Trinity Sunday invites us to celebrate the mystery of Divine love let loose in our lives, our world, human history and all of creation. Moreover, let’s not forget that one of the best and closest experiences of Divine love is reflected to us through the struggles of human love, and that the arms of God embrace us through the human arms and hearts that hold and nurture us, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

Pentecost also invites us to take the risk of loving and to find strength in our broken places, individually and as communities, always aware that we, too, have God’s Spirit to guide us, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

In the gospel reading for The Ascension of Our Lord, Jesus’ parting words could not be clearer, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald. He says nothing about looking after ourselves or assuring us that we will feel him or God or the Holy Spirit close to us. Instead, he urges the disciples, and us, their successors, to get out there and be good news to everyone we encounter.

Today’s gospel reading opens with a simple, clear, direct and unqualified statement from Jesus: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The only way in which we can demonstrate our love for God and Jesus in a world filled with billions of people, all loved into life by God and all created in the image of God, is to love without reservation every person we encounter, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald.

Today’s gospel reading gives us an account of Jesus seeking to reassure those who were near and dear to him, writes Christian Brother Julian McDonald. What he said left them very upset, and, probably, experiencing a whole range of feelings - confusion, fear, disappointment, panic, grief, emptiness, just to name a few of the possibilities. If they were shaken by the revelation that he was soon to die a violent death at the hands of those they all knew were intent on getting rid of him, they must have been shaken to the core at his announcement that he would be betrayed by one of the twelve whom he himself had selected to work with him, and that the one whom he had appointed to succeed him would soon disown him. Yet, without any hint of recrimination, blame or hostility, he calmly encouraged them to quell their fears and to trust in the goodness, compassion and love of the God about whom he had taught them so much.