​There’s a story about Phillip, a young boy who goes and climbs up a mountain in what is now Turkey. He meets Evagrius of Pontus, a Greek monk of the 4th century. And the boy wakes the monk up because the monk is half asleep. And the monk says, “What can I do for you, young man?” And he says, “I want you to explain God for me.” And the monk smiles and he says, “God cannot be grasped by the mind. If God could be grasped, he is not a God that you should worship.” And he smiled and went back to sleep.

​Today we celebrate Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birthday of the church, the end of the Easter season. Pentecost comes from a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot. It represents the first fruits gathered as the result of labor of those who completed the spring grain harvests. God chose the first Pentecost after Jesus Christ’s resurrection to demonstrate that God is harvesting the first fruits who came into the Kingdom as a result of Peter's preaching that day.

​Today is the 40th day since Easter. The Easter story and the story of salvation are approaching their climax. What does the Ascension of Jesus Christ mean to all of us? First, Ascension guides us to capture the vision of our Lord. Secondly, it directs us to pray for wisdom and revelation. Finally, it commands us to take up God's work on earth. 

​The dominant theme in the readings this weekend is that God is love. Of course, I would never be forgiven if I forget to mention that today we also celebrate mothers. Let us express our love and gratitude to our dear mothers and pray for them.

​Our readings for the Fifth of Easter offer us images that are both beautiful and challenging. As Christians, we want to be good disciples of Jesus. This Sunday’s Gospel reading helps us know what will make us good disciples.