To ascend or not to ascend...
Sometimes liturgical calendars get confusing. Take today, for instance. I'm in Michigan for a conference (the world's largest gathering of medievalists...but that's a story for another blog). Today, this diocese is celebrating the Ascension of Jesus to the Father. However, I live in St. Louis, which will celebrate that feast on Sunday, and I'll be back home by then. So, do I celebrate the Ascension twice??? My answer: no. Today I'll celebrate the "in a little while." As in, "in a little while" Jesus will ascend to the Father; in a little while, the Spirit will come upon the disciples. Please wait, he tells us in today's Gospel. I listened to the Jesuit "pray as you go" podcast for today, and they point out that in today's Gospel (the one for those not celebrating the Ascension), the phrase "in a little while" is repeated seven times. Seven times! We are supposed to wait, to be patient. And Jesus knows