And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age

By Fr. Christopher Foeckler, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

The very last words of the Lord to the disciples as recorded in the gospel of St. Matthew, presumably just before His Ascension into Heaven, are among the most reassuring of the Gospel: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.!” Mt 28:20

The assurance comes on the heels of the great commissioning of the apostles to go into the whole world to evangelize and baptize! A daunting task for the eleven apostles and their companions! But the Lord would be with them! (And Pentecost was to come in nine days.)

We can certainly take these words to heart as we face the task of witnessing to our faith in hope and love in the modern world that more and more openly despises Christianity and any belief in God. Psalm 73 paints a scenario strikingly similar to our situation today and yet the psalmist answers the challenge with this same assurance: “Yet I was always with you; you were holding my right hand. You will guide me by your counsel, and so lead me to glory! Who else have I but you?”

The Lord “takes our right hand” to guide us, to protect us, and sometimes to pull us up from our misery. He is with us always! The question then is, do we always acknowledge His presence, do we hope in it and count on it – do we trust Him?

Fr. Walter Ciszek made this point over and over again in his famous book, He Leadeth Me. Commenting on the Babylonian exile of the Israelites, he made this insightful observation, “From our vantage point in history we know that the Babylonian Exile and destruction of Jerusalem was not the end of the covenant nor of Israel; it was really quite the opposite. Israel’s troubles were in truth a manifestation of Yahweh’s special providence, His special love for His chosen people.” “Their part in the covenant must be to trust in Him alone, to remain always faithful, to look to Him and not to other gods, to rely on Him and not on rulers or on chariots or bowmen.” “He was ever faithful and so in turn must they be, even when He led them where they would not go…” Ciszek concludes, “God is constant in His love, if we will but look to Him. He will sustain us in every storm, if we will but cry out to Him. He is there, if we will only turn to Him. He will save us, if we will but reach out our hand to Him and learn to trust Him ALONE.”

Happy Feast of the Ascension and of Pentecost to all our family, friends, benefactors, and readers!