https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052026.cfm
We Can!
As I reflected on my Pentecost homily, I remembered people walking and biking past our house. I paused to savor that memory, and soon a tender moment came to mind—a father patiently teaching his young son how to ride a bike.
The boy is like the disciples during the three years they spent with Jesus. He was so comfortable and at ease with the training wheels. When he lost his balance, they kept him upright, so he didn’t fall. Eventually, the father took off the training wheels. He offered some encouragement by holding on to the bike as he peddled. The father knew that once he let go, the bike would keep going as long as the boy kept pedaling.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the training wheels came off. Jesus was no longer with them as before. Sitting in that upper room for 50 days felt like forever. I imagine them and myself asking, “How will we carry on? We can’t do this without Jesus.” That thought kept echoing in their minds, and each time, fear took hold, saying, “We can’t.” Meanwhile, Jesus was quietly whispering in their hearts, “Yes, you CAN. But they couldn’t hear Him.
Are you facing a situation and ready to remove your training wheels so you can trust Jesus to hold you steady and prevent you from slipping back into old habits that don’t work? Remember, when we feel like we’re on our own, something beautiful begins to unfold inside us. From heaven, a variety of gifts, while centered on Jesus, help shift our focus away from ourselves. Instead, we start to see what others need from Jesus through the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit that reside within us.
We never saw these gifts because everything depended on us. We have to get out of our own way and trust Jesus to do only what God can do in us for others.
We will all have confidence that we can trust Jesus with the most difficult, impossible things we would never tackle, especially in our relationships and in our love for one another.
Gospel Challenge:
The moment we feel we CAN’T is the moment Jesus CAN.
Love Your Neighbor!
Fr. Rick Pilger, IC
