pilgrimage to Knock

Sunday, May 12, 2002.

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.

World Communications Day 2002.

Homily.

“ Go, make disciples of all the nations;

I am with you always; yes, to the end of time” (Mt. 28: 19-20).

The mission, my dear Pilgrims, given by Christ to His followers to make disciples of all the nations is a mission which remains with His Church. The promise given by Christ to be with His disciples always, yes to the end of time, is a promise which will never be broken for God is faithful.

We come together today, my dear friends, as the followers of Christ commissioned to make disciples of all the nations with the assurance that He is with us as we engage in that task. We come together here at the Shrine of His Mother, the first disciple par excellence, on this the Solemnity of His Ascension into Heaven, His return to His Father, and we recommit ourselves to the mission given us to spread the Good News that JESUS IS LORD. This we cannot do without the Holy Spirit empowering us. We may know everything about the Person of Jesus, we may be persons most familiar with His Gospel Message, we may end all our prayers with the formula ‘ Through Our Lord Jesus Christ…’as we did today at the end of the opening prayer of this Mass, but until such time as each one of us makes the personal decision to name Him Lord of our lives we remain uncommitted, we remain somewhat aloof, we remain unengaged. Even the demons who encountered Christ recognised Him for what He was. They called Him ‘Son of God’ and ‘The Holy One of God’, but never did they say: ‘ We know who you are: you are the Lord’. This would have necessitated their submission to Him and this they could not do. We heard in today’s Gospel how the disciples of Jesus

“when they saw him they fell down before him” and He said: “ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” ( Mt. 28:18).

The disciples, by their actions, were declaring Him to be their Lord. They would have to wait until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit before they could declare before all the people that ‘JESUS IS LORD’. Only then could they engage in the mission given them on the Ascension Mount to make disciples of all the nations. Saint Paul himself would confirm: “ No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’, unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). And our Blessed Lady, filled with the Holy Spirit, on receiving Her Mission from God through the message of the archangel Gabriel, declared Herself: “ I am the handmaid of the Lord” (Lk. 1.38).

Why am I stressing so much today, my dear friends, the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Perhaps, in our day, the name ‘Lord’ has other connotations but, when used in reference to Jesus Christ, it is a declaration that He is Lord because He died for our sins and rose from the dead to justify us. It is an adherence to His Truth, to His Justice, to His Purity. It is an adherence to the real living Jesus.

I am convinced that what the Church needs today is a clear and unambiguous declaration of adherence to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When I say ‘the Church’ I mean that every single member of the Church is called upon today to pronounce these words clearly and with conviction “ in the power of the Spirit” JESUS IS LORD.

If this is done then new life and vigour will be injected into the Body of the Church, priorities of Truth and Justice will be re-established and the power of the evil one will be overcome. We are only too aware, in these times, how the power of evil can sap away the life and energy of the Church, how innocent lives can be damaged and trust can be lost. On this day of the Ascension of the Lord let us raise our heads on high and let us all together declare that JESUS IS LORD.

The Mission given by Christ to His followers to make disciples of all the nations is highlighted when the whole Church celebrates on this day the 36^th World Communications Day. The Holy Father, in his Message for this occasion, outlines the means used by successive generations of disciples of Christ to engage in spreading the Good News of the Gospel. Every age has demanded new forms and means of evangelisation. Pope John Paul states in his Message: “ Now, with the communications and information revolution in full swing, the Church stands unmistakably at another decisive gateway. It is fitting therefore that on this World Communications Day 2002 we should reflect on the subject: “ Internet: A New Forum for Proclaiming the Gospel ”.

His Holiness writes: “ There are certain necessary, even obvious, questions which arise in using the Internet in the cause of evangelisation. The essence of the Internet in fact is that it provides an almost unending flood of information, much of which passes in a moment. In a culture which feeds on the ephemeral there can easily be a risk of believing that it is facts that matter, rather than values. The Internet offers extensive knowledge, but it does not teach values; and when values are disregarded, our very humanity is demeaned”.

The Holy Father continues: “ Despite its enormous potential for good, some of the degrading and damaging ways in which the Internet can be used are already obvious to all, and public authorities surely have a responsibility to guarantee that this marvellous instrument serves the common good and does not become a source of harm”.

The Mission of “ making disciples” is a mission given to each Christian and this is done most effectively through personal contact and lifestyle. The Holy Father makes the point: “ The fact that through the Internet people multiply their contacts in ways hitherto unthinkable open up wonderful possibilities for spreading the Gospel. But it is also true”, he continues, “ that electronically mediated relationships can never take the place of the direct human contact required for genuine evangelisation. For evangelisation always depends upon the personal witness of the one sent to evangelise (cf. Rom. 10: 14-15). The Pope concludes his message with these words: “ Finally, in these troubles times, let me ask: how can we ensure that this wondrous instrument (the Internet) first conceived in the context of military operations can now serve the cause of peace? Can it favour that culture of dialogue, participation, solidarity and reconciliation without which peace cannot flourish? The Church believes it can; and to ensure that this is what will happen she is determined to enter this new forum (of the Internet), armed with the Gospel of Christ, the Prince of Peace. Therefore,” he says, “ on this World Communications Day, I dare to summon the whole Church bravely to cross this new threshold, to put out into the deep of the Net, so that now as in the past the great engagement of the Gospel and culture may show to the world ‘ the glory of God on the face of Christ’ (2 Cor. 4:6)”.

My dear Friends, here we are at the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock.

She has gathered us together to pray here as Church. In these challenging times let us seek her maternal protection and guidance. Like any mother she is concerned for her children and we must put our trust in her. She draws us to her Son, Jesus the Lord, and asks us to do whatever He tells us (Jn. 2:5). Mary is the Mother of the Church and is concerned at what is happening here in Ireland. We have celebrated today the return of the Head of the Church, Jesus the Lord, to the right hand of the Father. Where He, the Head, has gone in glory, we the Body are called to follow in hope. We can only do that if we, each one and all together, take possession of the Church, cherish it, love it and defend it. By the power of the Holy Spirit within us, let us build and strengthen the communion of love among ourselves so that, as Church, we may seek forgiveness for the wrongs that have been done, bring about healing where hurts have been inflicted and ensure that all, especially children, may travel the journey of Faith in total trust and confidence, knowing that whoever we are and wherever we are He, the Lord, is with us, yes to the end of time (cf. Mt. 28: 19-20).

Let us, my fellow pilgrims, become truly an Easter People raised to new life in the Risen Lord. Let us shake the world from its unbelief and make it attentive to the Gospel by the proclamation – simple yes, but strong with the very strength of God – that “ Jesus Christ is Lord”. Let us not fail to use all the means at our disposal to be engaged in the new evangelisation, for every generation is a new continent to be won for Christ. Let us always seek the maternal protection of Mary, the Mother, who suffered pain and loss at the foot of the Cross. She prayed at the birth of the Church; she prays with and for the Church. Trust her! Love her! She is the Mother of the Church.

*************************